Nutrition Professional in Private Practice

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Nutrition Professional in Private Practice
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Private Practice

• Reasons for the growing trend
• Loss of jobs
• Desire for autonomy
• Set work schedules (work-life balance)
• Greater interest from general public in nutrition
• DC has consulting dietitians network and private
  practice manual

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Private Practice

• Which skill areas will help someone in private
  practice to gain the competitive edge?
• Marketing!
• Marketing strategy or business plan needed
• How to sell service create image

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Private Practice

• What qualities needed for future private
  practitioners?
• Entrepreneurial approach
• Determination, perseverance, and initiative
• Self confidence and speed in decision making
  helps manage
• Self-directed, action-oriented, energetic,
  tolerant of uncertainty

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Private Practice

• Possible work settings?
• Everywhere!
• Private office, medical centre, nursing homes,
  schools, private home, etc. etc.
• Possible practice roles?
• All!
• Group education, research, evaluation, program
  design, individual counseling. . .

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Starting a Private Practice

• Know potential location
• Willing to pay for service?
• Acquire marketing skills
• Ensure sufficient funds
• Up to 3 years to establish practice

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Starting a Private Practice

• Know how to create contracts
• lawyer needed?
• Set fees and hours of work
• Network!
• Dont limit practice to one nutrition area

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Setting Fees

• 3 categories of business costs
• Salary
• Benefits
• Business and office expenses
• Competition charges??
• Use fee schedule as guide
• Charge fair competitive fee

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Required Readings

• Hasler, Brown, Burns. (2009). ADA Position
  paper. Functional Foods.
• Ryan-Harshman, Vogel. (2009). Nutritional
  genomics A new frontier.
• Morin, Castle. (2009, April). Nutritional
  genomics Are Canadian consumers interested?
• Morin, Castle. (2009, June). Knowledge and
  perceptions of nutritional genomics among
  Canadian healthcare professionals.