Entry level dietitians are typically new to the profession, returning to practice or transitioning to a new specialty or area of work.
What is entry level practice?
Entry level is the first level within registered practice. For dietitians that have trained in the UK it follows on from pre-entry or may follow on from assistive for those who have completed a dietetic degree apprenticeship in England.
The levels of practice can be fluid and are not always linear. You may find that you move from enhanced to entry level practice at career transitions, for example when moving between specialist areas, relocating to the UK as an internationally trained dietitian or when returning to practice after a prolonged absence.
Development at all levels of practice is supported using the BDA Dietetic Career Framework to identify your learning needs. Entry level dietitians will benefit from accessing regular, high quality practice supervision and preceptorship* to develop competence and confidence. Most dietitians will enter the profession at entry level and transition to enhanced level of practice, which is the level beyond, as they build their professional capabilities.
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Roles and titles
Entry level is not a job title or role. Dietitians working at this level of practice will have many different roles and titles including:
- Rotational Dietitian
- Dietitian (band 5)
- Newly Qualified Dietitian
- Community Dietitian
- Acute Dietitian
Accessing education and training
All members of the dietetic workforce have a responsibility at all stages of their career to keep their knowledge and skills up to date and to ensure they hold the relevant education and training to fulfil their role. This is essential to ensure you always work within your scope of practice.
However, we recognise that our workforce is experiencing challenges in accessing training opportunities which can result in recruitment and retention issues. Our ‘accessing education and training’ webpage has been developed with relevant and useful information to support you to access and engage in education and training.
