Licensure & Reporting Harm

For licensure questions, please contact Rowan Goodrich at [email protected]

The S.C. General Assembly passed the S.C. Dietetics Licensure Act to regulate persons engaging in the practice of dietetics or nutrition. Act 392 is effective July 1, 2006. For more information, visit the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation (LLR).

How Is an RDN Different Than a Nutritionist?

To put it briefly, all registered dietitians are nutritionists but not all nutritionists are registered dietitians. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Board of Directors and the Commission on Dietetic Registration approved the term “nutritionist” for optional use by registered dietitians in 2013. Dietitians can now use the title Registered Dietitian (RD) or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). The “RD’ and “RDN” credentials are legally protected titles that can only be used by practitioners who are authorized by the Commission on Dietetic Registration of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In SC Registered Dietitians may use either the RD or RDN credential.

• Completed a minimum of a bachelor’s degree at a US regionally accredited university or college and course work accredited or approved by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
  ** About half of all RDN’s have advanced degrees
  ** Many RDNs have specialist certifications
• Completed an accredited supervised practice program at a health-care facility, community agency, or a food service corporation or combined with undergraduate or graduate studies. Typically, a practice program will run six to 12 months in length.
• Passed a national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). For more information regarding the examination, refer to CDR’s website at www.cdrnet.org.
• Complete continuing professional educational requirements to maintain registration.
• Comply with the Code of Ethics

For more information on the RD RDN Credential, click here.

Requirements to be a Nutritionist

Anyone may call himself or herself a nutritionist, the term is a general, non-accredited title and not regulated by law. While there are some individuals with advanced degrees from colleges and universities that use the term nutritionist, there are no educational requirements nor are there any consumer assurances related to working with a nutritionist. Nutritionists generally do not belong to a professional body, which can govern continuing educational requirements or ethical conduct. Additionally, nutritionists have no professional practical training requirements related to the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

How to Report Harm

A complaint against a licensee, or an unlicensed person practicing a profession or occupation that requires a license, may be made on complaint form. You may download the form from the Board's Web site or request to have one mailed by calling (803) 896-4651. The complaining party is responsible for ensuring that all necessary information is included on the form.

In completing the form, you are referred to as the complainant. The individual or business you are filing a complaint against is referred to as the respondent.

Please state all facts briefly and clearly. Also, include the name, address and phone number of all witnesses, and the specific information they possess to substantiate the complaint. Please include copies of any documents, records, statements or contracts that may assist this agency to conduct an inquiry.

Upon completion, simply click on "Submit" to file the complaint with the agency.

Upon receipt of the complaint and jurisdiction is established, a thorough investigation is conducted to determine whether a violation has occurred. Although this action is between the State and the Respondent, the complainant should be prepared to testify, as requested, at a hearing before the Board or Commission if the matter has not been otherwise resolved. The complaint will be dismissed by the Board or Commission if a violation is not found or the case does not present evidence that would sustain a legal procedure. However, if a violation of the practice act is found, the respondent may be offered a consent agreement, or a hearing may be held before the appropriate Board or Commission to resolve the findings of the agency's investigation.

Incident Reporting Tool
For Documenting Stories of Success and Reporting Harm

The Academy developed the Incident Reporting Tool to support its efforts to protect the public, enhance the quality of nutrition care and promote self-regulation of the profession. The IRT fills a critical gap in supplementing the documentation of noteworthy incidents in the provision of nutrition care services across the country. Patients, members of the general public and health care practitioners can now easily document examples of successful nutrition care, showing the value of qualified practitioners. In addition, incidents of harm or unethical practice can be submitted using the IRT. Click here for the Academy's IRT web page. For more information, visit the IRT FAQ page.

To contact the SCAND Licensure liaison regarding a licensure question, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. 

South Carolina Dietetics Practice Act