Clinical Dietitian Salaries

Name: Hope Gardner
Job Title: Clinical Dietitian, previously a Dietary Aide
Where: Columbia, South Carolina
Employer: Healthsouth Rehabilitation Hospital
Education: Master's of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from LA TECH University
Bachelor's degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Annual Salary: $45,000 (To see Clinical Dietitian salaries by years of experience, visit the PayScale Research Center. Also find information on other medical jobs, including Medical Laboratory Technician salaries).

Hope Gardner has found her perfect career fit, combining a love of food and a passion for helping people.  Beginning her career as a Dietary Aide, Hope is now a Clinical Dietitian, rehabilitating patients through dietary counseling. Here, Hope shares what she loves most about her job, and outlines a possible career path for anyone considering a job as a Dietary Aide or Clinical Dietitian.

Clinical Dietitian Job Description and Duties of a Dietitian:
Complete nutritional assessments of patients to determine if they are at risk of being malnourished, counsel patients on diets, importance of nutrition, also work with registered nurses (RNs), and physical and occupational therapists for the best possible rehab potential for a patient.

PayScale: How did you get started as a Clinical Dietitian?
Hope: "I love food and wanted to help people and didn't want to be a chef (late nights) or a nurse (hate needles). I'm perfectly right in the middle of both of these!"

Nonprofit Salaries: Nonprofit Executive Director

Name: Ann E. Tucker
Job Title: Nonprofit Executive Director
Where: Galesburg, IL
Employer: United Way of Knox County, Inc.
Years of Experience: 15 as a paralegal
Education: Illinois Central College - Associates Degree,  Western Illinois University - going back to get my Bachelor's Degree
Nonprofit Salaries : $45,000 to $75,000*
* Salaries of nonprofit Executive Directors vary widely by location and by years of experience. View these salary charts for details: Salaries of Nonprofit Executive Directors by city and nonprofit salaries for Executive Directors by years of experience.

A career in the nonprofit industry can certainly have its perks. Ann Tucker is a nonprofit executive director for United Way, and says there’s not much she doesn’t love about her job. Plus, Ann gets the daily satisfaction of knowing she’s helping others. Nonprofit Executive Director salaries by years of experience usually fall around $45,000 for those with less than one year of experience, but salaries can reach over $75,000 once you have 20 years of experience under your belt.  Salaries can also depend upon location, so be sure to check out salaries of Nonprofit Executive Directors by city.

Nonprofit Executive Director Job Description:
Organize and hold an annual campaign; recruit and train volunteers; organize special events; supervise one full time employee and two part-time employees; networking; attend seminars; promote public awareness of our organization and our partner agencies; agency relations.

PayScale: How did you get started as an Executive Director for a nonprofit?
I had been a paralegal for 15 years.  Due to downsizing in my firm, and burnout on my part, I was forced to find new employment.  I interviewed for an administrative assistant position with United Way.  Three weeks after I started my job, the executive director submitted her [resignation].  I was offered the job after serving as interim director for six months.