What’s With All the Initials? GEEZ!
I know it’s obnoxious. Basically I’m a very highly trained, experienced and certified EATING COACH. It’s a lot of initials but my first love is talking and interacting with people. Looking at ALL aspects of a person’s life, interviewing them essentially. Understanding them to the point that I can convey my knowledge and experience to empower them to feel good; to feel peaceful and triumphant – the olive logo is intentional! I love my job and have a ton of fun, but yes, I worked very hard first.
I’ll break down the acronyms for you:
MS – Master’s of science in foods and nutrition, with an emphasis in sports nutrition that you wouldn’t know from just the initials, but see below. That tells you I have 2-3 years of graduate training beyond a 4-year college bachelor’s degree.
RDN – Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. All dietitians are nutritionists, but not all nutritionists are dietitians. Make sense? I know it’s confusing. All RDNs must complete at least a BS degree (with course work in biochemistry, physiology and psychology) from an accredited university and clinical work before taking a national exam. And then to keep the license we need to keep up with the continuing education requirements.
CSSD – Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics. Every 5 years I take a board exam for this certification. I have extra training, as well as a minimum requirement of experience to qualify for taking the exam. I breathe an enormous sigh of relief every time I pass for another 5 years!!!
CSCS – Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Kind of a glorified fitness trainer. Fortunately this is a one-time exam (if I pass), but to qualify at least a BS is required and to keep the certification I need to meet minimum continuing education requirements through the NSCA, National Strength and Conditioning Association.
And what else do all these initials mean? They took a lot of time and some of them I received 20 years ago, so it means I’m old! In other words I have a lot of experience working with folks.
