Describe a typical day as a private practice RD
My first client is at 8 am and I see clients until 11 am. Afterwards, I have a 1 hour break where I handle administrative work, market my practice, or communicate with other members of my patients’ treatment team. From 1-5 pm, I continue seeing more patients and wrap up on charting notes. On Tuesdays, I work later into the evening for adolescents coming home from school or adult clients that work during the day. On other weekdays, I typically maintain a consistent 8-5 schedule. The best part about working in private practice is being your own boss. I decide if I want to work on the holidays.
How do you measure patient progress the private practice setting?
I always compare their present state to their initial state when they first came to me. Many patients are unable to access a higher level of care and don’t have a treatment team and they are starting from the very beginning. I start by encouraging them to find a team or helping them to assemble one. Having a therapist, medical provider, and other disciplines is crucial to making progress in eating disorder treatment.
Eating disorders are debilitating conditions and as the patient improves, I see the patient being able to live a more free and fulfilling life. They are better able to identify their triggers and implement the skills they’ve been taught in those scenarios. Every patient is different. Certain people require small goals to keep progressing while others love big goals. It’s important to meet the patient where they’re at and work with them to help them get better.
What was it like to start a private practice?
At the beginning, I felt a lot of pressure as I now relied solely on myself for income. I had to be organized throughout the day to make sure everything got finished. Marketing myself as a brand was also a challenge and I had to find unique ways to attract new patients. Creativity is key and I credit my ability to innovate to my success. I want future RDs to know that while private practice can be more attractive than working in a clinic, it’s important to be on top of things such as billing or you’ll quickly be left behind. Working in private practice can also be isolating as you no longer have co-workers so it’s important for me to be a part of online communities like IFEDD where I can interact with other RDs in the field. Once you gain momentum and have autonomy, working in private practice is incredible.
What is the difference between private practice and group practice?
Private practice is a solo practice and you’re the sole employee of your own brand. Group practice is when multiple RDs work together under one brand. Although they sound similar, there are many differences. In group practice, I do not have autonomy over the number of patients I see and days are constructed for me. However, this was an excellent way for me to get a glimpse into running a business. The setting was perfect for me to develop close relationships with my co-workers and supervisor. They were essential to my growth. I would advise to anyone who is interviewing at a group practice to ask them during the interview how they support the dietitians on the team.
How many years of experience did you have before starting your private practice?
I worked in a treatment center prior to transitioning to private practice so I had a strong base of knowledge. The benefits of starting out in a clinic is having people around you to bounce ideas off of. The most important advice I can give to any aspiring eating disorder dietitian is to seek out supervision from experienced clinicians and additional credentialing and training such as CEDS or IEDE. Eating disorders are highly complex with biological, psychological, and social factors that all interplay and the traditional dietetic curriculum does not provide sufficient training to students. Once you get a few years of experience under your belt, it would be an appropriate time to consider starting a private practice.
I run a supervision group called Dietitian Circle where RDs gather to discuss cases. I would highly recommend new RDs to join Dietitian Circle or a similar group where they can discuss cases with more experienced dietitians. If you are a new RD, you can do a single-time trial for free before paying anything. If you are a student, I’d love for you to sit in and learn from us!
