An Exploration of the Career Trajectory, Experiences and Satisfaction of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) who hold the Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) Credential

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Jordan T Harris (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: The Commission on Dietetic Registration created the Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) credential to tailor the job qualifications of the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) to work exclusively with athletes. This paper sought to identify and explore the development, experiences, and job satisfaction of CSSDs through a mixed-methods approach utilizing semi-structured interviews and an online survey. Individuals were recruited via purposeful sampling and agreed to complete solely surveys (n=91) or both surveys and interviews (n=71). Quantitative survey data was collected on the participants’ age, education, gender, race, certifications, experience levels, length of time with RDN and CSSD credentials, and job satisfaction level and analyzed using Qualtrics. Qualitative data was collected via audio-recorded phone interviews and transcribed using Rev. Open coding was used to synthesize the transcripts into themes. Participants commonly worked with college teams (14.0%) and in private practice (12.2%), but also spent time working in positions outside of performance settings (20.7%). Their main daily tasks included providing prescriptions on what, how much, and when to consume foods (55.4%), providing dietary assessments (50.0%), and translating the latest scientific evidence into practical sports nutrition recommendations (47.3%). Overall levels of job satisfaction (81.7%) surpassed levels of salary satisfaction (64.5%) with the majority of participants (59.0%) confirming that they were more satisfied overall in sports than other areas they have worked. However, CSSD regularly shared negative perceptions of the sports nutrition field which was linked the barriers represented by the CSSD exam and a perceived lack of value in their work settings. The career trajectory of participants varied greatly, but the most common path included a combination of full-time or part-time positions inside of and outside of Sports Nutrition to gain the experience working with athletes required to qualify for the CSSD exam. CSSDs are generally highly satisfied with their jobs but struggle with the barriers of obtaining respect from other professionals and finding a work-life balance. These findings are useful to gain baseline knowledge on the experiences of CSSDs for future studies to build upon by determining how the roles, responsibilities, tasks, and job satisfaction/salary levels of CSSDs in different positions and experience levels differ.

Additional Information

Publication

Thesis

Language: English

Date: 2023

Subjects

CSSD;sports dietitians;sports RDN, RDN job satisfaction

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