The ultimate guide to hiring a nutrition consultant via a staffing agency

Not all roles or staffing situations are the same, and healthcare needs can shift quickly. Having a mix of staffing options supports flexible and cost-effective coverage. Discover how to hire a nutrition consultant through a staffing agency for streamlined recruitment and specialized support in your facility’s clinical nutrition needs.

Inside this guide:

What is a nutrition consultant in a healthcare setting?

A nutrition consultant in a healthcare setting is a trained nutrition professional, usually a registered dietitian (RD or RDN). A registered dietitian is a regulated title. These nutrition professionals hold a master’s degree and pass a national exam to provide medical nutrition therapy. Dietitians often hold a state-specific license to practice, too. The national certification and state license differentiate dietitians from nutritionists, allowing them to officially call themselves registered dietitians.

The skills and expertise of a registered dietitian are required in clinical settings where dietitians provide care via tube feeding, assessing for malnutrition, or managing chronic disease through diet. They also ensure compliance with healthcare regulations and dietary standards.

How familiar are you with the ins and outs of a dietitian’s role?

Dietitians do far more than just plan meals, they’re highly trained healthcare professionals who assess nutritional needs, support medical treatments through diet, and educate patients and communities. They work across a wide range of settings, from hospitals and long-term care facilities to schools, public health programs, and private practice.

Depending on their specialty, a dietitian might help manage chronic diseases, oversee foodservice operations, or guide athletes toward peak performance. Their work is essential to improving health outcomes and supporting overall wellness.

Which type of nutrition consultant fits your needs?

Dietetics is a diverse field with several areas of specialization, including clinical nutrition, public health, management, outpatient care, education, and entrepreneurship. According to a 2024 survey from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 64% of registered dietitians work in clinical settings like hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities.

Additionally, each hospital offers different types of care and patient needs, so the right dietitian might look different from one facility to another. For example, a Level-1 trauma center in a large city sees a different type of patient than a Level-2 hospital in a rural area, meaning the dietitian will need different skills and experience for each setting.

Why hire a nutrition consultant through a staffing agency?

Hiring a nutrition consultant, such as a registered dietitian, takes specialized know-how, but you don’t have to figure it out alone. In fact, staffing experts can find the right fit faster, more efficiently, and often at a lower cost.

Benefits of working with a dietitian staffing agency

Replacing a staff member can cost up to 33% of their annual salary, without even factoring in the lost productivity from a vacant position. That’s why the speed and efficiency of using a staffing agency makes financial sense.

Hiring a temporary dietitian gives you maximum flexibility. For one set hourly rate, you get a qualified professional without the long-term commitment. In short, once the contract ends, billing stops. Ongoing costs like payroll, benefits, onboarding, and training are avoided, making temporary coverage a smart, budget-friendly solution for short-term needs.

How a staffing agency streamlines the hiring process

Dietitian staffing experts work directly with job-seeking dietitians. They quickly match dietitians with roles that fit their skills, goals, and availability. Staffing agencies with a nationwide network and access to traveling dietitians have the tools to fill jobs faster. Overall, they can quickly present qualified candidates for interviews, speeding up the hiring process while still focusing on finding the right match.

Key tips for hiring nutrition consultants

When hiring a nutrition consultant for a healthcare facility, it’s helpful to consider factors like speed-to-hire, industry expertise, soft skills, engagement, and availability.

1. Speed

Going too long without a dietitian can negatively impact patient care and end up costing more in the long run. Temporary staffing can be a smart way to fill the gap while searching for the right long-term hire.

2. Industry expertise

When a staffing agency specializes in hiring dietitians, they understand exactly what to look for, so you get a qualified, well-matched professional, not just a quick fill.

3. Soft skills

It takes deep knowledge of the industry to screen a candidate for both clinical skills and soft skills, such as cultural awareness and a team-first attitude.

4. Employee engagement

Hiring a dietitian as a W-2 employee instead of an independent contractor is the smartest, safest choice. According to the indicators defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor, consultant dietitians are W-2 employees. This classification protects both sides and helps avoid messy misclassification problems down the road.

5. Availability

With the master’s degree requirement change in 2024, the timeline to complete the RDN credential is longer, creating a dietitian shortage, especially in rural areas. How’s the dietitian talent pool in your area?

Identify your facility’s nutrition consultant needs

Staffing agencies work with all kinds of healthcare facilities, so it’s helpful to share exactly what you’re looking for in a candidate, from skills to experience.

At the same time, keeping an open mind can lead to great matches. The most successful contract dietitian placements often come from a mix of clear expectations and flexibility on both sides. Creative staffing solutions can help you find the right fit faster.

Types of nutrition consultant staffing solutions

Not all roles or staffing situations are the same, and healthcare needs can shift quickly. Having a mix of staffing options supports flexible and cost-effective coverage.

Temporary services fill a vacancy quickly

Temporary dietitian services are short-term staffing solutions that bring in a qualified nutrition consultant to cover for a set period, like during a leave or staffing gap. They typically cover:

• Gaps between permanent hires
• Leaves of absence (maternity, medical, PTO)
• Short-term projects or audits
• Seasonal workload increases

According to Staffing Industry Analysts, temp labor provides employers the ability to quickly scale workforces up and down in response to changing conditions. Staffing services help meet immediate needs without adding to fixed payroll or long-term costs related to hiring, onboarding, training, and managing permanent employees.

Permanent placement services fill a role long-term

Permanent placement (or direct hire) staffing helps find the right fit for long-term roles, especially leadership or highly specialized positions. Here’s what sets permanent placement services apart:

• The candidate is hired directly to the client’s payroll
• The client pays a one-time finder’s fee to the staffing agency
• There is no trial or temporary period of employment

Temp-to-perm staffing services allow for ultimate flexibility

For the best of both staffing service types, consider a temp-to-perm service. Many staffing agency contracts for temporary services include an option for the client to hire the candidate permanently, typically for a set fee. This allows both the employer and the dietitian to test the working relationship before making a long-term commitment.

Specialized nutrition consultant services fill unique roles

A dietitian staffing agency can streamline the hiring process for one-of-a-kind dietitian roles in settings like program-based virtual counseling, cruise ships, factories, grocery stores, college dining halls, start-up nutrition businesses, and many more. These roles require a uniquely qualified dietitian, one that a staffing agency is likely to find within their extensive network.

Hiring a dietitian isn’t one-size-fits-all. Matching their skills, credentials, and experience with what a facility’s nutrition department requires demands specific knowledge.

Next steps for hiring a dietitian through a staffing agency

Define your facility’s temporary dietitian needs: Based on the facility’s own standards and policies, how many hours per week are needed to maintain quality patient care? Consider how long the temporary dietitian will be around, too – how many days, weeks or months.

Gather skills, duties, credentialing, and onboarding requirements: What are the key duties and minimum credentials needed for a candidate? How long will it take to complete onboarding requirements like a drug screen, background check, vaccine documents, and orientation?

Set a timeline: Consider your location, the local pool of dietitians, and if a travel dietitian would be a good fit. When do you need the dietitian to start to maintain consistent coverage?

Set a budget: A dietitian staffing company’s bill rate is a single hourly fee that covers the full cost of providing a dietitian. This includes recruiting, interviewing, screening, onboarding, state and federal taxes, benefits, timekeeping, admin costs, support, and payroll. When determining your budget for a contract dietitian, consider all these factors.

Review candidate matches: After screening and checking candidates, the recruiter shows the available candidates to the hiring manager. The hiring manager might choose to interview the dietitian or just review the recruiter’s notes, pick a candidate, and move forward with onboarding.

Onboard and train: Onboarding and training for a dietitian typically includes a clinical nutrition competency exam, one-on-one interview, a minimum of two reference checks, credential verification, criminal background check, TB screening, 10-panel drug screen, and tax forms for W-2 employment. Training for specialized roles may also be provided by the staffing company.

Support the new hire: Supporting a consultant dietitian includes managing administrative tasks like timekeeping, benefits, payroll, skills assessment, and employee relations. Help and advice from a team of corporate dietitians is also available, following HIPAA rules.

Resources for ongoing support

Need a little help figuring out how to hire a dietitian through a staffing agency? Check out these free resources:

• Blog: What goes into a bill rate?
• Understanding the risks of misclassifying contract workers
• Reasons to consider a travel dietitian
• Infographics: Resources for hiring managers

Hiring a dietitian through a staffing agency can be easy, efficient, and even a little bit fun when you partner with experts in dietitian staffing.

Tell us about your staffing need

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Dietitians On Demand is a nationwide staffing and recruiting company for registered dietitians, specializing in short-term, temporary, and permanent-hire positions in acute care, long-term care, and food service. We’re dedicated to dietitians and helping them enhance their practice and excel in the workplace. Check out our job openings, request your coverage, or visit our store today!

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References: 

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (2024). Compensation & Benefits Survey of the Dietetics Profession 2024 (11th ed.). Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. ISBN 978‑0‑88091‑241‑9 – Exhibit 2.10 Practice Area of Primary Position 

Bolden‑Barrett, V. (2017, August 11). Study: Turnover costs employers $15,000 per worker. HR Dive. Retrieved June 17, 2025, from https://www.hrdive.com/news/study-turnover-costs-employers-15000-per-worker/449142/ 

Staffing Industry Analysts. (2025, June 3). Staffing firms face rising independent contractor misclassification risks with IC workers. Retrieved June 12, 2025, from https://www.staffingindustry.com/editorial/staffing-industry-review/staffing-firms-face-rising-misclassification-risks-with-ic-workers 

Malan, H., & Haskins, A. (2024, October 2). Why have companies been hiring fewer temps lately? Staffing Industry Analysts. Retrieved June 12, 2025, from https://www.staffingindustry.com/editorial/staffing-stream/why-have-companies-been-hiring-fewer-temps-lately-