Telenutrition (a form of telehealth) provides access to a professional from the convenience of your home (or wherever you decide to have a call).

Great question! Telehealth is a convenient way to connect with a professional through a phone or video call. Any information follows strict HIPAA guidelines just as if you were meeting with a professional in person. It’s simply using the tools available today to increase accessibility to licensed professionals.

A Registered Dietitian (RD) or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) is a food and nutrition expert who translates the science of nutrition into practical solutions for healthy living and helps individuals make personalized, positive lifestyle changes. The academic and professional requirements to become a RD/RDN include:

• Earning a baccalaureate degree with coursework approved by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). Coursework typically includes food and nutrition sciences, foodservice systems management, business, economics, computer science, sociology, biochemistry, physiology, microbiology and chemistry.
• Completing an accredited, supervised internship program at a health care facility, community agency and/or foodservice corporation
• Passing a national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)
• Completing continuing professional education credits needed to maintain registration

Unlike dietitians, the nutritionist profession is much less protected under the law. Some states may require nutritionists to obtain an occupational license from a Board of Nutrition, while other states allow individuals to practice as nutritionists without any previous education, training or work experience.

An International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) is a healthcare professional who specializes in the clinical management of breastfeeding and is certified through the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE). 

IBCLCs improve breastfeeding outcomes. IBCLCs have a unique body of knowledge and skill to provide breastfeeding and lactation care in routine and high-risk situations. The availability of IBCLCs increases breastfeeding rates, which, in turn, improves the health outcomes of the community, nation, and the world.

IBCLCs lower health costs. Formula feeding increases adverse health outcomes, difficult hospital re-admissions, hospital lengths of stay, and lost days at work by parents due to sick children. The increased number of infants that are breastfed because of the availability of IBCLCs lowers these formula-related healthcare costs.

IBCLCs improve consumer satisfaction. By helping breastfeeding families to achieve their lactation goals, IBCLCs improve the care of parents and infants. Consequently, consumer satisfaction with the healthcare team increases.

IBCLCs improve an institution’s image. Improvement of consumer satisfaction enhances any institution’s competitive image. The availability of an IBCLC improves an institution’s image as a breastfeeding-friendly entity. This can increase the institution’s consumer base and can be particularly helpful in meeting accreditation and quality measurement standards.

IBCLCs improve consumer trust. IBCLCs are knowledgeable and ethical professionals who are bound by a code of professional conduct, scope of practice, and standards of practice. The certification is a privilege and revocable for cause. Thus, families and communities trust IBCLCs.

IBCLCs improve breastfeeding programs and policies. The clinical practice experience and empirical knowledge of IBCLCs give insight into lactation program development. IBCLCs are instrumental in policy and program development discussions on any issues that affect breastfeeding families and communities.

Source: https://www.ilca.org/why-ibclc/ibclc