Build Up Catch Up - 8/25/2023
Your Question Answered; Dietitian "Approved"; Book Recommendation; (4) Things You May Have Missed
Your Question Answered
(This was a question posted in our Build UP Dietitians CAREERS group)
Question: “I’ve been an RD since 2018. Have only practiced Clinical. I have my M.S. I’ve been at my current hospital for about 3 years total. We hired a 2nd RD last year. She had 1 year of clinical experience and her B.S. only. I just found out she is making almost 2k/year more than I am. Feeling insulted. How can I address this with my supervisor?”
Answer: There were a variety of suggestions from the group:
Nicole H. - “…ask for a market and equity review - line up all of your experience and present to them.”
Amy L. - “Use the AND salary calculator if you have an Academy membership.”
Rikki R. - “…Set up a meeting with HR to discuss your “growth with the company.” Get your “brag sheet” together so you’re ready to sell yourself in case the meeting goes well. Frame the meeting sort of like this:
‘I make X. New hire makes Y. I believe this is not an appropriate difference in salary due to these reasons (RD salary info and brag sheet). Can you tell me what happened for this difference, maybe new hires have a higher starting rate than they did when I was hired? What can I do to earn this amount?’
Dana A. - “…ask for a raise. If they say no, don't freak, stay calm but look elsewhere and leave. It's not personal, the market changed…”
Advice from Indeed.com: What To Do When New Hires Get Paid More Than Existing Employees | Indeed.com
Bottom Line: This is not the first time we’ve heard of this happening and one of the reasons we require all jobs posted in our Build Up Dietitians JOBS group to list salary/hourly rate. Remember, this is happening in many fields - not just dietetics.
Dietitian “Approved”
On social media you may often see dietitians contributing to articles, making TV appearances, or writing blogs about specific branded food and beverages and framing these products as “dietitian approved”, e.g. “Dietitian Approved Snacks” or “5 Plant-Based foods this dietitian approves!”.
When dietitians call out these brands by name or clearly show certain brands in images that accompany these “approved” articles and appearances, is this actually a commercial and financial relationship? If so, they should be following FTC (Federal Trade Commission) guidelines for disclosure that appear in Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers (ftc.gov) and letting their followers and the public know. “…If you endorse a product through social media, your endorsement message should make it obvious when you have a relationship (“material connection”) with the brand. A “material connection” to the brand includes a personal, family, or employment relationship or a financial relationship – such as the brand paying you or giving you free or discounted products or service.”
Book Nook Recommendation
If you’ve ever listened to Sawbones Podcast, “The Sawbones Book: The Hilarious, Horrifying Road to Modern Medicine”, the style will be familiar. This book is an easy and entertaining read, full of interesting medical stories, historical perspective and humorous asides. The book also has great illustrations.
4 Things You May Have Missed
Our friends at Examine have worked hard to upgrade their website so it’s now more user-friendly, offers more study summaries, has educational tidbits and more. If you’re looking for a ‘one-stop shop’ to check out research on various supplements, food and nutrition topics, etc. try Examine - here’s our affiliate link: https://examine.com/refer/builduprdns so we can a little cash for referring you.
Lab CULTURED…not CANNABILIZED Meat
Apparently it has to be explained to people that cell cultured meat is derived from ANIMAL cells and not HUMAN cells. 🤪👀 See this “fact check” article.
Ida Skivenes (@IdaFrosk)- Norwegian Food Artist
We often think about chefs in terms of turning food into art, but how about someone who actually uses food to recreate art and make art? You can find Ida Skivenes (Ida Frosk) book - in German - on Amazon and she has an Instagram account— note: it doesn’t appear she is very active on social media these days.
4.FDA Appointed the first Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods
