Dean Simon

When I was in high school I had hoped to be a medical doctor. I went to university and applied to the program but did not get accepted. I went on to complete two Bachelor’s Degrees (Organic Chem and Human Nutrition). When I completed the Organic Chemistry degree I worked at different jobs but nothing that was really satisfying. A friend of mine opened my eyes to Dietetics and it seemed like a great fit with my love of running and sports in general. So I started to look at becoming a dietitian.

A registered dietitian is a regulated health profession that requires a four-year Bachelor’s Degree, a one-year internship, and successful completion of a National Certification Exam. So, almost 17 years after I completed my degree in Organic Chemistry, I went back to complete one in Human Nutrition (I don’t believe you are ever too old to start again.)

After this I had to find a place to intern as this is part of the requirements for registration. I didn’t get into an internship the first two times I applied but on my third try I was accepted to complete a pilot project internship at St. Francis Xavier University. In this Indigenous focused internship I worked in a number of small Indigenous communities from Nova Scotia to Labrador. My area of concentration was incorporating Indigenous languages into community, food service and clinical aspects of Dietetics. It was a great experience and now I’m now practicing privately with weight management clients. I do both in person and online programs and do healthy eating presentations at community events and in school nutrition presentations.