Dietitians

There is a strong demand for dietitians to work in various areas such as health funds (Kupot Cholim), hospitals, clinics, etc.

Places of Employment

Kupot Cholim
Each of the four health funds, Meuchedet, Macabbi, Clalit and Leumit has branches throughout the country. The differences between the health funds lie mainly in the location of their facilities, the types of supplemental policies offered, and additional services offered within the framework of their facilities. Most large cities have a clinic in almost every district. Dietitians either work in the Kupot, or work privately and accept Kupot members and get paid per treatment.

Private Practice
Anyone who holds a license as a dietitian in Israel is entitled to open a private practice and set fees. When you have a private practice you can see patients on a strictly private basis.

Hospitals

All hospitals have dietitians on staff who work directly with patients. For new Olim, joining a hospital staff has a number of real advantages. You are working as part of a team of professional colleagues who can assist you while you are learning vocational and technical Hebrew terms, and teach you how to work within the Israeli system. This can be very important at the beginning and creates a much more supportive work environment than Kupot Cholim clinics or private practice settings, where you are working on your own with patients.

Lishkat HaBriut

Each city employs one or more dietitians who work locally in the public sector in an educational and administrative capacity. Responsibilities include lecturing in local schools, working with girls performing National Service (Sherut Le’umi), visiting hospitals, and in general, ensuring that nutritional guidelines are enforced.

Knowledge of Hebrew

A good working knowledge of Hebrew is essential. It is strongly advised to study Hebrew before you arrive and then to take Ulpan upon arrival. For a full listing of Ulpan options, see the Ulpan Guide. Even where dietitians work entirely with English speakers, it is still necessary to deal with the various agencies that make up the Israeli medical network. When you first arrive in Israel, it is worthwhile shadowing an Israeli dietitian, or working with other dietitians in a hospital environment, as an opportunity to learn the technical language that you won’t necessarily gain in ulpan.

In addition to regular ulpan, Misrad HaKlita offers an ulpan for medical professionals - shlav bet. The class opens provided there are enough people who are interested. Be in touch with your local branch of Misrad HaKlita to find out when the next class will begin. For more information, see Medical Ulpan.

Licensing Information

Following a recent ruling of the Israeli Supreme Court, the Ministry of Health is not allowed to process the licensing of dietitians. This situation will continue until the relevant medical licensing laws are amended.

In the current situation, medical institutions have been employing individuals holding foreign licenses. Practically, this ruling has not affected the employment of medical professionals who make Aliyah. Most medical professionals who have made Aliyah since this ruling was instituted, are currently employed.

When you make Aliyah, bring the following documentation with you, so that you will be able to apply for Israeli licensing once this situation is resolved. All of these documents may eventually need to be notarized and translated by an Israeli notary. However, we recommend bringing them now, but waiting to notarize and translate them until it becomes relevant (in case further changes to the process are made).

1. 3 passport photos.
2. 3 photocopies of Israeli Teudat Zehut (identity card), including the address stub and/or photocopy of passport with valid authorization for living in Israel.
3. Original diplomas (or certification from a university of completion of studies, completion of all requirements for the institution, and entitlement to a degree in nutrition and diet to be awarded on a certain date).
4. Official confirmation of beginning and ending dates of course of studies.
5. Valid license from abroad (in the event that the requested license cannot be attached, attach a letter of explanation).
6. Professional letter(s) of good standing from the appropriate professional boards. The letter confirms that there are no, and have not been any, disciplinary, negligence or professional ethics complaints against the dietician.
7. Israel Police confirmation of the absence of criminal records (or alternatively: details of the existing criminal records in the applicant’s name). In the absence of confirmation, the Medical Professionals Licensing Division will contact the police to receive the confirmation.
   
8. Registration form (in 3 copies).
9. Official document confirming completion of the specified period of practical work.
10. Official documents confirming clinical work in hospitals or medical institutions.

To receive a certificate recognizing standing as a dietician, graduates of institutions recognized to teach nutrition and diet overseas must successfully pass the government licensing examinations for this profession.

You must fill out a form, requesting to take the licensing exam. The form is available at Misrad HaBriut or online at: http://www.health.gov.il/pages/default.asp?maincat=4&catid=306&pageid=2785

 Note:

• Original certificates and documents not written in Hebrew or Arabic must be translated into Hebrew by a notary in Israel who has a command of Hebrew and the language from which the original document was translated. See Notaries.
• All of the documents must be submitted in the original plus 2 photocopies. If a notary translated the document, the original notarized copy and 2 photocopies of the translation should be attached. If the document is not translated, it should be submitted in 3 copies, with the photocopies verified at the office by comparing them to the original document. 

In the past, Nefesh B'Nefesh has successfully expedited the licensing process by submitting the documents for all of our medical health professionals as one group unit. As a result, the documents were processed much more quickly than they would have been otherwise. Nefesh B’Nefesh is planning on doing the same thing again this summer, though this procedure is pending confirmation from the Ministry of Health.

Finding Work

When you start looking for work, subscribe to local community email lists, where vacancies for dietitians are advertised or where you can post a description of the type of work you are looking for.

You can also join the national association of dietitians, ATID (Amuta L’Kidum Tezuna V’Dieta), and find out about vacancies that the organization is aware of. Contact them by phone at 03 529 8348.

One way to begin looking for work is to directly contact your local health funds or local hospitals and speak to the head dietitian.

It is also possible to turn to the government employment bureau for academics, known as the Bureau for the Placement of Professionals (Lishka Le Ta'asukat Acadama'im). The bureau can link holders of academic degrees with appropriate job openings. In Jerusalem, go to:

Lishkat Taasuka
5th Floor of (new) Central Bus Station, Jerusalem
Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, 8:30 – 11:30 AM and 12:30 – 2:00 PM
Monday, Wednesday, 8:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Phone: 02 501 3111
Etti and Bilha speak English.

For a full listing of Lishkat Taasuka locations throughout Israel, see http://www.taasuka.gov.il/branches.asp.

Finally, word of mouth is often one of the best sources of job leads. Don't hesitate to let everyone you can know that you are seeking work, and follow up on any leads they may offer. Many positions are filled without ever being advertised.

Recognition of Diplomas through Misrad Hachinuch

If you intend to work in any public institution including hospitals, you must have all of your academic diplomas recognized by Misrad Hachinuch (Ministry of Education) for salary assessment purposes. When you work in a public institution, your salary is partially based on your level of education. See Recognition of Academic Degrees.

Thank you to Adina Samson for her contributions to this article.