International Medical University Nutrition programme nurtures 21st century nutritionist

Published on: Monday, September 12, 2022

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WORKING as a nutritionist can be a great career choice for people who are passionate about food and wellness and who want to help others meet their goals. The role allows you to share your knowledge and educate your clients so that they can lead healthier lives. Of late, a career in nutrition has gained more popularity, due to the pandemic; as more and more people became conscious about maintaining a good health. This awareness has led to an increase in the number of people seeking advice from qualified nutritionists as people realise that quality of life depends on the quality of food we eat and a healthy lifestyle. The rise in diet and lifestyle-related chronic diseases in Malaysia and internationally has also led to a growing interest in healthy eating and health promotion.

Nutritionists are professionals trained to promote healthy eating for wellness and to prevent diseases in individuals, communities and entire populations. Nutritionists help people to create eating plans that are realistic, sustainable, and healthy. Instead of recommending crash diets, detoxes, or quick fixes, nutritionists teach people healthy, affordable and sustainable ways to eat and understand food, based on evidence.

Besides working in the community, nutritionists work in diverse roles in the food and nutrition industry that range from regulatory roles ensuring that nutritional claims and product labelling are appropriate, to being involved in nutrition research for supporting new product claims. Nutritionists can also be employed in healthcare settings, restaurant chains, academia, marketing, advertising, advisory, communication and even management and administrative roles. Nutritionists in Malaysia are professionally regulated and registrable as Registered Nutritionists (RN) under the Allied Health Professions Act (https://alliedhealth.moh.gov.my/Mahpc/acts-774/).

Here’s what our graduates are saying about the programme:

Jennifer Teo Chun Yi (NT1/15 Alumna)

Assistant Manager cum Nutritionist,

Farmz Asia Pte Ltd, Singapore

The syllabus of the IMU Nutrition programme is very current and prepares us to be work-ready. Besides the core nutrition modules, modules such as food culture and nutrition marketing are an added advantage for the graduates. The intensive industrial placement also enables us to apply our nutrition knowledge and skills into the real work setting. This experience has truly prepared me well for my current responsibilities as a Nutritionist.

Jake, Lee Juen Jiat

(NT1/13 Alumnus)

Nutritionist cum Product Executive,

LCP Supplies (M) Sdn Bhd

I graduated from IMU in 2016. My current job scope responsibility include training and promoting wider applications of functional ingredients in food, beverages and cosmetic products to healthcare professionals and business owners. Throughout my journey in IMU, I had received tremendous support from lecturers and my coursemates for my academic and self-development. The curriculum was comprehensive, it had prepared me well as a competent Nutritionist-which is why IMU Nutrition graduates are the preferred choice by employers!

Yeo Wan Qing (NT115 Alumna)

Senior Nutritionist, Top Glove Corporate Berhad

As a nutritionist in a corporate setting, my responsibility is to promote health and wellbeing of employees in the company. Along with my team of Nutritionists, I conduct regular health promotion activities including health screening and health talks. We also established a nutrition consultation clinic and weight management programme for the staff. The programme had definitely prepared me well in aspects of nutrition education and health promotion. The food service and food safety module were also helpful as I am now able to independently audit and monitor food safety aspects in the company canteens.

At IMU, the BSc (Hons) in Nutrition curriculum has been developed to meet high international standards and global needs. This degree exposes students to practical industrial placements and research, giving them valuable experience and preparing them to be competent nutritionists, upon graduation. For this programme, students have the option to complete the entire degree at IMU or study the first two years of their degree at IMU and then transfer to Deakin University for completion of their degree. This partnership is a testament to the excellence of the IMU’s Nutrition programme which is benchmarked to international standards.

The next commencement dates for the Nutrition programme are in July and September. If you have pre-university qualifications and have an interest in Nutrition, apply online now and join the University in your pursuit of a promising and rewarding career.

If you have just completed your SPM and do not have pre-university qualification, consider enrolling in the one-year IMU Foundation in Science, the preferred foundation and direct route for entry into any of the University’s local degree programmes.

For more information, please refer to www.imu.edu.my or email: [email protected] or call IMU at 03 – 2731 7272.