To help us achieve as much as possible as the only body representing the whole of the dietetic profession in the UK, we rely on our proactive member volunteers who give their time, energy and expertise to a range of vital roles. As a relatively small profession, it’s in all of our best interests to showcase the impact and value of our dietetic workforce, and we count ourselves extremely lucky to currently have over 1,000 proactive BDA members in vital volunteer roles.
Discover how you can get involved in a number of interesting volunteering opportunities with the BDA, you'll learn new transferable skills, meet new people, add to your CPD and advance your profession!
Join the conversation
- Join the food and nutrition conversation on social media and help amplify the expert dietetic voice, over the growing 'noise' of so-called celebrity experts and fad-diet champions online.
Influence
- The work of the BDA by sharing your new ideas, new pilot studies or your innovative new ways of working/practising to help the wider profession. Get in touch.
- Support our annual campaigns which raise awareness of the impact and value of dietetics such as Dietitians Week.
- Influence your local political representative, key stakeholder or other AHP using a range of our useful influencing tools and resources.
- As a leading dietitian, be asked to become a BDA ambassador and represent the profession on key parliamentary groups and to key stakeholder and decision makers nationwide.
Write or review for us
- share your own personal, team or departments' experiences by writing an article for your official members' magazine Dietetics Today - contact the editor.
- Peer review a popular Food Fact Sheet resource.
- Become a PEN reviewer and peer review UK content in the huge online Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition (PEN) resource.
- Respond to an important consultation such as NICE.
- Become a BDA Centre for Education and Development Facilitator.
Support the profession
- Join your local Branch committee and help run excellent CPD and networking events for BDA members in your region.
- Join your Specialist Group committee and advance your speciality by helping to develop resources and grow interest and activity in the speciality.
- Join a BDA country or area-specific board to advance the profession and represent BDA members in your country or chosen area.
Represent the profession
- Represent the BDA and wider profession on BDA information stands at a range of external and public-facing events.
- Become a public health champion in your workplace.
- Become a Trade Union representative and support the profession in your workplace.
Promote the profession
- Be asked to become a media spokesperson (where key skill/location gaps are identified) and represent the profession in national and local media.
- Become a BDA advocate and invite / encourage your dietetic colleagues to join the BDA membership community.
"I would highly recommend any member volunteer for the BDA. Volunteering has been a great experience for me, it has allowed to me develop as a practitioner, a researcher and as a person. Whilst developing personally, you are also contributing to the development of others, the profession, your specialist area, your department and your Trust." Kirsty Martin-McGill, BDA Specialist Group Volunteer.