Canter helps initiate change in dietetics for ADA
Wednesday, October 17th, 2007
For the past year, Deborah Canter has been working on a plan that could change the direction of dietetics.
Dr. Canter, head of Hotel, Restaurant, Institution Management and Dietetics, is one of 11 members of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) working on the Phase 2 Future Practice and Education Task Force.
“Our assignment was to re-envision future dietetics practice and education,” she said.
“This process was started a couple of years ago with another task force who made a recommendation that a master’s degree be required for entry into dietetics practice. That recommendation was so controversial that the Phase 2 Task Force was formed to continue to study issues related to future dietetics practice and education,” Canter said.
Currently, a Registered Dietitian (RD) must graduate with a bachelor’s degree, complete an internship of at least 900 hours, and pass the rigorous Registration Examination for Dietitians.
The Phase 2 Task Force, involving leaders in dietetics from across the US, presented 12 new draft recommendations at the ADA Food and Nutrition Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia in late September. In January the group will begin work on a final document to be presented for a final vote by the ADA House of Delegates at the May 2008 meeting.
The mandate for a master’s degree is not one of them.
Among the recommendations are education models that “broaden access to dietetics,” Canter said. They include:
- continuation of the BS degree as a requirement for entry into the profession but with much more rigorous continuing education requirements for new dietitians once they becoming credentialed;
- a model that might allow someone with an educational background, different from current rigid dietetics education requirements, to be able to apply for a dietetic internship.
- a model that could allow someone with an appropriate dietetic education background, but with unique work experiences other than a traditional dietetic internship, to sit for the RD exam.
The last two are probably the most controversial, she said.
The world is changing and, with it, the role and purview of dietitians, Canter said. “We had to find different ways of thinking about our profession and how to prepare for it.”
For one thing, ADA should bolster dietetic technician education and practice, she added. “To go where we need to go, we need a strong technician base. Currently Dietetic Technicians, Registered (DTRs) are in short supply.”
“Our profession is unique in the field of health care because of the diverse areas in which dietitians can work,” said Canter who has chaired several national committees and written extensively about ADA and its history.
“We’re beginning to see a paradigm shift from the healthcare focus on sickness to one more focused on wellness and prevention. We now have 29 recognized areas of practice ranging from acute care hospital-based clinical practice, to sports nutrition, to professionals in the food industry.
“We are a diverse profession and that’s a wonderful thing.”
This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 17th, 2007 and is filed under Dean's Blog.