Public Policy in Undergraduate Dietetics Education

Abstract

Dietetic educators are required to prepare students with the fundamentals of public policy. A survey of Didactic Programs in Dietetics' (DPD's) directors examined to what extent undergraduate curricula cover public policy topics and the methods used to teach fundamentals of public policy. This article provides an analysis of the DPD courses covering public policy and the types of active learning student assignments used by some programs to address the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education's foundation knowledge and competencies for DPD. Practical suggestions are provided for educators regarding use of more active-learning strategies and resources for public policy in dietetics education.

A Consensus Definition and Core Competencies for Being an Advocate for Pharmacy

“…These calls to action are not unique to pharmacy and can be seen in the literature of other health professions, including nursing, 1-8 medicine, [9][10][11] dietetics, 12 and public health. 13,14 Although it is imperative to encourage practicing pharmacists to engage in advocating for the profession, attention must also be directed to incorporating advocacy preparation in pharmacy school curricula.…”

“…[21][22][23] Similar reports of attempts to provide advocacy instruction can be found in the literature of other health professions. 1,5,8,10,12,13 While these reports provide good examples of institution-specific initiatives, there is still a lack of consensus regarding the specific goals and desired outcomes of instruction. Some examples of competencies for advocacy instruction exist in the health professions literature.…”

Influence of Dietetic Internship Directors' Involvement with Research on the Research Curriculum in Dietetic Internship Programs

“…On the other hand, the omission of these purposeful and meaningful experiences might make it seem like learning is occurring when it is not. For example, many educators assume that exposure to an experience equates to learning (Gates & Sandoval, 1998;Gilboy, Harris, & Lazarow, 2010;Knoblock-Hahn, Scharff, & Elliott, 2010). Studies have shown that dietetic educators report that exposure is adequate to meet specific competencies in research (Fitz & Winkler, 1989), public policy (Gilboy et al, 2010), and cultural competence (Knoblock-Hahn et al, 2010).…”

“…For example, many educators assume that exposure to an experience equates to learning (Gates & Sandoval, 1998;Gilboy, Harris, & Lazarow, 2010;Knoblock-Hahn, Scharff, & Elliott, 2010). Studies have shown that dietetic educators report that exposure is adequate to meet specific competencies in research (Fitz & Winkler, 1989), public policy (Gilboy et al, 2010), and cultural competence (Knoblock-Hahn et al, 2010). Though these are not all research-based competencies, taken together, these studies suggest that there is a trend that dietetic educators utilize inappropriate learning methods or inappropriate experiences to meet competencies.…”

“…Evidence suggests that many dietetic educators and dietitians lack the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct research (Byham-Gray et al, 2006;Eck et al, 1998;Gardner et al, 2002;Guyer et al, 1993;Schiller, 1988;Schiller et al, 1988;Slawson et al, 2000;Whelan & Markless, 2012;Wylie-Rosett et al, 1990). Theoretically, competencies are beneficial, but having competencies within the dietetic curriculum does not always ensure competence within dietetic students (Fitz & Winkler, 1989;Gilboy et al, 2010;Knoblock-Hahn et al, 2010).…”