The Nutrition and Dietetics Workforce Needs Skills and Expertise in the New York Metropolitan Area

Abstract

Background:There is an increased demand in the Nutrition and Dietetics field which has fostered credentialing to ensure competent graduates. The objective of this study is to conduct an exploratory analysis to identify nutrition/dietetics workforce needs, skills and expertise in the New York metropolitan area as exemplified in position announcements over a 4 year period.Methods:We recorded position announcements for jobs in nutrition and dietetics from the New York State Registered Dietitian Yahoo group, and the Hunter College Nutrition and Food Sciences student and alumni listserv (NFS-L) over a 4 year period. Keywords were identified using job categories defined by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) compensation and benefits survey. This served as a starting point to enumerate the types of positions that have been posted for the New York metropolitan area in recent years.Results:Four hundred and twelve (412) unique job postings were recorded. Various educational levels, credentials, and skills desired by these employers were identified, assessed, and compared with similar data from the “supply side” reports from AND.Conclusions:The credentials and skills most desired by employers are similar to some of the learning objectives set forth for DPD and DI programs by ACEND, but not entirely congruent. The need for both client/customer focus and computer literacy may be implicit in the standards, but a more overt inclusion of these skills would likely be of benefit to ensure these are inculcated into every program and student.

Assessment of CEPH-Accredited Institutions Offering Public Health Programs in the United States: A Short Report

“…In addition, existing literature has identified a disconnection between Nutrition and Dietetics workplace demands and the content of existing educational curriculums and learning objectives taught across nutrition programs ( 14 , 15 ). Speculations that the same scenario may apply to public health programs exist, suggesting the need to examine the existing public health workforce demands and identify the extent to which they are being met by the existing curriculums utilized by schools and programs of public health.…”

Assessing public health job portals over the internet

“…This is reflected in a study that showed some gaps between the Nutrition and Dietetics workforce needs and the competencies of the nutrition program. 16 Future research is needed to map the public health competencies to the existing public health jobs and the necessary skills that public health professionals should acquire to address the various public health challenges in the 21 st century. The curriculum offered at the various public health institutes needs to be evaluated so that they adequately provide the public health professionals with the right tools to meet the changing demands of the public health workforce.…”

Developing Evidence-based Population Health Informatics curriculum: Integrating competency based model and job analysis

“…Compared to the public health informatics programs offered, population health informatics is a relatively recent advancement. Studies have shown that despite the growing volume of training programs in Informatics as well as public health, gaps exist in the competencies of public health graduates in meeting the requisite skills and demands of the dynamic public health workforce [2][3][4].…”