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The fine art of leadership among peers: A national nutrition month fair
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27 POSTER SESSION: ~~~ ~ ~ ~DIETETIC EDUCATION _
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DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SKILLS IN DIETITIANS. G.E. Gates, PhD, RD, C.S. Holdt, PhD, RD, and P. Chotipantawanon, Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO. The purposes of this study were to develop a case study, or simulated management problem (SMP), about a personnel problem with a clinical dietitian; and compare the performance of experienced dietitians, entry-level subjects (interns, CP and AP4 students), and undergraduate students using the SMP. The sample consisted of students (n=63) enrolled in foodservice management classes at 3 universities; dietetic interns, CP seniors and AP4 students (n=67) attending 6 programs; and experienced dietitians (n=58) who belonged to ADA's management practice group. Performance was scored by comparing subjects' answers with selections of a panel of 7 experienced clinical managers. Experienced (.91+.11') and entry-level (.89±.11) groups scored highest and students lowest (. 17 b) in efficiency, defined as the 82 ±. proportion of total information-containing sections chosen that containeda helpful information (p<.001). Experienced (.57+.20 ) and entry-level (.57±.16a) groups had higher proficiency scores than students (. 4 7±.23b) (p<.005). Differences in proficiency could be attributed to errors of commission, since experienced dietitians examined few inappropriate sections (.06S.09a), entrylevel more (.09+.09a ), and students the most (.12+.11b) (p<.005). Entry-level subjects were more likely to examine the policy and procedure manual (58%) than the experienced (33%) or student (33%) groups (p<.005). They were also more likely to examine the employee's personnel file (52%) than the experienced (36%) or student (32%) groups (p<.05). Students were more likely than the other two groups to discuss the incident with other clinical dietitians who were not directly involved in the incident (p<.05). Overall, experienced and entry-level groups performed better in this human resource management problem than students.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENTRY-LEVEL DIETETIC PRACTITIONERS: A COMPARISON OF NONTRADITIONAL VS. TRADITIONAL SETTINGS. Suzanne A. Goot, RD/LD, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX Diversity is now a recognized characteristic of the dietetics profession. Registered Dietitians (RDs) today are finding opportunities for employment in a variety of non-traditional environments such as business and industry, spas, fitness centers, and private practice. For students in internship Programs, Advanced Preprofessional Practice Programs (AP4), and Coordinated Programs (CP), it is relatively common knowledge of the diverse opportunities available for the experienced RD; however, the number of nontraditional opportunities immediately available for graduating students is rather vague. This study sought to determine whether these nontraditional opportunities are available for practitioners straight out of the currently available programs leading to Regist;ation, and, if so, in what settings do these job opportunities exist. Surveys were developed and sent to each of the dietetic program directors (94 Internship Programs, 92 AP4, and 58 Coordinated Programs). Directors were asked to reply, in confidentiality, on specific placement questions concerning each program's last two years graduating classes -each graduate's job title and the name and/or type of organization in which he/she entered upon graduation. 55% of the surveys distributed were returned; of these, information was obtained on 674 graduates. The responses were categorized into the following position categories: () Clinical -65%/, (2) Food and Nutrition Management - 6%, (3) Community - 12%, (4) Acceptance into Graduate School - 4%, and (5) Nontraditional - 12% [including positions in consulting, research (aside from graduate school settings), private practice, wellness, spas, systems information, sales/marketing, media, and sports nutrition]. It was concluded that, although the majority of today's graduates are still entering clinical settings with smaller amounts entering foodservice management and community dietetics, the trend towards nontraditional careers is also affecting entrylevel practitioners.
THE FINE ART OF LEADERSHIP AMONG PEERS: A NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH FAIR. E.K. Gradwell, BS, J.I. Thompson, BS, M.M. Fairchild, MA, RD, and T.A.P. Liskov, MS, RD, Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT As co-chairs of the most prestigious nutrition education annual public event held at the medical center, leadership is underscored as not only a major attribute, but an essential management skill requiring finesse and sensitivity. Without exception, we were charged with maintaining our existing workload while coordinating the efforts of our classmates to launch a dynamic multi-topical fair with six distinct booths and raffle prizes. Organizational efficiency necessitated the development of a master strategic plan to insure the smooth evolution of an interactive nutrition education experience that was zero budget based. The dietetic intern class was provided with a production schedule that required their interactive participation to: acquire proclamations from the mayor of the city and governor of the state; twenty-five major raffle gifts from area corporations; overall theme development; cafeteria menu analysis; patient theme program; booth theme topics and interactive activities; and internal and external publicity coverage. While identifying the obvious organizational elements followed textbook scenarios, what was not accounted for provided the greatest of challenges. Securing the dates and rooms with organizational conflict, developing press releases, coordinating the engineering department to build a buzzer board and wheel of nutrition on schedule, obtaining computers and printers, negotiating with printers and obtaining donation bids, and scheduling intern status meetings when scheduling was barely supportive of a quorum were just some of the challenges we faced. The stark reality of priorities in the workplace was underestimated when integrating with outside vendors, political figures, and the inherent corporate culture of our organization. Selfassuredness, effective communications, serial documentation, team spirit, anticipating the unknown, and a sense of humor were all leadership qualities that required rapid refinement to secure our effectiveness in unveiling the 1993 National Nutrition Month Fair. The fine art of directing, critiqueing, approving, rejecting, modifying, and supervising one's classmates to foster a team effort, respect the established plan, and maintain a sense of humor was the most invaluable experience to be learned from this event.
FACTORS AFFECTING A DIETITIAN'S CAREER CHOICE: SINGLES OUT DIETETICS OVER NURSING OR MEDICINE?
A-82 / SEPTEMBER 1993 SUPPLEMENT VOLUME 93 NUMBER 9
WHAT
T. Kimball, BS, L. Roberts, BS, and D.W. Hagan, PhD, RD. Dietetic Internship Program, Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) and Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), Portland, OR. Three hundred fifty-two registered dietitians (63%) from the Oregon Dietetic Association completed a questionnaire to determine self-administered motivational factors that led people to choose Descriptive dietetics over nursing or medicine. statistics and frequency distribution were applied. The typical respondent worked 11 to 20 years as an R.D., graduated from an internship program, and did not have an advanced degree. The majority of dietitians became interested in dietetics during the first two years of college (47X%)through a course in nutrition (20%) or a college professor (14%). They found the opportunity to help others (96%) and the relationship of nutrition to health (94%) as a positive influence for entering dietetics. Forty-one percent of the R.D.s considered medicine; however, 72% did not take action. A variety of factors directly influenced 32% of the respondents to enter or remain in the field of dietetics. The leading deterring factor for becoming an M.D. was the length of schooling (23%). Those who considered nursing (37X%) took varying degrees of action (56%). The primary factor for not choosing nursing was interaction with body fluids (16%). The majority of dietitians (85%) were satisfied with their decision to become an R.D. rather than an M.D. or R.N. These results reveal reasons why dietetics was chosen over other health occupations. This information can help recruit undecided students into the field of dietetics.
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DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SKILLS IN DIETITIANS. G.E. Gates, PhD, RD, C.S. Holdt, PhD, RD, and P. Chotipantawanon, Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO. The purposes of this study were to develop a case study, or simulated management problem (SMP), about a personnel problem with a clinical dietitian; and compare the performance of experienced dietitians, entry-level subjects (interns, CP and AP4 students), and undergraduate students using the SMP. The sample consisted of students (n=63) enrolled in foodservice management classes at 3 universities; dietetic interns, CP seniors and AP4 students (n=67) attending 6 programs; and experienced dietitians (n=58) who belonged to ADA's management practice group. Performance was scored by comparing subjects' answers with selections of a panel of 7 experienced clinical managers. Experienced (.91+.11') and entry-level (.89±.11) groups scored highest and students lowest (. 17 b) in efficiency, defined as the 82 ±. proportion of total information-containing sections chosen that containeda helpful information (p<.001). Experienced (.57+.20 ) and entry-level (.57±.16a) groups had higher proficiency scores than students (. 4 7±.23b) (p<.005). Differences in proficiency could be attributed to errors of commission, since experienced dietitians examined few inappropriate sections (.06S.09a), entrylevel more (.09+.09a ), and students the most (.12+.11b) (p<.005). Entry-level subjects were more likely to examine the policy and procedure manual (58%) than the experienced (33%) or student (33%) groups (p<.005). They were also more likely to examine the employee's personnel file (52%) than the experienced (36%) or student (32%) groups (p<.05). Students were more likely than the other two groups to discuss the incident with other clinical dietitians who were not directly involved in the incident (p<.05). Overall, experienced and entry-level groups performed better in this human resource management problem than students.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENTRY-LEVEL DIETETIC PRACTITIONERS: A COMPARISON OF NONTRADITIONAL VS. TRADITIONAL SETTINGS. Suzanne A. Goot, RD/LD, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX Diversity is now a recognized characteristic of the dietetics profession. Registered Dietitians (RDs) today are finding opportunities for employment in a variety of non-traditional environments such as business and industry, spas, fitness centers, and private practice. For students in internship Programs, Advanced Preprofessional Practice Programs (AP4), and Coordinated Programs (CP), it is relatively common knowledge of the diverse opportunities available for the experienced RD; however, the number of nontraditional opportunities immediately available for graduating students is rather vague. This study sought to determine whether these nontraditional opportunities are available for practitioners straight out of the currently available programs leading to Regist;ation, and, if so, in what settings do these job opportunities exist. Surveys were developed and sent to each of the dietetic program directors (94 Internship Programs, 92 AP4, and 58 Coordinated Programs). Directors were asked to reply, in confidentiality, on specific placement questions concerning each program's last two years graduating classes -each graduate's job title and the name and/or type of organization in which he/she entered upon graduation. 55% of the surveys distributed were returned; of these, information was obtained on 674 graduates. The responses were categorized into the following position categories: () Clinical -65%/, (2) Food and Nutrition Management - 6%, (3) Community - 12%, (4) Acceptance into Graduate School - 4%, and (5) Nontraditional - 12% [including positions in consulting, research (aside from graduate school settings), private practice, wellness, spas, systems information, sales/marketing, media, and sports nutrition]. It was concluded that, although the majority of today's graduates are still entering clinical settings with smaller amounts entering foodservice management and community dietetics, the trend towards nontraditional careers is also affecting entrylevel practitioners.
THE FINE ART OF LEADERSHIP AMONG PEERS: A NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH FAIR. E.K. Gradwell, BS, J.I. Thompson, BS, M.M. Fairchild, MA, RD, and T.A.P. Liskov, MS, RD, Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT As co-chairs of the most prestigious nutrition education annual public event held at the medical center, leadership is underscored as not only a major attribute, but an essential management skill requiring finesse and sensitivity. Without exception, we were charged with maintaining our existing workload while coordinating the efforts of our classmates to launch a dynamic multi-topical fair with six distinct booths and raffle prizes. Organizational efficiency necessitated the development of a master strategic plan to insure the smooth evolution of an interactive nutrition education experience that was zero budget based. The dietetic intern class was provided with a production schedule that required their interactive participation to: acquire proclamations from the mayor of the city and governor of the state; twenty-five major raffle gifts from area corporations; overall theme development; cafeteria menu analysis; patient theme program; booth theme topics and interactive activities; and internal and external publicity coverage. While identifying the obvious organizational elements followed textbook scenarios, what was not accounted for provided the greatest of challenges. Securing the dates and rooms with organizational conflict, developing press releases, coordinating the engineering department to build a buzzer board and wheel of nutrition on schedule, obtaining computers and printers, negotiating with printers and obtaining donation bids, and scheduling intern status meetings when scheduling was barely supportive of a quorum were just some of the challenges we faced. The stark reality of priorities in the workplace was underestimated when integrating with outside vendors, political figures, and the inherent corporate culture of our organization. Selfassuredness, effective communications, serial documentation, team spirit, anticipating the unknown, and a sense of humor were all leadership qualities that required rapid refinement to secure our effectiveness in unveiling the 1993 National Nutrition Month Fair. The fine art of directing, critiqueing, approving, rejecting, modifying, and supervising one's classmates to foster a team effort, respect the established plan, and maintain a sense of humor was the most invaluable experience to be learned from this event.
FACTORS AFFECTING A DIETITIAN'S CAREER CHOICE: SINGLES OUT DIETETICS OVER NURSING OR MEDICINE?
A-82 / SEPTEMBER 1993 SUPPLEMENT VOLUME 93 NUMBER 9
WHAT
T. Kimball, BS, L. Roberts, BS, and D.W. Hagan, PhD, RD. Dietetic Internship Program, Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) and Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), Portland, OR. Three hundred fifty-two registered dietitians (63%) from the Oregon Dietetic Association completed a questionnaire to determine self-administered motivational factors that led people to choose Descriptive dietetics over nursing or medicine. statistics and frequency distribution were applied. The typical respondent worked 11 to 20 years as an R.D., graduated from an internship program, and did not have an advanced degree. The majority of dietitians became interested in dietetics during the first two years of college (47X%)through a course in nutrition (20%) or a college professor (14%). They found the opportunity to help others (96%) and the relationship of nutrition to health (94%) as a positive influence for entering dietetics. Forty-one percent of the R.D.s considered medicine; however, 72% did not take action. A variety of factors directly influenced 32% of the respondents to enter or remain in the field of dietetics. The leading deterring factor for becoming an M.D. was the length of schooling (23%). Those who considered nursing (37X%) took varying degrees of action (56%). The primary factor for not choosing nursing was interaction with body fluids (16%). The majority of dietitians (85%) were satisfied with their decision to become an R.D. rather than an M.D. or R.N. These results reveal reasons why dietetics was chosen over other health occupations. This information can help recruit undecided students into the field of dietetics.