DIETETIC 706A/B : Professional Skills 3

Medical and Health Sciences

2020 Semester One (1203) / Semester Two (1205) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Further develops professional communication and organisation/management skills that will enable students to work effectively as dietitians and fulfil the registration competency requirements. Reviews and explores the dietetic process as it applies to clinical practice, including assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of nutrition and dietetic interventions. Includes practical placement in the domains of applied and clinical nutrition, and public health for part fulfilment of the professional course accreditation requirements of the New Zealand Dietitians Board.

Course Overview

Advances effective communication skills, to optimise nutrition, health, well-being and performance outcomes for individuals and communities in different settings. Integrates and appraises the dietetic process as it applies to clinical and dietetic practice, including assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of nutrition and dietetic interventions. Critically evaluates the scientific principles of clinical nutrition to enable the translation of the evidence to best practice. Applies communication and organisation principles, which will ensure effective, management and leadership within varied environments.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: DIETETIC 703, 704, 705 Restriction: DIETETIC 702 To complete this course students must enrol in DIETETIC 706 A and B

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 5: Independence and Integrity
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities
Graduate Profile: Master of Health Sciences

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Apply nutrition knowledge and dietetic expertise, reasoning and judgement to nutritional assessment, intervention, monitoring and evaluation (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2 and 6.1)
  2. Implement evidence-based nutrition and dietetic interventions to prevent, treat and manage food and nutrition-related diseases, injuries and conditions and to optimise health and well-being (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.2, 5.1, 6.1 and 6.2)
  3. Use effective client-centred oral and written communication strategies to optimise nutrition, health, well-being and performance outcomes (Capability 1.2, 2.1, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2 and 6.1)
  4. Demonstrate safe, effective, legal and ethical nutrition and dietetic practice (Capability 3.1, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1 and 6.2)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Clinical placement B & C 60% Individual Coursework
Clinic summative assessment #1 10% Individual Coursework
Clinic summative assessment #2 15% Individual Coursework
ePortfolio assignment 15% Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4
Clinical placement B & C
Clinic summative assessment #1
Clinic summative assessment #2
ePortfolio assignment
Students enrolled in this course are required to carry out practical and clinical work; they must satisfactorily complete such work to the standard that the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences requires.   Where a weakness is identified in a clinical practice component of this course, students may be required to enrol in a clinical remediation course in addition to the requirements of their programme.

Learning Resources

PowerPoint and other relevant files used for delivery of tutorials, workshops and simulation will be available through CANVAS. These may be abridged at the discretion of the lecturer.

Course Contacts

Course Director: Andrea Braakhuis, a.braakhuis@auckland.ac.nz,
Course Coordinator & Clinic Director: Julia Sekula, j.sekula@auckland.ac.nz
Clinical (DHB) Placement Coordinator: Clare Wallis, c.wallis@auckland.ac.nz

Workload Expectations

This course is a 15 point course spread over two semesters (DIETETIC 706A/B) where students develop professional skills in dietetics through practical placement to work towards the Professional Standards and Competencies for Dietitians.

For this course, you can expect 30 hours of tutorials, workshops and simulation, 400 hours of DHB placement contact hours and 80 hours of University clinic contact hours spread across the year from mid-January to the start of November.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Canvas also includes relevant information required for clinical placements in both the DHB and clinic environment.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website at http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter (https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html).

Students in the Nutrition and Dietetics specialisation must meet the applicable fitness to practise requirements, as outlined in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences’ Fitness to Practice Policy.  In addition, there is a Code of Professional Conduct for Student Dietitians for all students. In Year 1 of the MHSc (Nutrition & Dietetics) students will have read and agreed to adhere to both of these; they remain valid for DIETETIC 706A/B.

This course consolidates your professional skills in your training to become a dietitian.  Student dietitians need to adhere to the Dietitians Board Code of Ethics and Conduct: https://www.dietitiansboard.org.nz/Policy-Guidelines/.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.