Competency development in public health nutrition: reflections of advanced level practitioners in Australia.Introduction The launch in 2001 of Eat Well Australia Australia (ôstrāl`yə), smallest continent, between the Indian and Pacific oceans. With the island state of Tasmania to the south, the continent makes up the Commonwealth of Australia, a federal parliamentary state (2005 est. pop. , the ten-year national agenda for action for public health nutrition in Australia, provided a mandate for accelerated workforce development in public health nutrition under its capacity-building priority area (1). This mandate is now starting to be implemented in state health departments as evidenced by the recent investment in a public health nutrition workforce in Queensland Queensland, state (1991 pop. 2,477,152), 667,000 sq mi (1,727,200 sq km), NE Australia. Brisbane is the capital; other important cities are Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Townsville, Rockhampton, Cairns, and Ipswich. (2) and workforce development initiatives in Victoria (3). Systematic workforce development requires information to guide development of strategies (4) and research is needed to generate this information. The limited scholarship relating to relating to relate prep → concernant relating to relate prep → bezüglich +gen, mit Bezug auf +acc nutrition and dietetic dietetic /di·e·tet·ic/ (di?ah-tet´ik) pertaining to diet or proper food. di·e·tet·ic adj. 1. Of or relating to diet. 2. workforce development published in Australia over the last few years has focussed on entry-level en·try-lev·el adj. Appropriate for or accessible to one who is inexperienced in a field or new to a market: an entry-level job in advertising; an entry-level computer. dietetics dietetics /di·e·tet·ics/ (-iks) the science of diet and nutrition. di·e·tet·ics n. The branch of therapeutics concerned with the practical application of diet in relation to health and disease. competencies (5,6) and the training needs associated with the developing work roles of dietitians (7). Scholarship in Australia that is specific to the public health nutrition workforce has been limited to the work of the Specialty Program in Public Health and Community Nutrition in the mid- mid- pref. Middle: midbrain. 1990s funded by the Public Health Education and Research Program (8) and an unpublished community survey of the nutrition workforce conducted as part of a masters research project (9). This work, and more recent reviews of entry-level dietetic competencies (6), have identified a need for competencies and systems that are specific to public health nutrition and for continuing competency COMPETENCY, evidence. The legal fitness or ability of a witness to be heard on the trial of a cause. This term is also applied to written or other evidence which may be legally given on such trial, as, depositions, letters, account-books, and the like. 2. development. Despite considerable professional debate about definitions, role delineation and exploration of workforce attitudes about workforce development in public health nutrition emanating from this work (8,10-18), there is still a lack of intelligence about the public health nutrition workforce in Australia, and the role that dietitians and associated academic preparation programs play in this field of practice. This earlier work (8) has shown there is a recognition that the public health nutrition workforce is multi-tiered, delineated de·lin·e·ate tr.v. de·lin·e·at·ed, de·lin·e·at·ing, de·lin·e·ates 1. To draw or trace the outline of; sketch out. 2. To represent pictorially; depict. 3. by specialist and generalist gen·er·al·ist n. A physician whose practice is not oriented in a specific medical specialty but instead covers a variety of medical problems. generalist tiers, and is composed to a large degree (but not exclusively) by practitioners with dietetic qualifications (particularly among the specialist tier) (8). Information about the composition, size, practices, educational attributes and training needs required for efficient and strategic workforce development is limited. There is similarly a dearth of literature to inform strategy development to build workforce competency. These knowledge-based barriers to workforce development are consistent with those identified for the broader public health workforce (19). Given the lack of intelligence available to inform public health nutrition workforce development, consultation with existing public health nutritionists about workforce development issues, a method used internationally to assess workforce development needs, is important (20). The experiences and attitudes of this sector of the public health workforce can assist investigations about effective competency development strategies and reflect on the utility of prior competency development experiences. To provide a context for this study, public health nutritionists were considered to be nutrition professionals involved in practice that was population-based, and those using public health approaches to nutrition problem resolution. Public health nutrition competencies then are the skills, knowledge, experiences and attitudes required by professionals in order to effectively address public health nutrition issues in the course of their work. Following this logic, competency develop in public health nutrition is therefore the process of developing these competencies to enhance practice effectiveness. This study aimed to qualitatively investigate the attitudes, experiences and beliefs of advanced level public health nutritionists in Australian Australian pertaining to or originating in Australia. Australian bat lyssavirus disease see Australian bat lyssavirus disease. Australian cattle dog a medium-sized, compact working dog used for control of cattle. health bureaucracies and academic institutions in relation to public health nutrition competency development. It was conducted as part of a interpretative in·ter·pre·ta·tive adj. Variant of interpretive. in·ter  pre·ta case study investigating, through multiple methods,
the public health nutrition workforce in Australia with the objective of
developing an intelligence base to inform workforce development in this
field.
Methodology Subject recruitment Advanced level public health nutritionists is a title adapted from workforce studies in the USA (21). Advanced level public health nutritionists in this study were identified as public health nutrition practitioners at senior levels in government departments and academic public health nutritionists from Australian universities with programs in professional nutrition practice (nutrition and dietetics, public health nutrition and community nutrition). The senior health department staff were employed in health promotion and public health sections with roles and responsibilities reflecting leadership, advisory and coordinating roles in public health nutrition. Invitations to participate in the study were directed purposively through known faculty and state-level professional networks using snowball sampling For other uses, see Snowball (disambiguation). In social science research, snowball sampling is a technique for developing a research sample where existing study subjects recruit future subjects from among their acquaintances. techniques. Data collection All but two of the interviews were conducted in person (two interviews by telephone with two senior government staff) between March and September September: see month. 2001. The order of interviews was determined by convenience. Interviews were conducted using a list of open-ended questions A closed-ended question is a form of question, which normally can be answered with a simple "yes/no" dichotomous question, a specific simple piece of information, or a selection from multiple choices (multiple-choice question), if one excludes such non-answer responses as dodging a as a basis for guiding discussion and are listed in Table 1. These questions were constructed in the context of the inquiry logic as listed in Table 1 and forwarded to interviewees prior to the interview to enable considered responses. Interviews on average lasted about 60 minutes with a range of 45 to 90 minutes. A number of preliminary questions relating to the personal, work and career attributes of the interviewees were asked to establish a context for responses and provide data to support the assumption of advanced level status (see Table 2). While the interview questions provided a structure and general sequence to the interview, the discussion was not rigidly limited to these questions, allowing for probing and clarification throughout the interview. Persistence (1) In a CRT, the time a phosphor dot remains illuminated after being energized. Long-persistence phosphors reduce flicker, but generate ghost-like images that linger on screen for a fraction of a second. with interviews after new themes appeared to be exhausted (interview redundancy) was applied to ensure all opinions were canvassed and identified within the limits of this method. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim ver·ba·tim adj. Using exactly the same words; corresponding word for word: a verbatim report of the conversation. adv. . Demographic and educational background data of each interviewee were recorded at the beginning of the interview. Assumptions There were a number of assumptions underpinning un·der·pin·ning n. 1. Material or masonry used to support a structure, such as a wall. 2. A support or foundation. Often used in the plural. 3. Informal The human legs. Often used in the plural. the analysis and interpretation of data. The first was that advanced level public health nutritionists recruited in this study had developed public health nutrition competencies and had insights about this process from their lived experience throughout their careers. The second was that these experiences reflected a reality pertinent PERTINENT, evidence. Those facts which tend to prove the allegations of the party offering them, are called pertinent; those which have no such tendency are called impertinent, 8 Toull. n. 22. By pertinent is also meant that which belongs. Willes, 319. to this workforce in Australia and when analysed showed ways of developing workforce competency. These assumptions supported the use of a naturalistic nat·u·ral·is·tic adj. 1. Imitating or producing the effect or appearance of nature. 2. Of or in accordance with the doctrines of naturalism. research paradigm (22). Analysis Interview data were recorded by two methods. Written notes of key responses were taken by the interviewer and interviews were audiotaped. Audiotaped interviews were then transcribed verbatim. Immediately following each interview, the interviewer re-read and added to the notes to provide a backup to the audiotape au·di·o·tape n. 1. A relatively narrow magnetic tape used to record sound for subsequent playback. 2. A tape recording of sound. tr.v. transcripts. Both records of the interview data (notes and transcripts) were read and re-read numerous times in order to develop response categories for sorting the data thematically the·mat·ic adj. 1. Of, relating to, or being a theme: a scene of thematic importance. 2. (coding), as described by Seidman Seidman could refer to:
Securities analysis that uses subjective judgment based on nonquantifiable information, such as management expertise, industry cycles, strength of research and development, and labor relations. referred to as editing analysis style (24). Interview transcripts were then sorted manually using the response categories to sort the discussion by themes. Narratives that reflected key themes were kept intact as much as possible and only minimally edited. They were used selectively to illustrate consistencies and differences in response themes presented in the results. Key themes were then considered in the context of the inquiry logic in Table 1. The process of analysis involved continually con·tin·u·al adj. 1. Recurring regularly or frequently: the continual need to pay the mortgage. 2. reflecting on three sources of knowledge: the inquiry logic guiding the study, the evolving understanding of the issues gained over time via engagement with participants and the apparent commonalities and contradictions found as new sources of data were pursued. This interactive analytical analytical, analytic pertaining to or emanating from analysis. analytical control control of confounding by analysis of the results of a trial or test. process is consistent with that described by Miles and Huberman Huberman is a surname and may refer to:
This page or section lists people with the surname Huberman. (25). Results Participant characteristics A total of 41 advanced level public health nutritionists (26 in academic positions and 15 government positions) were interviewed representing all Australian states Noun 1. Australian state - one of the several states constituting Australia province, state - the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation; "his state is in the deep south" and territories. Staff who participated in this interview process represented all but two of the 11 universities with professional nutrition and dietetic, community and public health nutrition programs. All but one of the known government level public health nutritionists were interviewed. The sample was dominated by practitioners with dietetic qualifications as their entry-level professional qualification (37 of 41). This sample was highly qualified in nutrition and/or and/or conj. Used to indicate that either or both of the items connected by it are involved. Usage Note: And/or is widely used in legal and business writing. dietetics, with most (33 of 41) having more than two qualifications and over hall (23 of 41) completed or partially completed doctorate studies. Almost one quarter (11 of 41) had completed a combination of dietetic training followed by a Master of Public Health. This sample was also highly experienced with most (34 of 41) having greater than ten years' experience in community and public health nutrition practice. Interview redundancy There was generally a high level of within group and between group (academics group and senior government staff group) consistency in responses obtained with a quick reduction in new response themes becoming apparent after about ten interviews in both groups. Career paths Career paths leading to public health nutrition practice tended to start as entry-level dietitians and were mostly described as being opportunistic opportunistic /op·por·tu·nis·tic/ (op?er-tldbomacn-is´tik) 1. denoting a microorganism which does not ordinarily cause disease but becomes pathogenic under certain circumstances. 2. and unplanned. Career paths and development opportunities usually followed individual interests. This was reported to be secondary to having no defined career paths into public health nutrition at that early stage of their career development. I guess it was always the sort of work I wanted to do. I went into dietetics because I was interested in nutrition and epidemiology so it's been a long-term interest and I was interested in preventive health. I never really actually wanted to be a clinical dietitian ... but I didn't have a choice of studying nutrition in a thorough scientific way in this country without doing dietetics. Only two interviewees commented that their career in public health nutrition was premeditated pre·med·i·tat·ed adj. Characterized by deliberate purpose, previous consideration, and some degree of planning: a premeditated crime. . I went straight into generic health promotion positions and then back to public health nutrition ... I've never actually worked in clinical dietetics. Disillusionment Disillusionment Adams, Nick loses innocence through WWI experience. [Am. Lit.: “The Killers”] Angry Young Men disillusioned postwar writers of Britain, such as Osborne and Amis. [Br. Lit. with clinical dietetics practice was a common motivation for career development into public health nutrition. I could see solutions to problems like obesity come through public health efforts ... clinical dietetics was not intellectually satisfying ... I got pretty sick of going to ICU every morning and realising that much of the problems presenting there were preventable ... A desire to be effective appeared to be a repeated theme for motivations leading to career paths in public health nutrition. I've been driven, I guess, by a character trait that desires to be effective--clinical work just didn't seem to have an impact and that frustrated me. Career paths into public health nutrition also reflected the changing health sector environment over the period of this group's career development. It was difficult getting into community nutrition because there were so few jobs ... if I had planned it I would have got into community earlier. ... the history of public health nutrition development in Australia has been an evolution of practice from clinical through community to public health nutrition. Landmarks in personal competency development When asked to reflect on their own careers and nominate nom·i·nate tr.v. nom·i·nat·ed, nom·i·nat·ing, nom·i·nates 1. To propose by name as a candidate, especially for election. 2. To designate or appoint to an office, responsibility, or honor. landmark experiences that contributed most to their own competency development, interviewees most commonly reported exposure to mentors, on-the-job on-the-job adj. Acquired or learned while working at a job: on-the-job training. Adj. 1. on-the-job experiences (particularly overseas work experience), post-graduate training (particularly in public health) and committee work. Having opportunities to be exposed to other people ... not just mentors but even people you can't stand ... experiencing real life debates and issues ... ... mainly by working with really great people ... not always formally in a mentoring of line management way but by observing and copying. Working in large clinical dietetic departments means professional socialisation is predominantly with other dietitians ... in community health it is much more multi-disciplinary ... you get a much wider and more challenged perspective. Post-graduate studies in public health opened my horizons and gave me a different perspective on how to look at problems. I don't see any substitute for good public health training ... once you learn the public health approach ... collecting and using data to identify problems and determinants ... it's much less difficult. One respondent In Equity practice, the party who answers a bill or other proceeding in equity. The party against whom an appeal or motion, an application for a court order, is instituted and who is required to answer in order to protect his or her interests. identified that competency development was a result of a general commitment to self-improvement self-im·prove·ment n. Improvement of one's condition through one's own efforts. self-improvement Noun the improvement of one's position, skills, or education by one's own efforts Noun 1. despite limited opportunities. I've learnt a lot by having a go at getting funding and succeeding ... it showed me that I could do that if I tried ... a real confidence thing ... I have forced myself to try and write up our work for journals ... and have learnt a lot as a result. Work experiences associated with 'being thrown into the deep end' were commonly reported as being a contributor to competency development. Oh I think it was really as a result of being thrown in the deep end and struggling through ... often by trial and error rather than by design. Working with Aboriginal communities ... experiencing first hand the problems in a society that is very different to mine ... was a great experience. Utility of dietetic training in public health competency development There was considerable disagreement about the utility of dietetic training for public health nutrition competency attainment among interviewees. None identified their dietetic training experience as a landmark. Those that considered dietetic training to be an advantage tended to nominate the value of the strong grounding in nutrition sciences, communication and translation skills acquired, exposure to the work environment and experience in practical placement programs. These views tended to be based on knowledge of existing programs as well as the training experienced by interviewees. One of the benefits of dietetic training relates to the communication and translation skills that are so important in public health ... I have seen examples of undergraduate nutrition-only graduates where that skill isn't obvious. There are elements of dietetic training that give dietitians the edge over generalists ... without the background to interpret problems you get a different result. The benefit of current dietetics training is the field placement component ... which is experiential and leads to professionalisation. Some of the responses were ambivalent am·biv·a·lent adj. Exhibiting or feeling ambivalence. am·biv a·lent·ly adv.Adj. 1. . It's good to have an understanding of clinical dietetics and compassion for that role ... however I don't think clinical competencies are required at all for public health nutrition practice. ... existing training of dietitians is generalist and directed by competencies that reflect a clinical emphasis. Dietetic training has the potential to contribute significantly to public health nutrition ... but programs need to change. Dietitians were considered by many of the interviewees to be in a privileged position to take on public health nutrition roles and develop the associated competencies. At the moment the culture limits work experience options for non-dietitians in nutrition ... because dietitians have the added ability to service sick people ... a lot of non-dietetic graduates have to work very hard to get opportunities in public health nutrition. An equal number of respondents In the context of marketing research, a representative sample drawn from a larger population of people from whom information is collected and used to develop or confirm marketing strategy. reported limited utility in dietetic training as a pathway pathway /path·way/ (path´wa) 1. a course usually followed. 2. the nerve structures through which an impulse passes between groups of nerve cells or between the central nervous system and an organ or muscle. to competency development in public health nutrition. This tended to focus on the limitations associated with a clinical emphasis and the non-specialist nature of dietetic training. The socialisation that goes on within dietetic training is not conducive to a public health or population focus ... for example the dominance of clinical placement ... physiology and biochemistry dominate curriculum ... and there is an over exposure to clinicians and medical model[s]. Dietetic training has been designed to produce clinical dietitians ... although some programs have tinkered around the edges to increase the emphasis on other areas like community practice ... so we shouldn't expect them to be producing competent public health nutritionists. I think there is a lot of redundancy in dietitian training for someone wanting to work as a public health nutritionist ... its too reductionist and there is an emphasis on individual rather than population approaches and little on structural, policy and broader public health approaches. A number of interviewees made comments relating to the existing professional culture and belief systems relevant to dietetic training programs that may act as barriers to early career path selection to public health nutrition. ... there is still very much an attitude in this state that dietitians need to get experience clinically ... that is rubbish, it really is ... I see no reason why a student wanting to work in public health needs to go into a hospital. ... students have a fear that if they don't get experience as a clinical dietitian, they will never get that sort of job in the future ... so it's a barrier at a student level ... most of my students have this attitude and it reflects in their career paths. Students don't seem to be getting a grounding in the frameworks of public health ... the paradigm is different ... community approaches have always been the poor cousin to clinical practice. ... the DAA has paid lip-service to public health nutrition as a field ... and has missed the opportunity to lead the development of the public health nutrition workforce. In many ways it has resisted it by doing nothing. I actually think public health nutritionists feel DAA is irrelevant. Workforce development efficiency When asked to consider the most efficient way to develop the public health nutrition workforce most of the interviewees considered that up-skilling motivated mo·ti·vate tr.v. mo·ti·vat·ed, mo·ti·vat·ing, mo·ti·vates To provide with an incentive; move to action; impel. mo dietitians. This was considered largely the result of the good grounding in nutrition science provided by dietetic training and the privileged access dietitians have in the workplace to develop and apply nutrition competencies via experiential ex·pe·ri·en·tial adj. Relating to or derived from experience. ex·pe  ri·en learning.
The quickest way to public health nutrition competency is via dietetics, because it opens doors to employment in nutrition, which is crucial for real world learning. If the question is ... is it easier to take a nutritionist and train up in public health than taking a generalist public health worker and train up in nutrition? ... I think you get a better product if you get a nutritionist and train up from there. Others expressed concerns about focussing on a specific professional group such as dietitians at the expense of inclusive and multi-disciplinary approaches. You don't have to be a dietitian to be a competent public health nutritionist ... the predominance of dietitians in PHN jobs is a historical thing ... nowadays you need higher qualifications in public health. Relying on dietetic trained graduates is an expensive way of developing a specialist public health nutrition workforce ... resources should be being applied to advanced level or specialist training in public health nutrition as a distinct discipline. Recommendations for competency development pathways When asked to identify the advice they would give students about developing PHN Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) The term used to describe the pain after the rash associated with herpes zoster is gone. Mentioned in: Shingles PHN Postherpetic neuralgia, see there competencies most academics recommended a mixed program of training and experience that included undergraduate training in nutrition and/or dietetics followed by work experience and advanced level training in public health (such as a Master of Public Health). Experience with dealing with real problems through work experience was a notable recommendation. Most agreed that a lot of competency development in public health nutrition is via experiential and 'external to university' learning, and specialist in nature. Many of the competencies required for effective public health nutrition practice you develop by getting stuck in and making mistakes as you go ... this isn't something you can easily do at university. Public health nutrition competency development can be helped along by the quality and focus of training ... such as in health promotion or public health ... but it can't replace experience in the field and the maturity that goes with developing strategies to deal with population level issues. I did an MPH after I realised that my dietetic competencies were limited ... I realised I had little idea about how to think about solutions to population-wide problems. When I think about it my expectations were unrealistic ... I wasn't adequately prepared as a dietitian to deal with this area that I now know is a distinct specialty. Only a few respondents suggested that public health nutrition competencies could be developed in undergraduate programs. I don't see any difference between doing a four-year undergraduate public health nutrition degree coming out as an entry-level PHN versus a dietitian who goes on to doing public health ... as entry-level they would be the same ... in four years you can teach a lot. Discussion Data obtained on participant characteristics confirmed the assumption that interviewees sampled were advanced level practitioners. The characteristics of interviewees probably reflected recruitment criteria and career paths associated with senior level employment in health departments and academia. The opportunistic and unplanned nature of career paths into public health nutrition practice reflects the historically limited workforce opportunities in this field in Australia. Most advanced level public health nutritionists reported career evolution from clinical dietetic to public health nutrition roles as opportunities arose, interests changed and competencies developed. It could be argued that this is a natural process of career progression, however it is likely to be inefficient, particularly if an individual has clear preferences for public health practice and does not want to participate in clinical practice. Dietitians as a professional group are recognised as priority targets for ongoing workforce development. Underpinning this view is a consistent qualifier qual·i·fi·er n. 1. One that qualifies, especially one that has or fulfills all appropriate qualifications, as for a position, office, or task. 2. that workforce development targetting dietitians should not be exclusive or limited to this professional group. This view is consistent with the multi-disciplinary model of public health nutrition workforce development and practice (20). The consensus that existing entry-level preparation in dietetics was not considered adequate to ensure competency attainment without post-basic training and experience, has obvious implications for academic institutions, workforce developers and dietetics educators. Considerable polarisation of views about the utility of dietetics training for public health nutrition workforce development was of interest. As most of the interviewees were trained initially as dietitians, but now considered themselves as public health nutritionists and expressed disillusionment with clinical practice as motivations for career development, this was not unexpected. It does raise questions however about the emphasis in training of the nutrition workforce, and particularly that among the dietetics profession. This approach to specialist public health nutrition workforce development (based on dietitians) is consistent with the trend apparent in the USA and Canada, where have a relatively developed public health nutrition workforce infrastructure is based on practitioners with dietetic qualifications (26-28). This differs from the professionally inclusive approach seen in Europe which favours the development of a professional group distinct from dietetics (29,30). Reflections on landmarks influencing competency develop among advanced level professionals may provide retrospective LAW, RETROSPECTIVE. A retrospective law is one that is to take effect, in point of time, before it was passed. 2. Whenever a law of this kind impairs the obligation of contracts, it is void. 3 Dall. 391. pointers to competency development strategies. Mentoring, further training and on-the-job experience (experiential learning) appear to be important facilitators of competency development that are relevant to educators and workforce developers. The reported utility of experiential learning resulting from on-the-job exposure to practices and problems is consistent with the findings of recent studies of the value of experiential learning in dietetics in the USA (31). Advanced level and post-dietetic training programs in public health nutrition that combine mentoring, further coursework coursework Noun work done by a student and assessed as part of an educational course Noun 1. coursework - work assigned to and done by a student during a course of study; usually it is evaluated as part of the student's in public health and workplace practice and applications therefore hold much promise as an approach to workforce development. This is supported by the almost formulaic response by academics to questions about recommended pathways for students interested in developing careers in public health nutrition. Creating a workforce development environment that includes experiential learning and post-dietetic training in public health nutrition at a national level will require greater interaction between the workforce, work setting and academics involved with training than currently occurs. This view is supported by recent commentaries about the desirable approaches in public health workforce education (32-35). Implications for practice and research The potential for bias associated with the interviewer's own views and interests, having conducted previous research in public health nutrition workforce development (8,10,14,15), having worked in public health nutrition in Australia for over ten years and with many of the interviewees, has been countered as much as possible. This includes efforts to provide a clear exposition exposition or exhibition, term frequently applied to an organized public fair or display of industrial and artistic productions, designed usually to promote trade and to reflect cultural progress. of the methods, analyses and assumptions, attention to and reporting of narratives presenting differing views (fair dealing) and sensitivity to the ways in which the researcher and process may shape data collection (reflexivity re·flex·ive adj. 1. Directed back on itself. 2. Grammar a. Of, relating to, or being a verb having an identical subject and direct object, as dressed in the sentence She dressed herself. ) (36). However, readers should be aware of this potential bias when considering how the data has been interpreted. Sample recruitment for this series of interviews did not extend beyond academics involved specifically in professional nutrition and dietetic preparation programs such as dietetics, community nutrition and public health nutrition. It is recognised that a range of academics other than those included in this limited sample have important roles and make important contributions to public health nutrition efforts, including workforce development. Academic epidemiologists, health promoters PROMOTERS. In the English law, are those who in popular or penal actions prosecute in. their own names and the king's, having part of the fines and penalties. and other public health academics are such examples. Future efforts to develop public health nutrition workforce intelligence would benefit from expanding this consultation to include these professionals. This qualitative investigation provides information that builds the intelligence base required for systematic and efficient workforce development, particularly by focussing on competency development. The data collected represent the views of a large proportion of the public health nutrition leadership group in Australia. Further research that investigates workforce composition, competency needs, practices, continuing professional development CPD is the means by which members of professional associations maintain, improve and broaden their knowledge and skills and develop the personal qualities required in their professional lives. needs and strategy effectiveness is required. The competency development pathways of the contemporary public health nutrition workforce and the variable, if not unfavourable, assessments of the utility of their dietetic training experience provides an impetus Impetus is a stimulus or impulse, a moving force that sparks momentum. Impetus may also refer to:
In phonetics, the shaping of the vocal tract (larynx, pharynx, and oral and nasal cavities) by positioning mobile organs (such as the tongue) relative to other parts that may be rigid (such as the hard palate) and thus modifying the airstream to produce speech of specialist or advanced level public health nutrition training with work experience in this field, which will require collaboration Working together on a project. See collaborative software. between educators and employers to be increased. Acknowledgments This study is one part of a broader study of the Australian public health nutrition workforce conducted by the author as part of doctorate studies. This research has been supported by the School of Health Science, Griffith University Griffith University is an Australian public university with five campuses in Queensland between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. In 2007 there were more than 33,000 enrolled students and 3,000 staff. as part of its research higher degree support. The active cooperation of the 41 advanced level public health nutritionists from around Australia that participated in this study is acknowledged. The constructive comments from the anonymous reviewers are greatly appreciated and have enhanced the quality of this paper.
Table 1. Interview questions guide and associated inquiry
logic
Questions Inquiry logic
1. What career path did you
take prior to your current
role in PHN? (a)
2. What were the events/experiences Reflection on individual
that contributed experiences can provide
most to your own PHN insight of workforce
competency development? Development effectiveness
(Landmarks) and efficiency.
3. What role did dietetic training Reflection on individual
play in developing your experiences can provide
PHN competencies? Assessments of the utility of
(Prompted if not mentioned dietetic training experience
in earlier question.) for PHN competency
development
4. Based on your experience, Attitudes about workforce
what is the most efficient development from PHN
way to develop the PHN leaders can inform workforce
workforce in Australia? Development strategy
considerations
5. If a student asked you how The practical advice provided
best to become a competent by academics to students
public health nutritionist, provides insights into their
what advice would you attitudes about contemporary
give? (Only asked in interviews competency development
with academics.) pathways
(a) Public health nutrition (PHN).
Table 2. Interviewee sample characteristics
Academic Government Total
n = 26 n = 15 n = 41
Number of academic 3.4 3.2 3.3
qualifications
(range) (2-5) (2-4) (2-5)
Mean years of experience in 16 13.4 15
community and public health
nutrition practice
Number with ten or more 20 14 34
years' experience in
community and public health
nutrition practice
Number with Doctorate level 16 2 18
qualification
Number currently undertaking 4 1 5
Doctorate level qualification
Number with Masters of 6 6 12
Public Health
Number currently undertaking 2 3 5
Masters of Public Health
References (1.) Strategic Intergovernmental in·ter·gov·ern·men·tal adj. Being or occurring between two or more governments or divisions of a government. in Nutrition Alliance. Eat Well Australia: An agenda for action for public health nutrition 2000-2010. Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care; 2001. (2.) Lee A. Enhanced investment in nutrition in Queensland Health. FOODchain 2002;9:38-9. (3.) Hughes R, Woods J. A strategic plan for public health nutrition workforce development in Victoria. Melbourne: Monash University Facilities in are diverse and vary in services offered. Information on residential sevices at Monash University, including on-campus (MRS managed) and off-campus, can be found at [2] Student organisations Griffith University Partnership; 2002. (4.) Kennedy V, Moore Moore, city (1990 pop. 40,761), Cleveland co., central Okla., a suburb of Oklahoma City; inc. 1887. Its manufactures include lightning- and surge-protection equipment, packaging for foods, and auto parts. F. A systems approach to public health workforce development. J Public Health Management Practice 2001;7:17-22. (5.) Phillips S Phil·lips A trademark used for a screw with a head having two intersecting perpendicular slots and for a screwdriver with a tip shaped to fit into these slots. , Ash S, Tapsell L. Dietitians' views on the current competency standards for entry level dietitians. Aust J Nutr Diet 2000;57:190-7. (6.) Phillips S, Ash S, Tapsell L. Relevance of the competency standards to entry level dietetic practice. Aust J Nutr Diet 2000;57:198-207. (7.) Tapsell L, de Groot R. Dietitian-nutritionists in the Australian food industry: an educational needs assessment. Aust J Nutr Diet 1999;56:86-90. (8.) Campbell K, Steele J, Woods J, Hughes R. Developing a public health nutrition workforce in Australia: Workforce issues. Melbourne: National Specialty Program in Public Health and Community Nutrition; 1997. (9.) Steele J. Towards a public health nutrition human resource infrastructure in Queensland [Master of Public Health thesis]. Brisbane: University of Queensland The University of Queensland (UQ) is the longest-established university in the state of Queensland, Australia, a member of Australia's Group of Eight, and the Sandstone Universities. It is also a founding member of the international Universitas 21 organisation. ; 1995. (10.) Hughes R, Somerset S. Definitions and conceptual frameworks For the concept in aesthetics and art criticism, see . A conceptual framework is used in research to outline possible courses of action or to present a preferred approach to a system analysis project. for public health and community nutrition: a discussion paper. Aust J Nutr Diet 1997;54:40-5. (11.) Ash S, Capra Capra genus of wild goats and ibexes, e.g. C. falconeri (markhor) and C. ibex (Alpine ibex). S, Cumming F, Gibbons Famous people named Gibbons include:
(12.) Yeatman H. Viewpoint article: definitions and conceptual framework for public health and community nutrition [letter]. Aust J Nutr Diet 1997;54:155-6. (13.) Niall M, O'Dea K. Viewpoint article: definitions and conceptual framework for public health and community nutrition [letter]. Aust J Nutr Diet 1997;54:208. (14.) Hughes R, Somerset S. In reply to Mackerras [letter]. Aust J Nutr Diet 1998;55:39. (15.) Hughes R, Somerset S. In reply to Ash et al. and Tapsell [letter]. Aust J Nutr Diet 1997;54:154-5. (16.) Hughes R. An omnibus omnibus: see bus. survey of the Australian rural health dietetic workforce. Aust J Nutr Diet 1998;55:163-9. (17.) Tapsell L. Viewpoint article: definitions and conceptual framework for public health and community nutrition [letter]. Aust J Nutr Diet 1997;54:153-4. (18.) Lichtveld M, Cioffi J, Baker E, Bailey S, Gebbie K, Henderson J, et al. Partnership for front-line success: A call for a national action agenda on workforce development. J Public Health Management Practice 2001;7:1-7. (19.) Centre for Disease Control/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry disease registry Public health A surveillance system that collects and maintains structured records on the new cases of a specific disease or condition for a specified time period and population; a DR analyzes, and interprets data those with a common illness or . Strategic plan for public health workforce development: Toward a life-long learning system for public health practitioners. Washington DC: US Department of Health and Human Services Noun 1. Department of Health and Human Services - the United States federal department that administers all federal programs dealing with health and welfare; created in 1979 Health and Human Services, HHS ; 2001. (20.) Rogers B, Schlossman N. "Public nutrition": the need for cross-disciplinary breadth in the education of applied nutrition professionals. Food and Nutrition Food and Nutrition See also cheese; dining; milk. accubation Rare. the act or habit of reclining at meals. alimentology Medicine. thescience of nutrition. allotriophagy Pathology. Bulletin 1997;18:120-33. (21.) Dodds J, Polhamus B. Self-perceived competence in advanced public health nutritionists in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . J Am Diet Assoc 1999;99:808-12. (22.) Denzin N, Lincoln Lincoln, city and district, England Lincoln, city (1991 pop. 79,980) and district, Lincolnshire, E England, in the Parts of Kesteven, on the Witham River. Y. Handbook
This article is about reference works. For the subnotebook computer, see .
Traditional analysis of firm-specific prospects for future earnings. It may be based on data collected by the analysts, there is no formal quantitative framework used to generate projections. . Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks, commonly referred to as "T.O." by residents, is a city in southeastern Ventura County, California, in the United States. It was named after the many oak trees that grace the area, and the city seal is adorned with an oak. : Sage Publications This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. ; 1994. (23.) Seidman I. Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers and education and social sciences, 2nd ed. New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of : Teachers College Press; 1998. (24.) Polit D, Hungler B. Nursing research: Principles and methods. 6th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott; 1999. (25.) Miles M, Hubermann A. Qualitative data analysis. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage; 1994. (26.) Hess Hess , Walter Rudolf 1881-1973. Swiss physiologist. He shared a 1949 Nobel Prize for his research on the brain's control of the body. A. Haughton B. Continuing education continuing education: see adult education. continuing education or adult education Any form of learning provided for adults. In the U.S. the University of Wisconsin was the first academic institution to offer such programs (1904). needs for public health nutritionists. J Am Diet Assoc 1996;96:716-8. (27.) Haughton B, Story M, Keir B. Profile of public health nutrition personnel: Challenges for population/system-focused roles and state-level monitoring. J Am Diet Assoc 1998;98:664-70. (28.) Gatchell S, Woolcott D. A demographic profile A demographic or demographic profile is a term used in marketing and broadcasting, to describe a demographic grouping or a market segment. This typically involves age bands (as teenagers do not wish to purchase denture fixant), social class bands (as the rich may want of Canadian Canadian (kənā`dēən), river, 906 mi (1,458 km) long, rising in NE New Mexico. and flowing E across N Texas and central Oklahoma into the Arkansas River in E Oklahoma. public health nutritionists. Journal of the Canadian Dietetic Association 1992;53:30-4. (29.) Landman J, Buttriss J, Margetts B. Curriculum design for professional development in public health nutrition in Britain. Public Health Nutr 1998;1:69-74. (30.) Yngve A, Sjostrom M, Warn D, Margetts B, Rodrigo C, Nissinen A. Effective promotion of healthy nutrition and physical activity in Europe requires skilled and competent people; European European emanating from or pertaining to Europe. European bat lyssavirus see lyssavirus. European beech tree fagussylvaticus. European blastomycosis see cryptococcosis. Master's Programme in Public Health Nutrition. Public Health Nutr 1999;2:449-52. (31.) Barr A, Walters M, Hagan D. The value of experiential education  The perspective and/or examples in this article do not represent a world-wide view. Please [ edit] this page to improve its geographical balance. in dietetics. J Am Diet Assoc 2002;102:1458-60.
(32.) Wright K, Nelson J, Potter A potter is someone who makes pottery. Potter may also refer to: People
(33.) Hall-Long B, Perez G, Allbright P. A public health-academic education partnership. J Public Health Management Practice 2001;7:60-6. (34.) Stevens R. Public health practice in schools of public health: Is there a fit? J Public Health Management Practice 2000;6:32-7. (35.) Petersen D, Ginter P, Hovinga M, Williams O, Jacobs R, Davies S Da·vies , Arthur Bowen 1862-1928. American painter who was the chief organizer of the revolutionary Armory Show in 1913. . Public health case studies: A new MPH MPH Master of Public Health. MPH Master's Degree in Public Health requirement bridging academia and practice. J Public Health Management Practice 2001;7:86-91. (36.) Mays N, Pope C. Qualitative research in health care. Assessing quality in qualitative research. BMJ BMJ n abbr (= British Medical Journal) → vom BMA herausgegebene Zeitschrift 2000;320:50-2. |
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