Dietetics students’ construction of competence through assessment and placement experiences

Abstract

Aim: Competency standards are widely adopted as a framework to describe standards of performance required inthe workplace. Little is known, however, about how students construct competence. This qualitative study aimed toexplore how dietetics students ready to graduate construct the concept of competence and the role of assessment indeveloping professional competence.Methods: A qualitative description was used to gather data from a convenience sample of students ready to gradu-ate from universities with accredited dietetics programs across Australia (10 out of 15 at the time of the study).A total of 11 focus groups were conducted to explore perspectives of competence and experiences of 'competencybased' assessment. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using a thematic analysis approach.Results: A total of 81 (n = 81) participants across 10 universities representing 22% of total students participated inthe focus groups. Themes revealed that: (i) there is no shared understanding of competence; (ii) current work place-ment experiences may not reflect current standards or workforce needs; (iii) assessment approaches may not fullysupport the development of competence; and (iv) the competent performance of supervising dietitians/clinical edu-cators in the workplace influences the construction of competence.Conclusions: There is a need to work towards a shared understanding of dietetic entry-level competence in the pro-fession. 'Work-based' learning experiences may need to be modified to ensure students meet current competencystandards. Practitioners involved in student supervisionneed to acknowledge the influential role they have inthe development of the future workforce

Challenges in preparing the dietetics workforce of the future: An exploration of dietetics educators’ experiences

“…Despite pleas to prepare dietetics professionals who can respond to the rapidly changing practice environment and calls for greater flexibility in dietetics education programs, it is not surprising that dietetics educators recognise a chasm between workforce preparation and practice. The present study adds to recent calls by other educators to provide students with more diverse experiences across non‐traditional dietetics domains . Placing students in non‐traditional settings, in underserviced areas and in role‐emerging placements have demonstrated benefits for key stakeholders and may help to pioneer new professional pathways.…”

“…The present study adds to recent calls by other educators to provide students with more diverse experiences across non-traditional dietetics domains. 52 Placing students in non-traditional settings, 53 in underserviced areas 54 and in role-emerging placements 55 have demonstrated benefits for key stakeholders and may help to pioneer new professional pathways.…”

Dietetics students’ experiences of dietetics workforce preparation and preparedness: a systematic review and qualitative synthesis

“…1). Characteristics of the studies included in this review are summarised in Table 1 (68)(69)(70)(71)(72) . Publication years ranged from 2009 to 2017, with three studies being conducted in Canada and two in Australia.…”

“…Overarching theme: Navigating through the ups and downs Themes and subthemes identified from the analysis of students' experience of dietetics workforce preparation. Table 3 Themes and subthemes identified in each study included in the synthesis of dietetics students' experiences of workforce preparation Theme Reference Atkins (68) Lordly (69) MacLellan (70) McCall (71) Palermo (72) (68) • 'I was on the committee, and I did that because I know that was something they looked for in the internship package'. (69) • 'I remember being terrified I wouldn't get [into an internship], and I thought, what am I going to do?…”

A Consensus Model: Shifting assessment practices in dietetics tertiary education

“…The shared roles of assessor and coach are incongruent with an effective learning environment in the workplace, as students can be reluctant to expose their learning needs. 18,19 The adoption of the role of coach by worksite educators in this case study was variable across sites with some worksite educators in clinical setting continuing with the previous role as a summative assessor of student performance. In these settings, worksite educators were less comfortable with the panel process.…”