Management in Dietetics: Are We Prepared for the Future?

Cluskey, Mary; Gerald, Bonnie; Gregoire, Mary B.

doi:10.1016/j.jada.2006.12.015

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…9 It might be that dietitians place less emphasis on the business side of the practice than the dietetic and technical aspect, and that they have not had formal training in management and marketing. 10 The findings are in agreement with the literature, where the marketing approach of a professional service pivots around the relationship approach, in which the satisfaction of the client plays an integral role. 11,12 Although the abovementioned aspect is of the utmost importance in the success of a dietetic practice, more attention needs to be paid to the business and to marketing principles, because dietetic practices compete with other sources of information on nutrition that are managed from a business point of view.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…10 Perceptions about service characteristics and service-specific healthcare marketing principles also influence views on the marketing approach. The marketing approach determines marketing strategy, which, in turn, leads to use of specific marketing communication elements.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…10 • Legislation: Legislation pertains to the marketing guidelines of healthcare professionals as stipulated by the HPCSA. 19 • Training: Training of any sort, whether it is dietitian undergraduate course material or additional business courses, has an effect on a dietitian's attitude towards, and perception of, the marketing approach.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…20 • Personality: Personality affects a person's willingness to take risks, and indirectly has an influence on a dietitian's attitude about marketing. 10 Perceptions about service characteristics and service-specific Table IV.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

South African private practising clinical dietitians’ perceptions of the relevance of service-specific healthcare marketing principles and communication elements

Hanekom

Gericke

Becker

2011

South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

South African private practising clinical dietitians' perceptions of the relevance of service-specific healthcare marketing principles and communication elements IntroductionAccording to Borra, "dietetics professionals are the public's leading sources of food and information on nutrition and services", and the overriding goal for the dietetic profession should be to increase the demand for dietetic services. 1 Dietitians in clinical private practice are faced with the challenge of introducing themselves to the public as a source of sound scientific information on nutrition. They compete with the media and other less scientific sources. Therefore, considerable time, money, and expertise should be invested in marketing their profession and practice. 2,3 Though many of these dietitians are professionally sound in their practices, often they do not have sufficient business skills, including marketing skills, to optimise the practice. 4 A dietitian needs to have good business skills and strong self-assurance for the practice to be an overall success. 4 The current status quo for private practising dietitians is as follows:• As dietitians compete with many sources to supply the public with information on nutrition, marketing is essential for the promotion of both private practices and the dietetic profession in South Africa.• The marketing of all healthcare services is legislatively controlled by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). All marketing efforts need to adhere to their guidelines.• Knowledge, perception and attitudes influence the marketing approach followed by private practising dieticians.• Guiding information on the marketing of products is easily available, and much simpler to implement than the marketing of services, especially professional services, Therefore, it is essential for private practising dietitians to be aware Method: Data were collected by means of an electronic questionnaire. The response rate was low (16.8%), and the results could not be generalised. Results:The dietitians seemed more focused on the science of nutrition, than on marketing their profession and individual practices. There was an overall awareness of the need for marketing in the dietetic private sector, but the importance and implementation thereof did not receive the amount of attention that it justifies. A number of service-specific healthcare marketing principles received "slightly relevant" or "not relevant" ratings. Conclusion:For the dietetic profession to reach its full potential in South Africa, and for dietetic private practices to be successful on all levels, dietitians need to focus more of their time and energy on business-related aspects such as marketing. By integrating the theory from the literature with the findings from the study, a profession-specific marketing flow diagram and recommendations could be proposed.Peer reviewed. (Submitted: 2011-07-19. Accepted: 2011.) © SAJCN S Afr J Clin Nutr 2011;24(4):192-198 193 Original Research: SA private practising clinical dietitians' percepti...

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

South African private practising clinical dietitians’ perceptions of the relevance of service-specific healthcare marketing principles and communication elements

Hanekom

Gericke

Becker

2011

South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Being a manager also requires the ability to take calculated risks. The disdain for foodservice management and other concepts of leadership by the majority of dietetics students and entry‐level practitioners is well known . Some evidence suggests that it is viewed as not as exciting as the latest developments in medical nutrition therapy .…”

Section: A Lack Of Engagement With Leadership and Management?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Foodservice management returns: The need to rejuvenate the superhero contribution of dietetics

Wright

2017

Nutrition & Dietetics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Management Matters

Gould¹,

Canter²

2008

Journal of the American Dietetic Association

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fewer than 50% of registered dietitians (RDs) supervise personnel and 76% have no budget authority. Because higher salaries are tied to increasing levels of authority and responsibility, RDs must seek management and leadership roles to enjoy the increased remuneration tied to such positions. Advanced-level practice in any area of dietetics demands powerful communication abilities, proficiency in budgeting and finance, comfort with technology, higher-order decision-making/problem-solving skills, and well-honed human resource management capabilities, all foundational to competent management practice. As RDs envision the future of the dietetics profession, practitioners must evaluate management competence in both hard and soft skills. Just as research is needed to support evidenced-based clinical practice, the same is needed to support management practice across the profession. Dietetics educators and preceptors should be as enthusiastic about management practice as they are clinical practice when educating and mentoring future professionals. Such encouragement and support can mean that new RDs and dietetic technicians, registered, will understand what it takes to advance to higher levels of responsibility, authority, and subsequent enhanced remuneration. In the ever-changing social, legal, ethical, political, economic, technological, and ecological environments of work, food and nutrition professionals who are willing to step forward and assume the risks and responsibilities of management also will share in the rewards, and propel the profession to new heights of recognition and respect.

show abstract

Management in Dietetics: Are We Prepared for the Future?

Cited by 11 publications

References 13 publications

South African private practising clinical dietitians’ perceptions of the relevance of service-specific healthcare marketing principles and communication elements

South African private practising clinical dietitians’ perceptions of the relevance of service-specific healthcare marketing principles and communication elements

Foodservice management returns: The need to rejuvenate the superhero contribution of dietetics

Management Matters

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About