Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Content

This unit includes topics related to the development and demonstration of professional dietetic practice and competence according to the Accreditation Standards of Dietitians Australia. These are described under the heading ‘Building professional dietetic practice’ in each unit outline and build on topics delivered synchronously and progressively throughout the degree. Those in bold reflect ‘new’ topics addressed in this unit. Students will have opportunities for collecting evidence of competence in these, and in other areas (italics).

Building professional dietetic practice

• reflection and evaluation of practice, peer support and assessment
• acknowledges, reflects and understands own values, beliefs, attitudes, biases and assumptions privilege and power, at the individual and systems level, and their influence on practice
• scope of practice and standards of care, codes of conduct
• continuing professional development
• attributes (empathy, flexibility, adaptability, resilience, ethical, respectful, demonstrates integrity, honesty, fairness, critical thinker)
• workload and time management, prioritising workload
• excellence of practice
• feedback cycles
• client-centred approach to practice
• technological proficiency
• culturally safe and responsive practice (requiring emotional, spiritual and cultural intelligence)
• active listening, interpersonal and interviewing skills
• collaboration and communication skills with stakeholders
• systematically acquires, evaluates and applies findings into practice
• appropriate nutrition diagnoses/decision-making
• peer education, sharing new knowledge
• understanding and advocating for the role of the dietitian in individual nutrition management - consolidation
• reflection of own personal health and wellbeing
• taking responsibility for own actions
• resource, team worker, leader

This unit requires the completion of 18 days of individual case management placement. Content delivery is arranged as required to support these placements and the underpinning theoretical components. This content includes:

Food and nutrition assessment in practice environments

• advanced data collection, collation, interpretation, recording of data
• nutrition screening

Individualised nutrition management in practice environments

• disease pathophysiology and management, and consolidating nutrition diagnoses and collaborative, client-centred and tailored goal formation implementation, and review, including discharge planning and/or referral to other services where appropriate.
• advanced dietary change counselling to build self-efficacy for making sustainable, positive food, nutrition, and health changes in individuals
• continued translation of current food and nutrition science and dietetic best practice into practical advice with consideration of behavioural, social and environmental factors
• dysphagia
• use of enteral feeding in nutrition management
• individual client record keeping in accordance with placement and accepted standards for the following conditions:
• diabetes
• cardiovascular system diseases
• metabolic syndrome
• allergy and food intolerance
• coeliac disease, and other gastrointestinal diseases
• surgical nutrition

Both professional practice and performance will be directed by the university and the appointed placement supervisor at the host organisation, through a pre-defined and monitored set of criteria that encompass:

• ability to perform elements of individual case management of clients
• professional practices/attributes to be demonstrated whilst undertaking the experience
• ability to seek, respond to and provide feedback from clients (carers etc.) the healthcare team and supervisors
• overall student performance throughout the placement

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

The unit content is unit will be delivered in two stages. The theoretical and case study/simulation component will be delivered intensively in the first six-eight weeks of semester with a gradual increase in placement days per week from the mid to latter weeks of semester. The learning and teaching strategy adopted aligns with the sequencing of the learning outcomes and consists of three phases that are designed to provide students with a developmental learning experience. The unit begins with approaches designed to support consolidation of specialist knowledge and application for individual case management in dietetic practice, the assessment of nutritional status, nutrition management planning, dietary counselling for common food and nutrition-related conditions. The approaches used to facilitate students’ learning include online learning modules and readings. The unit then builds on this theoretical knowledge and assists students to develop understanding and then application through practical skills development first through case studies and role play and then practice placement. Overall, the approaches used in this unit have a constructively aligned developmental sequence designed to progressively, and logically, support students’ learning in ways that maximise the perceived (and actual) relevance and value of each stage. As an overarching strategy, this is expected to engender high levels of engagement, efficiency, and effectiveness in students’ study behaviours, and to maximise their learning achievements. This strategy and approaches will allow students to meet the aim, learning outcomes and graduate attributes of the unit. Learning and teaching approaches will reflect respect for the individual as an independent learner. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively in learning activities.