Management activities in community dietetics practice.

Information on the management activities of community dietitians was obtained through a mail survey of 350 randomly selected community dietitians. Subjects provided information on their management level, the importance to their job performance of 83 management activity statements, and the percent of time they spent performing management activities in each of nine categories. Twenty-nine percent of the respondents indicated job responsibilities in lower-level management; 45% had mid-level and 26% had upper-level management responsibilities. Numbers of activities rated essential or very important increased as management levels increased. Kinds of activities changed from technical to human to conceptual as management levels increased. Mid-level management subjects, while still spending time working with clients, reported spending considerable time on coordinating, investigating, and evaluating, often reporting as much time spent on those activities as did upper-level management subjects. Definitions provided by respondents indicated great diversity in job requirements and settings.

Perceptions of competency attainment in community dietetics: academic Plan IV vs. dietetic internship.

A national survey of Plan IV representatives, internship directors, and dietetic interns was conducted to determine the perceived level of competence in community dietetics upon completion of academic coursework. Interns also rated their perceived competence in community dietetics near the end of internships. All major and specific responsibilities from the ADA Role Delineation and Verification for Entry-Level Positions in Community Dietetics were included in the survey questionnaire. Completed questionnaires were received from 447 dietetic interns (60%), 47 internship directors (57%), and 59 Plan IV representatives (39%). Highly significant differences were found among the three groups, with Plan IV representatives' expectations highest and students' lowest. Work experience prior to internship affected mean ratings on selected responsibilities. Unlike the results of the previous studies in clinical dietetics and foodservice systems management, the ratings in community dietetics did not reach their highest until the last month of the internship. Findings from all three areas of dietetic practice suggest that students' perceived competence is considerably lower upon completion of Plan IV than after completion of an internship, indicating need for defined work experience. Different teaching techniques, i.e., lecture vs. hands-on, could be related to different ratings of perceived competence within and between practice areas.

Perception of competency attainment in foodservice management: academic Plan IV vs. dietetic internship.

A national survey of 487 dietetic interns (61%), 63 internship directors (76%), and 68 Plan IV representatives (45%) utilized ADA entry-level role responsibilities in foodservice systems management. Student respondents rated perceived competence at the start and near completion of the internship. Program directors rated expected competence at the start of the internship. The three groups differed significantly on mean responses, with interns' ratings lowest and Plan IV representatives' ratings highest. Interns' mean ratings suggested that work experience just prior to starting an internship increased competence somewhat, regardless of type of work. Work during college was not included in the analysis. Interns' mean ratings also suggested that competence peaked some weeks before internship completion. Level of competence averaged about 6 on a scale of 0 to 7 at that time. Starting competence averaged about 2.5 to 3, indicating that Plan IV contribution is substantial but internship experience is essential for entry-level performance. Foodservice systems management competence levels compare very favorably with those previously reported for clinical dietetics.

Perceptions of competency attainment in clinical dietetics: academic Plan IV vs. dietetic internships.

A national survey of all Plan IV representatives and dietetic internship directors in programs with a general or clinical emphasis was conducted to determine the level of competence in clinical dietetics expected of Plan IV graduates. Dietetic interns were asked to rate themselves on competency attainment at the beginning and near the end of the internship. The ADA's Role Delineation Study for Entry-level Personnel in Clinical Dietetics was used as the basis for the survey questionnaire. Completed questionnaires were returned by 137 Plan IV representatives (54%), 71 dietetic internship directors (75%), and 530 dietetic interns (62%). Highly significant differences were found among the three groups. Plan IV representatives had higher expectations of students than internship directors. Interns consistently rated their competency levels for all responsibilities below those indicated by either group of directors. All three groups indicated that students were better prepared for client-focus responsibilities than for professional or organizational-level responsibilities. Interns' self-ratings suggested that similar amounts of learning occurred in each of the three areas during the internship. Nutrition-related work experience immediately prior to the internship influenced students' perceived competency level at the beginning of the internship, but differences between those students and the ones with other or no work experience were overcome as students neared the end of their internships. For most major responsibilities, the students' perceived levels of competence did not change after the first few months of the internship.

Validity of selection criteria for a coordinated undergraduate program.

Academic records and selection interview results of 46 graduates of the University of Minnesota coordinated undergraduate program (CUP) in dietetics were examined to determine relationships between selection criteria and subsequent performance in the program and on the registration examination for dietitians. Data collected included (a) entering science, communication, and overall grade point averages (GPAs), (b) junior and senior year grades in professional didactic and clinical courses, (c) registration examination scores, and (d) interview scores. Entering GPAs were significantly related to performance on the registration examination and to didactic, but not to clinical, performance in the program. Grades in clinical courses were seldom related to registration examination performance. Interview results showed little relationship either to program performance or to registration examination scores.

Perceptions of importance of management aspects of dietetic practice.

On an average, undergraduate dietetic majors tended to perceive management-related tasks much the same as did dietetic practitioners, i.e., that such tasks were less important in dietetic practice. Not all dietetic practitioners had the same perceptions, i.e., administrative practitioners rated management-related tasks as much more important than did clinical nutrition practitioners. The sample of educators, on the other hand, perceived the management-related tasks as almost equal in importance to the clinical-nutrition-related tasks. No one rated the management tasks as unimportant, which is encouraging. There appears to be a strong base on which to build. The concern is that undergraduate majors and clinical practitioners, in particular, do not perceive the area of management as equally important to the profession. This failure is of particular concern if the growth of the profession is to be in management areas. These findings are supportive of an anecdotal point of view which has long pervaded the conversations of many dietitians; namely, that clinical nutrition practice is synonymous with dietetic practice. In a sense, it is not unusual that undergraduates also seem to feel this way--they obviously have many role models who do. If the dietetic profession is to increase the number of its members in management positions, attitudes about the importance of management and the acquiring of management skills must change. One can speculate on the possibility of role model learning of the CUP students in this sample.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Hierarchical structure of selected behaviors of dietitians on the job.

The rationale for learning sequences and hierarchies is presented and briefly discussed. Two methods for identifying hierarchies--Guttman scalogram analysis and ordering theory analysis--are described and demonstrated, using seven items from the Dietitians' Behaviorating Scales, a performance appraisal instrument for dietitians. Scalogram analysis indicated that the seven items did not constitute a linear cumulative scale (CR = 0.75). Ordering theory analysis showed that the seven items constitute a complex branched hierarchy, which is graphically presented. Implications for dietetic education are discussed.

Developing behaviorally anchored scales for rating dietitians' performance.

Behaviorally anchored rating scales were developed for dietitians, using a variant of the methodology of Smith and Kendall (3). Approximately thirty dietitians, representing administration, patient services, education, and community nutrition participated in the development. The job tenure of the participants ranged from one year to over twenty years. Seven dimensions were identified, and each was provided with a rating continuum containing eight or nine behavioral anchors. The dimensions and their definitions are listed, and one scale is presented.