From the Editor

Abstract

Following another successful DAA conference, it is fitting that the theme for the June issue of the journal is ‘growing professional competence’. As one of the profession's leading researchers in competency standards, Claire Palermo provides the Editorial. Milosavljevic and colleagues lead the way with innovative research on dietitians in clinical practice. Using qualitative methodology they draw on a strong theoretical framework to expose the stages of professional practice in hospitals and the challenges they present in retaining members. Building effective groups of elders in an ongoing generational fashion is important for the profession to grow and remain effective within the health-care system. MacDonald-Wicks and colleagues then focus on the particular skills required to assist other health professionals in giving weight management advice. Help with developing appropriate nutrition messages appeared to be the main point of issue, bearing in mind that a core competency of dietitians is a translator of nutrition science. In the Public Health domain of practice, Hughes et al. present the findings of a modified Delphi study of competency elements involving 33 identified stakeholders. The outcomes, described as aspirational competency expectations, provide a useful reference for curriculum review in Public Health Nutrition. Beyond entry level competence, Gifford and Snell report on a study examining the barriers and enablers to applying for the Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian credential. Engaging a mentor and working with colleagues on the application proved to be important considerations. Moving to the professional education setting, Palermo and colleagues report on research involving interviews with new graduates on the topic of competency-based assessment. Following review of themes emerging from these data, they highlight the value of student perspectives in developing forms of competency-based assessment. In a similar fashion, O'Reilly et al. showed that engaging students in the evaluation of approaches to reflective practice strategies will be more helpful in building this skill as they transition to the work environment. Maher and colleagues also focused on student evaluations in their assessment of clinical placements as a component of competency development. They highlighted the need for psychosocial as well as educational development in this transition phase. In contrast, Ash followed a cohort of students across the set of placement experiences showing how the time spent in patient care varied depending on stage of practice and context of placement. Details of this analysis are informative for developing the placement program. In an interesting study from Turkey, Aksoydan and colleagues looked at the historical development of 34 Nutrition and Dietetic programs and found an agreed emphasis on practical placements and work-related skills development. Peer learning is a type of activity on placement. From Ireland, Lynam and colleagues report on a pilot study involving four clinical sites in which a framework for developing the 2:1 model was developed and described. Further research in this area will be useful in adapting this approach. Professional competence also involves the use and development of methodologies in dietetics research and practice. This includes methods that enable assessment of body composition. The first methodology paper by Anderson et al. compared the use of bioelectrical impedance to deuterium dilution for assessment of total body water, and reported on the significance of observed bias. Whatever the research entails, moving to publication is an important next step. Disappointingly, Miller et al. found that the publication rate for abstracts of work presented at DAA national conferences between 2006 and 2009 was particularly low. Partnerships with academics appeared to be a useful strategy in moving forward. Let's hope the materials in this issue provide motivation to improve that scenario.