Reimagining the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Career Ladder as Requirements Change for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists

Abstract

With the increase in degree requirements by the Commission on Dietetic Registration for registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs), concern was raised regarding decreasing diversity in the profession. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) track of the Maricopa County Department of Public Health Dietetic Internship addresses a long-standing need to train and retain dietitians in Arizona. Populations of recent immigrants and minorities are rapidly growing in the United States; the ethnic distribution of nutrition and dietetics practitioners does not mirror the population. This internship adds to the diversity of RDNs within Arizona. The leadership of this internship wants to keep the WIC track accessible to eligible candidates after the graduate degree requirement takes effect in 2024. WIC-track Dietetic Internship candidates might want a Master’s of Public Health degree and to be accepted into an internship before committing to a master’s degree program. An online survey was distributed to 160 recipients to identify degree preferences of potential WIC-track candidates. Recipients were requested to forward the survey link to coworkers not on the distribution list. Of 232 respondents, 57 (27%) were interested in becoming an RDN and willing to take the necessary steps. Those who were interested in becoming an RDN and Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) graduates desiring to become RDNs had similar interest in each proposed degree area. A relatively even split occurred between respondents who were and were not willing to start a master’s degree program before first being admitted to an internship. The initial hypotheses were rejected. The Maricopa County Department of Public Health decided to allow WIC-track interns to choose their degree to meet the future educational requirements for becoming an RDN. This may be a good model for other organizations that could provide accredited supervised practice to increase diversity within the profession while keeping the higher educational requirements attainable.