Using student organization involvement to teach leadership and management skills in a dietetics education program

Abstract

To increase awareness among dietetics educators and dietetic students of the possibilities to learn about and practice management and leadership skills through student organization involvement. The need for leadership and management skills in dietetics practice is critical for the advancement of the profession. Recent House of Delegates mandates have emphasized the importance of incorporating this concept even more strongly into dietetics education programs. Another area of concern for dietetics professionals is the importance of volunteer leadership in professional organizations. District, state, and national dietetics organizations and dietetics practice groups frequently report difficulty in finding individuals willing to have their name placed on a ballot or fill a volunteer leadership position. Dietetics educators who advise and support student organizations in their institutions can use involvement in these organizations as a training ground for developing leadership and management skills in their students. Such involvement also provides an opportunity to stress the importance of volunteerism in one’s professional life. Being a volunteer leader as a student can set the tone for professional involvement throughout one’s career. The purpose of this presentation is to (1) document the prevalence of dietetics-related student organizations in dietetics education programs across the United States, (2) to illustrate ways in which leadership and management skills are developed in these organizations, and (3) to suggest how dietetic educators can use their advisory role to mentor students in these critical areas. Today’s dietetics students are tomorrow’s leaders of our professional organizations. Development of a positive view toward volunteer involvement and leadership while a student can pay big dividends for the professional of dietetics in the years ahead.