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Introducing service-learning to dietetic students.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

Service-learning was introduced into a medical nutrition therapy class of senior level dietetics students. Students (n=11) developed and delivered lessons to diabetes education classes. Evaluation of the project showed it to be beneficial to clients and students. Clients demonstrated a 24% increase in knowledge following the classes. Seventy-two percent of students felt more comfortable working with others, and 67% said they became better at working in teams. Forty-five percent of students said they would like to see service-learning projects integrated into other classes.

Introduction

The Health Professions Schools in Service to the Nation program was established in 1995. [1, 2] Their first recommendation in the Pew Foundation report was: "Restructure the mission and organization of allied health education programs to focus on local community health needs identified through partnerships with delivery systems, professional associations, educators, regulators, consumers, and the public." [1, page 33] Service-learning pedagogy has been used effectively in the education of medical [3,4,5], nursing [4,6-8], and occupational therapy [9] students. Despite a recent study of dietetics education that showed 87% of respondents used some type of experiential learning to teach nutrition education [10], published references to SL in dietetics education are limited. [11-15] Service-learning exemplifies the way by which professional competencies for allied health professional students, including dietetics students, can be met. The Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association outlines 99 Knowledge, Skills, and Competencies for Entry-Level Dietitians which must be met by all undergraduate students in a Didactic Program. [16] CADE competencies which can be satisfied by SL projects include, but are not limited to, knowledge of:

* public speaking

* interpersonal communication skills

* concepts of human and group dynamics

* health behaviors and educational needs of diverse populations

* diversity issues

* medical nutrition therapy

CADE also stipulates that dietetics students should be able to demonstrate certain skills, such as:

* use oral and written information communications in presenting an educational session for a group

* work effectively as a team member

The purpose of this paper is to describe how SL can be integrated into a medical nutrition therapy course.

Review of Literature

A recent review of the SL literature discussed factors involved in integrating it into dietetics and nutrition education. [11] The authors concluded that integrating servicelearning into the dietetics curricula allows students "the opportunity to develop communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills, while providing relevant experience and promoting citizenship." [11, p. 183] Kim and Canfield described how they integrated SL into a life cycle nutrition course. The community partner was a senior citizen center, and students helped prepare meals and provided nutrition education materials for clients. Students who were involved in the program said it...

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