Inherent requirements – Bachelor of Nutritional Science/Master of Dietetics

This relates to the understanding and ability to comply with Australian and Victorian law and professional accreditation regulations. Examples include:

• Child protection and safety legislation (including the ability to pass a Working with Children Check)
• Criminal History / Police Checks
• Occupational health and safety
• Anti-discrimination legislation

Rationale

Knowledge, understanding, and compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements are necessary in order to reduce the risk of harm to self and others in clinical and related settings; compliance with these professional regulations and the Australian Law ensures students are both responsible and accountable for their practice.

Examples

Respond to the requirements for membership with Dietitians Australia and eligibility to join the Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) Program

Comply with relevant legislation including child protection and safety, work health and safety, and anti-discrimination legislation. For examples of applicable Australian Federal legislations visit https://www.comlaw.gov.au/

This relates to the student's ability to understand and adhere to standards, codes, guidelines and policies that facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and the people they engage with. Examples include:

• Complying with academic and non-academic conduct codes and policies, including academic integrity policies
• Understanding and complying with professional standards, codes of practice, and guidelines

Rationale

Compliance with standards, codes, guidelines and policies that facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and the people they engage with in the many environments of practice is required for the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual well-being of all.

Examples

• Comply with academic and non-academic conduct codes and policies and professional standards
• Identify and enact relevant applications of these codes and standards, including those relating to academic integrity, informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, and equitable and respectful behaviour in academic and clinical settings
• Exercise professional duty of care in accordance with relevant codes of conduct, ethical requirements, and other accepted protocols
• Demonstrate integrity, honesty and fairness
• Work respectfully with diverse clients in choosing culturally appropriate and responsive strategies to suit the goals, lived experiences and environment of clients

Where relevant, this relates to considerations of current scope of practice, workplace health and safety, and any other matter related to safety. Examples include:

• Ability to understand and comply with all relevant workplace health and safety policies and practices
• Ability to identify and respond to alarm systems
• Ability to understand and demonstrate compliance with current scope of practice
• Ability to manage one's own health in a manner that promotes the ability to fulfil the requirements of study, placements, and the role/s for which the study typically equips the graduate

Rationale

Compliance with current scope of practice, workplace health and safety, infection control considerations and effective and timely response to alarm systems are required to provide safe environments for students, staff and others.

Examples

• Limit task performance to within the professional scope of practice as a dietetic student within the course
• Comply with relevant workplace health & safety policies for equipment use and storage
• Work safely with clients with infectious diseases and with reduced immunity
• Be able to respond to alarm systems to maintain safety and/or effective health management for self and clients
• Demonstrate professional conduct and accept responsibility for own actions
• Ability to identify and assess risks, incidents and errors, and follow relevant protocols.

This relates to the student's capacity for knowledge acquisition, utilisation and retention. It also includes metacognitive capacity such as awareness of one's own thinking, and the ability to reflect, evaluate, adapt and implement new cognitive strategies. Examples include:

• Focus, memory, attention to detail, theoretical deliberation, and practical functioning sufficient to meet the course objectives 
• Ability to reflect and take personal responsibility
• Ability to apply knowledge in practical and theoretical assessment settings

Cognition - knowledge & cognitive

Knowledge acquisition, utilisation and retention spanning and drawing together all coursework subjects. Cognitive skills for focus, memory, attention to detail, theoretical deliberation, and practical functioning.

Rationale

Understanding and retention of coursework information and the effective processing of this information is required for appropriate, safe and effective delivery of care/practice.

Examples

• Systematically search for, evaluate, interpret and apply findings from food, nutrition, dietetic, social, behavioural and education sciences into dietetic practice
• Make safe and appropriate client care decisions from retained knowledge in nutrition and dietetic evidence-based practice
• Apply problem-solving skills to create realistic solutions to nutrition problems or issues
• Show a commitment to professional development and lifelong learning.

Cognition - metacognition

Awareness of own thinking, and skills to reflect, evaluate, adapt and implement new cognitive strategies for improved learning.

Rationale

Understanding and ongoing learning about oneself as an instrument in client care is required for safe and effective delivery of practice.

Examples

• Apply problem-solving skills to create realistic solutions to nutrition problems or issues; Consistently demonstrate reflective practice
• Ability to seek and respond to feedback
• Acknowledge, reflect on and understand one own’s culture, values, beliefs, attitudes, biases, assumptions, privilege and power at the individual and systems level, and their influence on practice.

This includes both writing and reading, and is also linked to English language proficiency (literacy requirements are always established in terms of English). NB: For VE, literacy requirements are based on the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). Examples include:

• Capacity to comprehend, summarise and reference a range of literature in accordance with appropriate academic conventions in written assignments
• Producing clear, accurate documentation relating to practical tasks

Rationale

Client care information can be delivered by many different modes and competent literacy skills for these are essential to provide appropriate, safe and effective delivery of care/practice.

Examples

• Prepare, store and transmit accurate and timely documentation according to accepted standards
• Use a range of communication methods to communicate clearly and concisely to a range of audiences, adapting or co-creating communication messages for specific audiences where appropriate.

This includes any form of numeracy required to complete the course successfully. For many courses, this will be basic functional numeracy. NB: For VE, numeracy requirements are based on the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF).  Examples include:

• Competent reasoning and reliable accuracy with numerical concepts
• Ability to perform basic mathematical tasks

Rationale

Competent reasoning and reliable accuracy with numerical concepts are essential for safe and effective care/practice.

Examples

• Calculate nutritional requirements and dietary intakes
• Calculate and interpret anthropometric data
• Interpret statistical data to support evidence-based practice.

This includes verbal, non-verbal and written communication. Examples include:

• Verbal communication in English to a standard that allows fluid, clear, and comprehensible two-way discussions
• Ability to recognise, interpret and respond to non-verbal cues, to communicate with congruent and respectful non-verbal behaviour, and to be sensitive to individual and/or cultural variations in non-verbal communication
• Ability to produce English text to the expected standard (NB: This is a skill that may be developed throughout a course, and should be identified as such in any inherent requirements statement)

Communication - verbal

Verbal communication in English to a standard that allows fluid, clear, and comprehensible two-way discussions, tailored to the local English-speaking audiences.

Rationale

Effective verbal communication, in English, with clients and University and clinical staff is required for effective learning and to provide safe and effective delivery of care/practice.

Examples

• Communicate appropriately with people from various cultural, socioeconomic, organisational and professional backgrounds
• Use a range of communication methods to communicate clearly and concisely to a range of audiences
• Engage in culturally appropriate and sensitive communication
• Translate technical information into practical messaging that can be easily understood and used by clients, other professionals, key stakeholders, partners, and members of the public
• Display effective active listening and interviewing skills to understand perspectives of clients, other professionals, key stakeholders and partners to inform approaches and influence change.

Communication - non-verbal

Non-verbal communication skills that enable respectful communication with others.

Rationale

The ability to recognise, interpret and respond to non-verbal cues, to communicate with congruent and respectful non-verbal behaviour, and to be sensitive to individual and/or cultural variations in non-verbal communication is essential for safe and effective care.

Examples

• Recognise cues in a client’s facial expression, appearance, behaviour, posture, or movement
• Deliver information to a distressed client incorporating non-verbal behaviour that matches the nature of the information
• Display effective active listening and interpersonal skills to understand perspectives of clients, other professionals, key stakeholders and partners to inform approaches and influence change.

Communication - written

Ability to produce English text to a standard that provides clear and professional-level communication, with language usage and style tailored to the targeted recipients.

Rationale

Effective communication in English text is required to demonstrate applied skills in academic writing conventions and in sustained and organised academic argument and provide safe and effective delivery of care/practice.

Examples

• Communicate complex academic and clinical perspectives in writing
• Prepare, store and transmit accurate and timely documentation according to accepted standards
• Use a range of communication methods to communicate clearly and concisely to a range of audiences.

This includes visual, auditory and tactile capacity. NB: Care must be taken to not prescribe any sensory ability as an inherent requirement if the student might be able to achieve the desired result with the use of one or more adjustments. Examples include:

• Ability to interact with visual inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments
• Ability to interact with auditory inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments
• Ability to respond to tactile input and provide appropriate tactile interaction

Sensory ability - visual

Ability to interact with visual inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments.

Rationale

Ability to interact with visual inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments. Elements in the working and learning environment are delivered by visual means, and the ability to learn from or respond to these inputs is required to provide safe and effective practice.

Examples

• Process visual information from laboratory and practical classes
• Process visual information from anthropometric and medical technologies e.g. scales, stadiometers, feeding pumps
• Recognise physical attributes and changes in a client
• Read written or electronic medical information.

Sensory ability - auditory

Ability to interact with auditory inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments.

Rationale

Elements in the learning and working environments are delivered by auditory means, and the ability to learn from or respond to these inputs is required to provide safe and effective practice.

Examples

Display effective active listening skills to understand perspectives of clients, other professionals, key stakeholders and partners to inform approaches and influence change.

Sensory ability - tactile

Ability to respond to tactile input and provide tactile interaction.

Rationale

Elements in the learning and working environment are detected and measured by tactile means, and the ability to learn from or respond to these inputs is required to provide safe and effective practice. The appropriate use of touch as a part of effective client care is also required.

Examples

Provide patient care through appropriate and reassuring touch when completing aspects of a physical nutrition examination.

This includes both gross and fine motor ability. NB: Care must be taken to not prescribe any motor ability as an inherent requirement if the student might be able to achieve the desired result with the use of one or more adjustments. Examples include:

• Strength, range of motion, coordination and mobility sufficient to meet the requirements of the study, including placements included in the course
• Manual dexterity and fine motor skills sufficient to meet the requirements of the study, including placements included in the course

Motor ability - gross

Strength, range of motion, coordination and mobility.

Rationale

A wide range of physical client care actions in a time-constrained environment is required to provide safe and effective practice.

Examples

• Demonstrate coordination and safe mobility in settings such as laboratories, kitchens and wards; Move readily around clients, between work areas, and around varying surfaces and levels, to complete tasks within expected time-frames
• Maintain balance and safety when completing aspects of nutrition assessment such as weighing/measuring clients.

Motor ability - fine

Manual dexterity and fine motor skills.

Rationale

A wide range of fine-motor manual tasks in a time-constrained environment are required to provide safe and effective practice.

Examples

• Demonstrate appropriate fine motor skills and dexterity to undertake laboratory, kitchen based and clinical activities within expected time-frames
• Contribute to both handwritten and electronic medical records.

This includes a person's ability to sustain their performance in a given activity or series of activities over time. Care must be taken to not prescribe sustained performance in a way that allows no room for temporary changes to performance levels due to illness or other factors. Examples include:

Ability to sustain a working posture, associated manual tasks, cognitive engagement, performance level and emotional control for the full duration of any task required as part of the course or any placement

Rationale

A range of complex, multi-component or extended client care tasks carried out over a period of time and in a time-constrained environments is required to provide safe and effective practice.

Examples

• Sustain study practices and clinical performance to sufficiently engage with the learning workload for a study period, and for the degree, within a constrained time-frame
• Sustained ability to perform multiple physical and cognitive tasks within the expected time-frame
• Demonstrate flexibility, adaptability and resilience in managing a caseload within the expected time-frame.

This includes the personal flexibility and resilience required to adapt behaviour to different situations, even when they are stressful or difficult. NB: Care must be taken to allow room in the inherent requirements for the individual to demonstrate behavioural adaptability through withdrawing from activities for a time to undertake medical interventions and self-care measures. Examples include:

• Ability to adjust ways of working to work within teams of varied personal and professional backgrounds
• Being receptive and responding appropriately to constructive feedback
• Maintaining respectful communication practices in times of increased stressors or workloads
• Adjusting to changing circumstances in a way that allows self-care

Rationale

Behavioural adaptation is required to manage personal emotional responses as an individual and within teams in changing and unpredictable environments, including emergency situations and times of human distress. Students will also be required to adapt their behaviour appropriately during times of additional stressors in their own lives, whether this adaptation involves ways of continuing to engage with their role or withdrawing for self-care for a period.

Examples

• Accept responsibility for and manage, implement and evaluate own emotions, personal health and wellbeing
• Demonstrate flexibility, adaptability and resilience when dealing with changing responses of individuals and families in clinical and other settings
• Be receptive and respond appropriately to constructive feedback
• Maintain respectful communication practices in times of increased stressors or workloads
• Recognise and respect the diversity of other professionals’ roles, responsibilities and competencies.