Perceived needs for graduate level clinical nutrition education for registered dietitians

Abstract

Registered dietitians (RDs) took an electronic survey regarding the perceived graduate education needs and opinions on pursuing graduate degrees. A sample of 1166 RDs were surveyed. The usable response rate was 39.7%. Respondents were stratified into 3 groups for comparison. Results were reported descriptively, and χ and Pearson correlation coefficients were used to test relationships. Reasons for pursuing graduate degrees included enhanced knowledge (77.2%) and personal development (61.6%). Reasons for not pursing graduate degrees included no increased compensation/benefits (66.3%) and insufficient time (49.5%). Significantly more RDs with postprofessional graduate degrees than the other groups perceived the need for the following courses: Applied Physiology (P = .006), Clinical Management (P = .028), Applied Clinical Research (P < .001), and Outcomes Research (P < .001). Copyright © 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.