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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Preprofessional Identity of Nutrition and Dietetics Students in Australia
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, Vol.56(11), pp.783-793
2024
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
Objective
This study aimed to explore the preprofessional identity of undergraduate nutrition and dietetic students to guide curriculum development to better support the expectations of students and promote career readiness in a changing profession.
Design
Qualitative focus group discussions in March, 2021.
Setting
An Australian university.
Participants
First-year students enrolled in the Bachelor of Nutrition (n = 50) or Bachelor of Dietetics (n = 58) at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Main Outcome Measures
Student sociodemographics, motivations for and influences on career choice and preprofessional identity, expectations of professional competency and practice, degree, and career expectations.
Analysis
Descriptive statistics were conducted, and focus group discussions were analyzed using the Framework Approach.
Results
Motivations and skills were consistent across both cohorts, centering on an interest in nutrition and respectful, professional conduct and communication. Expectations were similar across both degrees, with a focus on placement, real-world learning experiences, and staff support. Career expectations for both cohorts included business ownership.
Conclusions and Implications
This research provided an understanding of students’ preprofessional identity, which was similar for both nutrition and dietetics students. Motivations identified in this research can be used to inform activities across nutrition and dietetic programs that support career readiness.
Details
- Title
- Preprofessional Identity of Nutrition and Dietetics Students in Australia
- Authors
- Angela Cleary (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Nutrition & DieteticsCourtney Thompson (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Nutrition & DieteticsAnthony Villani (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Nutrition & DieteticsLibby Swanepoel (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research
- Publication details
- Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, Vol.56(11), pp.783-793
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc.
- Date published
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jneb.2024.06.013
- ISSN
- 1878-2620; 1499-4046
- Copyright note
- (c) 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
- Organisation Unit
- Healthy Ageing Research Cluster; Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research; School of Health - Nutrition & Dietetics
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991061496402621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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