CONCEPT OF DIETETIC PRACTICE AND FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION FOR THE 21ST-CENTURY

Rapid change and marked diversity are expected to characterize the 21s t century. If dietitians are to serve as change facilitators in this e nvironment they will have to demonstrate greater flexibility and creat ivity, practise critical analysis and problem solving, and employ crea tive thinking. Although provision of quality nutrition care will remai n the unique contribution of dietitians, practitioners in the future w ill require a greater understanding of the impact of social, economic and political systems on food availability and food consumption and, i n turn, health and well-being. Critical to the future practice of diet etics will be a greater understanding of research methodology, compute r technology, quality improvement processes and risk management, princ iples governing learning and behaviour, personnel management and organ izational behaviour, family and group dynamics, interpersonal communic ation and their application to dietetic practice. The Canadian Dieteti c Association recently adopted a framework for the development of bacc alaureate programs in dietetics designed to enable the dietetic practi tioner to continue to make a unique contribution in the 21st century. The framework allows individual institutions the freedom and flexibili ty to plan programs that are compatible with their philosophy and orga nizational structure. In addition, it is predicated on the principle t hat a career in dietetics entails a lifetime commitment to education, of which the baccalaureate program is only the beginning.