| Summary: | Graduate dietitians are employed in diverse work settings,
demanding universities to prepare students to perform a
variety of work tasks during their degree. Job Description
Forms (JDFs) describe the work required of dietitians in
these diverse settings. The research aimed to describe the
work of entry-level dietitians to inform Entrustable Professional
Activities (EPAs) for dietitians; measurable
practice tasks linked to competencies. EPAs form the
basis of a shared mental model for student dietitians,
their placement supervisors and academics and generate
consistency of expectations about entry level performance.
JDFs advertised in Australia between November 2017
and October 2018 were compiled using employment search
engines, university and new graduate contacts. A content
analysis of entry-level JDFs (n = 98) was
completed, considering the description of the position,
frequencies of similar work tasks and a qualitative analysis
of task summaries. Tasks listed in more than 30% of
JDFs were classified as common. Analysis classified
22 common work tasks (>30% JDFs). Frequencies for
such tasks ranged from 31% (provides multidisciplinary
care) to 78% (provides/coordinates effective dietetic services).
A list of 46 infrequently listed and/or innovative
work tasks was generated. This content analysis highlights
work tasks required for a variety of settings and
describes the diverse potential roles of a new graduate.
These tasks have been used to inform EPAs. Describing
the work tasks of entry-level dietitians provides insight
for graduates and supervisors to assess entry-level competence.
This process describes the range of roles performed
by dietitians, including innovative tasks of
evolving work fields.
Funding source: Learning and teaching grant from the
Australian University Technology.
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