Employment survey of Montreal dietetic internship graduates, 1975-77

A mail survey of graduates for the previous three years from Montreal area dietetic internships was carried out in 1977-78. One objective of the survey was to collect data on employment status and job turnover. Mailing lists for graduates were obtained from internship program directors. One hundred and ninety-three questionnaires were mailed. Forty-nine percent of the questionnaires were returned. Sixty-one respondents (64%) reported they had left their first position; 73% of these left within one year. The major reason for leaving first positions was 'temporary position' (43%), and 'family reasons' was cited by 10%. Eighty-one percent of respondents were employed at the time of the survey. The major reasons for unemployment were: 'education' (33%); 'family reasons' (22%), and 'no position' (16%). Family reasons for not working were less common in this survey than in a national survey conducted in 1974. Results presented here indicate that recent dietetic graduates who are married and/or have a family are more likely to work today than in 1974, as is the trend for women in other areas of employment. The implications for new graduates are: higher job turnover, fewer permanent positions, and an increase in the number of post graduate degrees.