Professional attitudes of dietetics students and practitioners

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an instrument for measuring differences in professional attitudes of dietetics students and practitioners. Comparisons were made between junior and senior dietetics students, new and experienced (5 years or more) registered members of The American Dietetic Association (ADA), and registered ADA members and registered nonmembers (individuals who dropped ADA membership). The sample consisted of 371 junior and senior students from 18 coordinated dietetics programs and 1,041 dietetics practitioners. Principal component analysis was used to categorize conceptually 51 professionalism statements into 13 factors identified as professional attitude scales. Mean scores for the two scales "personal obligations for professional development" and "mastery of substantive content" were highest for all three groups; lowest scores were for the scale "professional isolation." Overall, significant differences were found on eight scales for one or more of the comparison groups. Students rated the scale "respect for the profession's intellectual challenge" higher than did new and experienced registered ADA members. Discriminant analysis indicated that junior (70%) and senior students (65%) were successfully differentiated on four scales, new (62%) and experienced (60%) registered ADA members on five scales, and ADA members (70%) and nonmembers (72%) on four scales. Results of this study could be used by educators to support inclusion of concepts of professionalism in dietetics curriculums. Results also could aid practitioners in marketing their knowledge and skills by presenting a more positive professional image to clients.