The challenge of skill transfer: dietitian perspectives

The notion of transferable skills is part of the comprehensive education model for dietetic practice. Dietitians' perspectives were collected to determine their understanding of the concept and which dietetic skills they considered transferable in long-term and acute care environments.

The study included a purposive sample of 14 dietitians representing long-term and acute care internship training and employment. The dietitians completed a questionnaire and were interviewed.

All respondents demonstrated an understanding of the concept of transferability of skills. Results indicated that the majority believed dietetic entry-level competencies could be achieved in both long-term and acute care environments. While the majority believed competencies could be transferred from one environment to another, issues were raised about transfer from long-term care to acute care. These issues included limited client communication, fewer resources, and less opportunity for exposure to skill areas. Interpretation of the term "skill," one-way transferability, and level of competence required for the particular working environment emerged as challenges to operationalization of the concept.

Transferability of skills within dietetic practice requires further investigation if it is to be fully understood and used to its full potential.