Education, research, and practice: bridging the gap

Area of Science:

• Dietetics
• Nutrition Science
• Medical Education

Background:

• Dietetic education increasingly emphasizes research skills.
• Understanding current research activities in dietetic programs is crucial for curriculum development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and analyze research activities within dietetic internship and coordinated undergraduate programs.
• To assess the integration of research competencies in dietetic training.

Main Methods:

• Survey data collected from 79 dietetic internship and 46 coordinated undergraduate program directors.
• Inquiry focused on research courses, experiences, competencies, publications, and faculty needs.

Main Results:

• Research courses were required in 60% of programs, often covering statistics and literature review.
• Most programs required research projects (71%), but faculty-sponsored research participation was limited.
• Key competencies included critical literature evaluation and applying research to practice; less than 2% of graduates published.

Conclusions:

• Dietetic programs incorporate research elements, yet opportunities for in-depth student involvement in faculty research are scarce.
• Faculty identified needs for more time, funding, resources, and facilities to enhance research training.
• Re-evaluation and prioritization of research competencies are recommended to align with contemporary dietetic practice demands.