Course Outline
NUT402 Nutrition and Dietetics Placement 1
Course Coordinator:Angela Cleary (acleary@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Nutrition and Dietetics
2024Semester 1
UniSC Sunshine Coast |
Blended learning | Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online. |
Please go to usc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
What is this course about?
Description
This Work-Integrated Learning course is essential preparation for professional practice as a dietitian. Under the supervision of an experienced supervisor, you will demonstrate skills and competencies in nutrition and dietetic workplace settings. Settings include medical nutrition therapy, public health nutrition and food service systems. Academic staff allocate placement dates and settings and you must complete a minimum of 45 full-time equivalent days scheduled over one or more placement blocks. This placement contributes towards the total 100 days of placement required for professional accreditation.
How will this course be delivered?
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Blended learning | |||
| Placement – A minimum of 45 full-time equivalent days rostered over one (1) or more placement blocks in a dietetic practice setting. Placement is allocated by the academic staff. | 338hrs | Not applicable | Once Only |
Course Topics
Applied dietetic practice in a Work Integrated Learning setting.
What level is this course?
400 Level (Graduate)
What is the unit value of this course?
24 units
How does this course contribute to my learning?
| Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | |
| 1 | Demonstrate professional practice in a nutrition and dietetic practice workplace setting | Engaged |
| 2 | Applies an evidence-based approach to nutrition and dietetic practice and advocates for change to improve nutrition, food standards and the food system | Empowered |
| 3 | Practices collaboratively and communicates respectively and effectively to improve nutrition and health outcomes | Engaged |
| 4 | Critically appraise and use an evidence-based decision making approach to solve problems and create realistic solutions in a range of practice environments. | Creative and critical thinker |
| 5 | Recognise the multiple factors that influence food systems, health and nutrition. | Sustainability-focussed |
| 6 | Demonstrate safe, ethical and professional practice in accordance with the dietetic student placement code of conduct | Ethical |
Am I eligible to enrol in this course?
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
Pre-requisites
NUT301 and NUT302 and NUT312 and NUT361 and NUT309 and enrolled in Program SC302 or SC406
Co-requisites
Not applicable
Anti-requisites
Not applicable
Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)
Not applicable
How am I going to be assessed?
Grading Scale
Limited Grading (PNP)
Details of early feedback on progress
Formative feedback will be provided by the Placement Academic Supervisors on the progression of professional competencies from artefacts and tasks uploaded and completed in PebblePad and through collaboration with the Placement Workplace Supervisors.
Assessment tasks
| Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
| All | 1 | Placement performance | Individual | Semester of enrolment - Placement dates may vary for each student dependent on placement allocations. |
Throughout teaching period (refer to Format) | To be Negotiated |
| All | 1a | Portfolio | Individual | Semester of enrolment – Placement dates may vary for each student dependent on placement allocations. |
Throughout teaching period (refer to Format) | Online ePortfolio Submission |
| All | 1b | Oral | Individual | Semester of enrolment - Placement dates may vary for each student dependent on placement allocations. |
Throughout teaching period (refer to Format) | To be Negotiated |
| All | 2 | Code of Conduct | Individual | Semester of enrolment - Placement dates may vary for each student dependent on placement allocations. |
Throughout teaching period (refer to Format) | To be Negotiated |
| All - Assessment Task 1:Professional Competencies | |
| Goal: | The purpose of this course is for you to develop and demonstrate professional competencies as a dietitian. To do this you will undertake supervised Work Integrated Learning and perform the tasks of a dietitian working in a professional setting. A key element of this assessment is to demonstrate your competencies in working professionally using nutrition and dietetic theory in a professional practice setting. |
| Product: | Placement performance |
| Format: | Over a minimum of a 45-day placement period, you will work either individually or in pairs (depending on the context of the placement) under the supervision of appropriately qualified dietitians to develop skills in dietetic practice. The Placement Academic Supervisors/Course Coordinator will notify you of the dietetic practice setting/s in which you will be placed. You will be assessed on your professional competencies by the Placement Academic Supervisor in collaboration with the Placement Workplace Supervisor. The specific competencies assessed will relate to the type of professional practice setting. These are based on the Dietitians Australia (DA) National Competency Standards for Dietitians. Demonstration of meeting competencies will be assessed by the UniSC Placement Academic Supervisor and the Course Coordinator and will be determined based on feedback from the Placement Workplace Supervisors in addition to a range of evidence as described in tasks 1a and 1b. The strategies used as evidence will be determined by the placement setting and described in the assessment instructions on Canvas. |
| Criteria: |
|
| All - Assessment Task 1a:Professional competencies evidence - Portfolio | |
| Goal: | The purpose is to contribute to evidence towards the final assessment of your professional competencies (Task 1). This task is formative, and you will receive feedback on your progression of your competencies during placement. |
| Product: | Portfolio |
| Format: | You will complete the learning e-portfolio during placement, and upload placement artefacts, self-reflections, and relevant supervisor feedback forms. The portfolio tasks will be determined by the placement setting and will align with the relevant Dietitians Australia (DA) competencies. |
| Criteria: |
|
| All - Assessment Task 1b:Professional Competencies evidence - Placement Interview | |
| Goal: | The purpose is to contribute to evidence towards the final assessment of your professional competencies (Task 1). This task is formative, and you will receive feedback on your progression of your competencies during placement. |
| Product: | Oral |
| Format: | A structured interview between yourself, Placement Workplace Supervisor and Placement Academic Supervisor will be conducted towards the end of each placement setting. You will be asked to answer questions which align with the relevant Dietitians Australia (DA) competencies. |
| Criteria: |
|
| All - Assessment Task 2:Student Code of Conduct | |
| Goal: | This task enables you to become familiar with and demonstrate the code of conduct for your discipline and work within its guidelines during a work integrated learning (WIL) experience |
| Product: | Code of Conduct |
| Format: | You are required to complete a minimum of 45 days of professional placement . To be eligible to pass, you are required to complete this placement satisfactorily according to assessment criteria. The Placement Academic Supervisor and Course Coordinator, in collaboration with your Placement Workplace Supervisor, will evaluate your performance. If you fail to meet the Student Code of Conduct, you may fail the course and can be withdrawn from the workplace immediately, as per the UniSC Workplace and Industry Placement - Procedures. |
| Criteria: |
|
Directed study hours
A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Schedule
| Period and Topic | Activities |
n/a |
n/a |
What resources do I need to undertake this course?
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
Prescribed text(s) or course reader
Please note that you need to have regular access to the resource(s) listed below. Resources may be required or recommended.
| Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
| Required | Rowan Stewart | 0 | Handbook of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics | 6th | Australian Dietitian |
| Required | Rowan Stewart | 0 | Nutrition Care Process Terminology | n/a | Australian Dietitian |
| Required | Joan Gandy | 2019 | Manual of Dietetic Practice | 5th Edition | John Wiley & Sons |
| Required | Marcia Nelms,Kathryn P. Sucher | 2019 | Nutrition Therapy and Pathophysiology | 3rd edition | Cengage Learning |
| Recommended | Rowan Stewart | 0 | Nutrition and Dietetics Clinical Placement Survival Guide | n/a | Australian Dietitian |
Specific requirements
Students are expected to familiarise themselves with the timing and length of placements in the program and plan for these accordingly. All placements are full-time (i.e. five days per week). Occasionally, placements will require students to work outside normal business hours and it is likely that some placements will occur away from the Sunshine Coast. Students should prepare to undertake placements outside the local geographical area. This includes planning for times when you may not be able to engage in paid employment and for the cost of travel, living and accommodation expenses. Students are required to wear a UniSC student dietitian uniform when completing placement. Costs related to travel, accommodation, uniform and other expenses incurred to attend placement are the student’s responsibility. Students are required to comply with all mandatory requirements to be eligible for placement. Prior to the semester commencing students will be required to complete online placement preparation modules and an on campus workshop. The dates for these activities will be communicated to students in Nov/December the year prior to placement commencing.
How are risks managed in this course?
What administrative information is relevant to this course?
Assessment: Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Assessment: Additional Requirements
Limited Graded Course: This course will be graded as Pass in a Limited Grade Course (PU) or Fail in a Limited Grade Course (UF) as per clause 4.1.3 and 4.1.4 of the Grades and Grade Point Average (GPA) - Institutional Operating Policy of UniSC. In a course eligible to use Limited Grades, all assessment items in that course are marked on a Pass/Fail basis and all assessment tasks are required to be passed for a student to successfully complete the course. Supplementary assessment is not available in courses using Limited Grades.
Assessment: Submission penalties
You must contact your Course Coordinator and provide the required documentation if you require an extension or alternate assessment.
SafeUniSC
UniSC is committed to a culture of respect and providing a safe and supportive environment for all members of our community. For immediate assistance on campus contact SafeUniSC by phone: 07 5430 1168 or using the SafeZone app. For general enquires contact the SafeUniSC team by phone 07 5456 3864 or email safe@usc.edu.au.
The SafeUniSC Specialist Service is a Student Wellbeing service that provides free and confidential support to students who may have experienced or observed behaviour that could cause fear, offence or trauma. To contact the service call 07 5430 1226 or email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au.
Study help
For help with course-specific advice, for example what information to include in your assessment, you should first contact your tutor, then your course coordinator, if needed.
If you require additional assistance, the Learning Advisers are trained professionals who are ready to help you develop a wide range of academic skills. Visit the Learning Advisers web page for more information, or contact Student Central for further assistance: +61 7 5430 2890 or studentcentral@usc.edu.au.
Wellbeing Services
Student Wellbeing provide free and confidential counselling on a wide range of personal, academic, social and psychological matters, to foster positive mental health and wellbeing for your academic success.
To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 1226.
AccessAbility Services
Ability Advisers ensure equal access to all aspects of university life. If your studies are affected by a disability, learning disorder mental health issue, injury or illness, or you are a primary carer for someone with a disability or who is considered frail and aged, AccessAbility Services can provide access to appropriate reasonable adjustments and practical advice about the support and facilities available to you throughout the University.
To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email AccessAbility@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 2890.
Links to relevant University policy and procedures
For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:
- Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
- Review of Assessment and Final Grades
- Supplementary Assessment
- Central Examinations
- Deferred Examinations
- Student Conduct
- Students with a Disability
For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching
Student Charter
UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.
General Enquiries
-
In person:
- UniSC Sunshine Coast - Student Central, Ground Floor, Building C, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs
- UniSC Moreton Bay - Service Centre, Ground Floor, Foundation Building, Gympie Road, Petrie
- UniSC SouthBank - Student Central, Building A4 (SW1), 52 Merivale Street, South Brisbane
- UniSC Gympie - Student Central, 71 Cartwright Road, Gympie
- UniSC Fraser Coast - Student Central, Student Central, Building A, 161 Old Maryborough Rd, Hervey Bay
- UniSC Caboolture - Student Central, Level 1 Building J, Cnr Manley and Tallon Street, Caboolture
- Tel:+61 7 5430 2890
- Email:studentcentral@usc.edu.au