The following questions were used to guide Summit participants through the various reading assignments. Also, these questions were used by the Regional Facilitators to stimulate discussions via the Summit Community of Interest in advance of the Summit.
General Questions Related to the Expectations of the Summit and the Profession
- Briefly share with the regional colleagues your experience in practice, credentialing and education.
- If you were to state the highest priority outcome for the Summit to achieve, what is it?
- What are your concerns for the future for the profession?
General Questions Related to Practice, Education and Credentialing
- Based on what we know about the current and future environments, what are the two or three steps that could be considered in either practice, education or credentialing?
- What did you discover from the required reading that caused you to stop and think (your “aha” moment)?
- Based on what you have read in the supporting documents, what trends (themes, characteristics?) did you identify for practice, education and credentialing of dietetics practitioners in the future?
- What challenges need to be overcome to ensure dietetic professionals are well-prepared and well-positioned to meet the increasing demands for the future?
- How do we move our profession to embrace the notion that dietetics is a career, not just a job?
- What are the implications of transformative learning, as described in the Lancet article, for the future of dietetics education?
RD Credentialing Questions
- Given the credentialing recommendations of the 1994 Future Search Conference, the Phase 2 Future Practice & Education Task Force report and the March 1 webinar speaker, if you had the opportunity to redesign the RD credential what would it be? Would it take the generalist model we have always had or would you consider a core with a range of focus areas or something else?
- How recognizable do you think the RD and DTR credential are in the current marketplace? If you think the credentials are not widely recognized, what can be done to increase their recognition?
- How do we create an increased demand for credentialed dietetics practitioners in the marketplace?
Advanced Practice and Specialist Practice Questions
- What does advanced practice and specialist practice mean to you? Do you think that creating advance practice and specialist credentials will lead to acknowledgment of RD and DTRs as the food and nutrition expert and a higher level of compensation?
- What do you see as the barriers to the profession having an advanced practice credential? How can we overcome them?
- For which areas of practice, beyond clinical care, should we consider developing a specialist credential? Explain why.