Licensure and Professional Standards for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) in Healthcare - Free Paper

Introduction

Registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) are often confronted with complex scenarios in their routine line of duty. The ability of RDN to competently handle the special requirements of every event and execute standards effectively is crucial to affording timely, safe, patient-driven dietetics care and quality nutrition and services (Academy Quality Management Committee, 2013). The scope of work for RDN emphasizes food nutrition and dietetics. Besides, the scope of practice entails other associated services developed, supervised, and issued by RDN to safeguard the public as well as promote the health and well-being of patients or communities. According to Andersen et al. (2018), the scope of work for RDN in nutrition and dietetics incorporates the scope of activities, roles, and policies within which RDNs carry out as established. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics guides the profession by creating standards that can be applied by RDNs for self-assessment to evaluate the quality of practice and performance (Academy Quality Management Committee, 2013). Under the aspects of the scope of work for RDN, the paper discusses the licensure and professional regulation of dietitians.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Licensure and Professional Regulation of Dietitians

Conferring to Andersen et al. (2018), registered dieticians and certified nutritionists must adhere to certain education and examination needs administered by state bodies where the license is to be issued. The requirements differ from state to state, with a broad range of forms of certifications. Also, there are unique requirements for individuals carrying out duties associated with specific agencies, health care providers, and government compensation programs. As of now, there are 48 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico that have statutory measures governing the dietetics profession and associated titles (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2020). The Academy is committed to safeguarding consumers by upholding underlying licensure laws and strengthening or implementing licensure policies in states that have insufficient laws to safeguard the public.

Significance of Professional Licensing to Safeguard the Public

The Academy's consumer protection exertions guarantee that the public is capable of identifying and accessing qualified experts with the skill, knowledge, and competency needed to deliver ethical and safe nutrition therapy (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2020). The public increasingly comprehend the benefits of good nutrition; as a result, some scrupulous individuals without formal training, education, or skills in dietetics and human nutrition are taking advantage of this novel market. Professional licensing policies of states assist consumers in recognizing who is specialized to offer a specific set of services, termed as the profession's scope of practice (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2020). Certain people are not qualified for licensure because they do not possess the objective certified education experience and examination indicating their skills to offer services within the controlled scope of practice. The Academy shares the interests of the elected leader in supporting licensure to deter harm to communities, families, and workplaces. Hence, this implies safeguarding against inaccurate or unsafe nutrition intervention or counseling that may result in poor or harmful health outcomes or expensive products or services.

Forms of State Regulation of Nutrition, Food, and Health

State governments have an important responsibility and enacting laws that protect and serve the public. Regarding nutrition, food, and health, states may certify or inspect certain food establishments and food products (Pomeranz et al., 2019). The state may also roll out programs that issue nutrition education and food assistance to people and families as well as develop educational standards and wellness regulations for schools. Besides, the state may provide public health plans, control nursing homes, manage insurance plans, and guarantee people have coverage for essential health care requirements.

For the sake of public safety, most states have implemented policies that govern the practice of dietetics. State certification and state licensure are different from credentialing or registration RDNs acquire from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2020). State laws of nutrition and dietetics come in one of three terms, though there is a significant overlap in what is controlled between each kind. The first term is licensure, where a state agency provides a license to people who match specified qualifications to practice a specific profession (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2020). Licensing laws for nutrition and dietetics at all times comprise a title protection provision that is intended to deter unlicensed people from posing to the public as nutritionists or dietitians. Besides, most states that license the practice of nutrition and dietetics include practice exclusivity.

The second term is state certification, where a state body certifies that a person with a specified credential is fit to practice a specific profession, and the individuals are held accountable to the standards of practice (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2020). The third term is title protection is the least secure type of state regulation that enables any person to practice the profession; however, only people with outlined credentials or qualifications, for example, RDN credentials, may present themselves as nutritionists or dieticians.

However, the key issue in state regulation of RDNs is the overlapping scopes of practice. It is not unusual for two or more occupations, especially in healthcare, to have overlapping aspects of their scope of practice (Academy Quality Management Committee, 2013). For instance, RDNs, pharmacists, and nurses all provide Diabetes Self-Management Training, which falls within their specific scope of practice and harmonizes with their qualifications and training. "Scope creep" is when one member of a profession goes beyond the scope of work they are not qualified for, which can, in turn, put the lives of patients at risk (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2020). According to the Academy, medical nutrition therapy and other multifaceted nutrition and dietetics services must only be issued by people who have, at minimum, the specialized competencies and training of RDNs.

Conclusion

The objective of credentialed RDN practitioners is to deliver culturally competent, safe, and quality care. In the broad and flexible limits of the nutrition and dietetics profession, RDNs assume responsibility and accountability for ethical, safe, and competent practice. Therefore, state licensure is essential to ensure only qualified and trained RDNs provide nutritional advice to prevent harm to the public.

References

Academy Quality Management Committee. (2013). Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Scope of Practice in Nutrition and Dietetics. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 113(6). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2012.12.009

Andersen, D., Baird, S., Bates, T., Chapel, D. L., Cline, A. D., Ganesh, S. N., … Mccauley, S. M. (2018). Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Revised 2017 Scope of Practice for the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 118(1), 141–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2017.10.002

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (2020). Licensure and Professional Regulation of Dietitians. eat.right.PRO https://www.eatrightpro.org/advocacy/licensure/professional-regulation-of-dietitians.

Pomeranz, J. L., Zellers, L., Bare, M., & Pertschuk, M. (2019). State Preemption of Food and Nutrition Policies and Litigation: Undermining Government's Role in Public Health. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 56(1), 47–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2018.07.027