A web-based nutrition competency implementation toolkit (WNCIT) for entry-level medical courses
Project (Update April 2014)
Prof. Caryl Nowson, Chair of Nutrition and Ageing (School of Exercise & Nutrition Science) (SENS) is currently leading an Australian government national teaching award project funding by the Office for Learning and Teaching (2013-2015). This project has brought together four key universities responsible for delivering entry level medical training: Deakin University, University of Queensland, University of Tasmania and Monash University partnered with Dietitians Association of Australia.
This innovative project is developing a web-based nutrition competency implementation toolkit (WNCIT) for entry-level medical courses. http://wncit.weebly.com/. Twitter @WNCIT). The aim of this tool is to provide medical schools with the tools and resources to enable staff to effectively embed nutrition into the medical curriculum.
The tool will include 4 key components (plus an instruction manual):
1. A set of Learning Outcomes derived from 4 knowledge and 5 skill based nutrition competencies that medical graduates require to identify and appropriately address nutritional risk in their patients. These nutritional competencies and learning outcomes have been refined and expanded to provide details and examples of topic content relevant to each of the 4 knowledge and 5 skill based nutrition competencies
2. A web-based Nutrition Curriculum Mapping Tool for medical schools to review and map the nutrition content and assessment included in entry level medical courses. As the project progressed it was decided to investigate the possibility of expanding the scope of the curriculum mapping tool to topic areas other than nutrition. Currently the Deakin medical school is undergoing curriculum review, and it is a priority to demonstrate that learning outcomes within the Deakin medical course meet the National Australian Medical Council (AMC) Graduate Outcomes. There are obvious advantages to expanding the tool so that it can be modified to assess compliance with a number of standards. A prototype of a curriculum mapping tool that can be utilised to map the medical course against AMC graduate outcomes and other competencies was viewed as highly desirable by staff teaching into the medical curriculum at Deakin University and the partner organisation. Further enhancements are currently being undertaken by Deakin, after which the partner sites (Monash, UQ, UTAS) will commence piloting the nutrition curriculum mapping tool in their organisations.
3. Exemplars of Nutrition Competency Assessment tools. Each partner site is developing one nutrition exemplar for piloting in 2014 and these include: a Team Based Learning activity (TBL), a nutrition case-based Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), practical clinical assessment tools for assessment of nutritional risk and a bank of multiple choice questions and extended multiple choice questions. As part of this project all these exemplars will be stringently evaluated for quality and applicability.
4. Collation of web-based freely available Nutrition Education Resources that will be matched to specify learning outcomes and that provide relevant, quality, evidence based information that can be used by teachers and students.
International Engagement
In July 2013, Prof. Nowson met with Prof Charlotte Pratt, The Nutrition Academic Award (NAA) Program Director, Bethesda, USA, and also joined a teleconference with Professor Penny Kris Etherton from Penn State University to discuss the WNCIT project and the state of play in the Australian Medical Schools curriculum. The US experts in this field were very interested in the work achieved so far and circulated our WNCIT website link widely to interested health professionals in the US.
Upcoming Oral presentation
Prof. Nowson has been invited to give two oral communications within the US Experimental Biology Conference, April 2014, San Diego, California USA; “Nutrition Competencies in Health Professional Education and Training- a new paradigm” on the gap between nutrition behaviour and knowledge in Australian first year, post-graduate medical students and Medical educators response to a web-based nutrition implementation toolkit (WNCIT) for entry level medical courses.
Recent Nutrition Surveys to Medical Students
Nutrition knowledge and attitudes
Deakin 1st and 2nd year medical students were surveyed in November 2013. The survey sought students multiple choice responses using electronic technology to 20 key questions. The aim of this survey was to capture Deakin medical student’s knowledge on, and their perceptions of the importance of nutrition, existing nutrition knowledge and nutrition competency. Data was collected from 138 Deakin Medical students (70 in first year and 68 in second year).
Students in both years felt an understanding of nutritional issues in the management of medical conditions was important. But when compared to first year students, second year students felt more confident in their ability to demonstrate an understanding of key nutritional issues. Data obtained through this survey may be useful in guiding what and how nutritional information is delivered to medical students. These results will be compared with those of previous surveys conducted in 2011 to determine if there has been any change in nutrition knowledge and perceived competency after two years.
Gap between nutrition behaviour and knowledge
In August 2013 first year Deakin medical students were surveyed to identify any differences between their knowledge of nutrition recommendations and their own actual nutrition practices. Students answered questions using an audience response system. Results indicated that 93% and 66% respectively knew the recommended number of serves of fruit and vegetables/day, but only 44% and 12% respectively consumed the recommended amounts. Therefore, although more than half the students knew the recommended daily servings of vegetable less than 2 students in 10 consumed the recommended amounts. This discrepancy between knowledge and nutritional choices could provide relevant learning opportunities for students to develop an appreciation of the challenges of food behaviour change and develop skills in providing effective support to empower patients to make positive lifestyle changes. We are currently looking at ways to collect similar information from other partner organisations
Project (Update April 2014)
Prof. Caryl Nowson, Chair of Nutrition and Ageing (School of Exercise & Nutrition Science) (SENS) is currently leading an Australian government national teaching award project funding by the Office for Learning and Teaching (2013-2015). This project has brought together four key universities responsible for delivering entry level medical training: Deakin University, University of Queensland, University of Tasmania and Monash University partnered with Dietitians Association of Australia.
This innovative project is developing a web-based nutrition competency implementation toolkit (WNCIT) for entry-level medical courses. http://wncit.weebly.com/. Twitter @WNCIT). The aim of this tool is to provide medical schools with the tools and resources to enable staff to effectively embed nutrition into the medical curriculum.
The tool will include 4 key components (plus an instruction manual):
1. A set of Learning Outcomes derived from 4 knowledge and 5 skill based nutrition competencies that medical graduates require to identify and appropriately address nutritional risk in their patients. These nutritional competencies and learning outcomes have been refined and expanded to provide details and examples of topic content relevant to each of the 4 knowledge and 5 skill based nutrition competencies
2. A web-based Nutrition Curriculum Mapping Tool for medical schools to review and map the nutrition content and assessment included in entry level medical courses. As the project progressed it was decided to investigate the possibility of expanding the scope of the curriculum mapping tool to topic areas other than nutrition. Currently the Deakin medical school is undergoing curriculum review, and it is a priority to demonstrate that learning outcomes within the Deakin medical course meet the National Australian Medical Council (AMC) Graduate Outcomes. There are obvious advantages to expanding the tool so that it can be modified to assess compliance with a number of standards. A prototype of a curriculum mapping tool that can be utilised to map the medical course against AMC graduate outcomes and other competencies was viewed as highly desirable by staff teaching into the medical curriculum at Deakin University and the partner organisation. Further enhancements are currently being undertaken by Deakin, after which the partner sites (Monash, UQ, UTAS) will commence piloting the nutrition curriculum mapping tool in their organisations.
3. Exemplars of Nutrition Competency Assessment tools. Each partner site is developing one nutrition exemplar for piloting in 2014 and these include: a Team Based Learning activity (TBL), a nutrition case-based Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), practical clinical assessment tools for assessment of nutritional risk and a bank of multiple choice questions and extended multiple choice questions. As part of this project all these exemplars will be stringently evaluated for quality and applicability.
4. Collation of web-based freely available Nutrition Education Resources that will be matched to specify learning outcomes and that provide relevant, quality, evidence based information that can be used by teachers and students.
International Engagement
In July 2013, Prof. Nowson met with Prof Charlotte Pratt, The Nutrition Academic Award (NAA) Program Director, Bethesda, USA, and also joined a teleconference with Professor Penny Kris Etherton from Penn State University to discuss the WNCIT project and the state of play in the Australian Medical Schools curriculum. The US experts in this field were very interested in the work achieved so far and circulated our WNCIT website link widely to interested health professionals in the US.
Upcoming Oral presentation
Prof. Nowson has been invited to give two oral communications within the US Experimental Biology Conference, April 2014, San Diego, California USA; “Nutrition Competencies in Health Professional Education and Training- a new paradigm” on the gap between nutrition behaviour and knowledge in Australian first year, post-graduate medical students and Medical educators response to a web-based nutrition implementation toolkit (WNCIT) for entry level medical courses.
Recent Nutrition Surveys to Medical Students
Nutrition knowledge and attitudes
Deakin 1st and 2nd year medical students were surveyed in November 2013. The survey sought students multiple choice responses using electronic technology to 20 key questions. The aim of this survey was to capture Deakin medical student’s knowledge on, and their perceptions of the importance of nutrition, existing nutrition knowledge and nutrition competency. Data was collected from 138 Deakin Medical students (70 in first year and 68 in second year).
Students in both years felt an understanding of nutritional issues in the management of medical conditions was important. But when compared to first year students, second year students felt more confident in their ability to demonstrate an understanding of key nutritional issues. Data obtained through this survey may be useful in guiding what and how nutritional information is delivered to medical students. These results will be compared with those of previous surveys conducted in 2011 to determine if there has been any change in nutrition knowledge and perceived competency after two years.
Gap between nutrition behaviour and knowledge
In August 2013 first year Deakin medical students were surveyed to identify any differences between their knowledge of nutrition recommendations and their own actual nutrition practices. Students answered questions using an audience response system. Results indicated that 93% and 66% respectively knew the recommended number of serves of fruit and vegetables/day, but only 44% and 12% respectively consumed the recommended amounts. Therefore, although more than half the students knew the recommended daily servings of vegetable less than 2 students in 10 consumed the recommended amounts. This discrepancy between knowledge and nutritional choices could provide relevant learning opportunities for students to develop an appreciation of the challenges of food behaviour change and develop skills in providing effective support to empower patients to make positive lifestyle changes. We are currently looking at ways to collect similar information from other partner organisations