Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the clinical nutrition doctorate program, graduates will be prepared to:

• Practice as an advanced dietetics practitioner for individuals, communities, and/or clinical populations with expert-level competency in assessment, diagnosis, implementation, and evaluation of clinical nutrition care plans using the nutrition care process model, standardized language, and evidence-based practice guidelines.
• Conduct a comprehensive nutrition-focused physical examination and interpret results relative to nutritional well-being using nutritional diagnostic reasoning and standardized language.
• Incorporate knowledge of body composition and nutritional physiology to guide clinical decision-making in the assessment of healthy and medically complex patients with acute, chronic, and terminal illnesses.
• Assimilate knowledge of drug-nutrient and drug-dietary supplement interactions and associated pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in patient care.
• Apply a global perspective to professional practice by incorporating scientific, clinical, and cultural implications of food and nutrition into clinical practice.
• Apply critical thinking skills in communication, information management, problem solving, and resource utilization to foster professional autonomy in clinical practice.
• Collaborate with other members of the health care team, industry, and academia as the nutrition expert.
• Mentor and teach clinical nutrition practice to students and colleagues across diverse health care arenas.
• Analyze current nutritional interventions using an evidence-based approach.
• Become lifelong learners, using self-assessment and continuing education to continuously advance individual knowledge and skills.
• Comply with the Code of Ethics of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and display ethical behavior in practice, education, and scholarly activities.
• Demonstrate competence in the interpretation and critique of scientific health care literature using an evidence analysis approach; apply and integrate findings into practice settings.
• Design, conduct, analyze, and author papers on clinical nutrition research.
• Present and defend research findings to professional audiences and develop a manuscript worthy of publication to a peer-reviewed journal.