BND4092 - Practice and research in public health nutrition - 2017

This unit is predominantly a fieldwork experience that will challenge students to integrate their academic training and to synthesise knowledge into a practical public health nutrition project based in a community setting. The unit requires students to manage a project that addresses a public health nutrition issue. Students will participate in program planning within a work environment and provide tangible benefit to their participating organisation. Students will be responsible for designing a project, collection and analysis of data and synthesis of findings into a report. Principles of information evaluation, workload management, communication, teamwork and responsibility for project management will also be developed.

The key theme explored in this unit is Theme 2: Determinants and Influences on Population Health and Nutrition coupled with partial integration of content and application from Theme 1: Personal Development and Professional Practice and Theme 4: Food from Science to Systems.

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Apply the social, environmental, economic and political determinants of nutrition status to a priority public health nutrition area.
2. Plan, implement and evaluate systems based, population health approaches and solutions to priority nutrition issues.
3. Apply the research process using appropriate methods of collection and analysis for both qualitative and quantitative data.
4. Contribute to an evidence-based, population approach to improve population nutrition health in a community setting.
5. Advocate for policy change to benefit health and nutrition outcomes for populations.
6. Employ critical and scientific writing and communication skills to document and report findings to professional and scientific audiences.
7. Practice professional leadership to promote the role of nutrition.
8. Establish effective working partnerships, networks, collaborations with a range of team members and stakeholders.
9. Adopt a questioning and critical approach in all aspects of practice and evaluate practice on an on-going basis.
10. Achieve entry level competencies to support community and public health nutrition practice.

30 hours per week for 7 weeks plus an additional 2 days site/project orientation.

• Project report (Group) (50% which includes 10% weighing from Individual Peer Assessment and formative peer assessment) (Hurdle)
• Poster presentation (Individual) (20%)
• Objective structured oral exam (30%) (Hurdle)
• Practical competency (300 hours work-based learning) must complete to pass standard to pass the unit
• Professional Behaviour Appraisal based on 300 hours placement (Ungraded) (Hurdle)

30 hours practicum per week for 9 weeks.

See also Unit timetable information

Nicole Kellow

Nutrition and dietetics

Nutrition science

NUT1002.

NUT4082 and must be enrolled in courses 3404, 4530 or 3956.