Effective workforce orientation and training is crucial to the quality of nutrition care provided, equipping new employees with skills to independently apply evidenced based knowledge coupled with clinical judgement, and supporting the professional development of dietitians and dietetic technicians we can see increasing staff retention. As the hours of supervised practice have been reduced from 1200 to 1000 and meaningful, clinical specialties, including pediatrics, nutrition support, transplant nutrition, etc, are not always offered as part of experiential learning, a few pediatric institutions have trail blazed employing experienced dietitians in the role of department educators.

The educator's primary role is onboarding new staff, teaching the Nutrition Care Process and site-specific documentation, developing competencies for new and current staff, providing resources for continuing education, and serving as mentors. While this model is practiced in pediatric hospitals it could translated into other major academic healthcare systems. Session attendees learn components of developing an effective onboarding and training program through an interactive panel that includes an opportunity for the audience to practice skills learned.

Planned with the Pediatric Nutrition Practice Group Dietetic Practice Group