Initial RDN Cohort Creates Virtual Community Resource Page

 

Because the COVID-19 pandemic has created educational challenges, the first cohort of graduate student dietitians (RDNs) in the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Master of Science in Nutrition program made use of online resources to produce a virtual community resource page.

The initiative began as a response to the suspended practice rotations where RDN students would be doing their first supervised practicum in community and population health in community sites. Rather than just doing readings and modules, faculty members looked at giving students intentional and relevant assignments to provide real-world experiences.

Currently, many health care and community nutrition organizations have utilized virtual options to serve their populations. As a result, creating a project that compiled a community nutrition resource web page made a lot of sense, with the goals of offering a variety of nutrition resources, including fact sheets, recipes, short videos, and links to community partners who provide nutrition services—all while using evidence-based references.

As mentors for the next cohort of students, the inaugural RDN class will provide support and guidance to maintain the web page. All students taking the Foundation of Community Nutrition course each fall, and the RDN students taking the Community and Population Health Practicums course in the winter, will continue to add to the content, as well as update and maintain the web page.

“This has been a great collaborative project for our RDN students, who have exceeded the expectations of faculty members and themselves,” said Melinda Luis, M.S., RDN, LDN, adjunct faculty member and community practicum coordinator.

To view the web page, visit osteopathic.nova.edu/ms-nutrition/community-nutrition-resources.html.