Dietitians' Views

Dietitians in health human resources


Background

Employers in all areas of Canada, especially rural and remote areas, are finding it difficult to recruit dietitians. There are just not enough dietitians trained in Canada to meet the demand. It is also important to make sure that the dietitians that are employed in Canada’s health system are satisfied with their work environment. This includes fair pay, good benefits and opportunities for career growth and development.

Position

It is essential to train enough dietitians to meet the health needs of Canadians. This requires the establishment of education and training programs that are accessible to more students.

Actions

Ensuring we have enough dietitians to meet the needs of Canadians requires a study of our workforce and planning for the future. Dietitians of Canada is working with partners, including dietetic educators and regulators, to study the dietetic workforce provincially and nationally. The results of these studies have been used to provide proof to provincial decision makers that more education and training programs are needed.

Some provinces have also studied workplace satisfaction of dietitians and concluded that fair pay, better working conditions and more support for career growth and advancement would help dietitians stay working in the profession longer.


Resources:
  • The Dietitian Workforce in Ontario Primary Health Care Survey Report
    (September 2012) Dietitians working in Ontario primary health care settings were surveyed to describe the current dietetic workforce in Ontario primary health care (PHC), identify factors supporting integration of PHC dietitians in the health system, and assess job satisfaction and compare satisfaction with previous dietetic workforce surveys.
  • Fixing the Skills Gap: Dietitian Workforce Shortage in Canada
    (May 2012) This brief was submitted to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) as a backgrounder to our witness presentation on May 7, 2012. It outlines a pending dietitian shortage due to retirements in the next decade; discusses the need for more practicum placements, opportunities for Aboriginal placements, and internationally-educated dietitian bridging programs; and makes recommendations for better dietitian workforce surveillance data.
  • Strengthening the Canadian Health System:A Call to Action from Dietitians
    (November 2011) The Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology was accepting submissions in preparation for the Health Accord 2014. Dietitians of Canada called for action in three areas: increased investment in health promotion and non-communicable disease prevention including access to healthy food, coordinated interprofessional health services, and sufficient labour supply and access to dietitians.
  • Pan-Territorial Dietetic Internship - An Environmental Scan(July 2011)- Training opportunities in the Territories that provide learning experiences focused on the health and nutrition needs of northern and Aboriginal people in rural and remote community settings are limited to the Yukon First Nations Dietetic Internship Program. This report examines the opportunities to increase the number of trained dietitians who are familiar with working in northern and Aboriginal communities by assessing the feasibility of increasing dietetic internship opportunities in Canada’s North.
  • Ontario Task Force on Dietetic Education and Practical Training Report(August 2011)- A Task Force has completed their recommendations for a new dietetic education and practical training model for Ontario which better meets the demands and evolving needs of the province’s healthcare system, while ensuring all qualified students can complete the required practicum education requirements. The Ministry has not endorsed nor responded to the report as yet.
  • The Dietitian Workforce in Canada: Meta-Analysis Report (March 2011)– a meta-analysis report of the dietitian workforce in Canada was developed, based on the surveys conducted by provinces from 2007 to 2011. The report provides a “snapshot” of the dietetic workforce and identifies workforce issues affecting the profession..
  • Health Action Lobby letter to Standing Committee on Health(November 2010) - HEAL, a coalition of 38 organizations including Dietitians of Canada, outlined our response to the Standing Committee's report Promoting Innovative Solutions to Health Human Resource Challenges.

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