XNN446 Nutrition and Dietetics Practice - Community and Public Health Nutrition


To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.


Unit Outline: Semester 2 2027, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Unit code:XNN446
Credit points:12
Pre-requisite:XNB347 and XNH348 and XNH356 and HLH401 and XNN448-1. XNN448-1 can be taught in the same teaching period as XNN446.
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Overview

You will undertake a five week placement in Community and Public Health Nutrition to critically apply theoretical perspectives to a real world environment. The principles of planning, implementing and evaluating nutrition education sessions, knowledge of food and nutrition policy and the impact it has on food supply will be supported by your program planning skills. Experiencing working in multi-disciplinary teams in community programs, you will encounter first-hand how your professional practice interlocks with other health services. The purpose of this work integrated learning unit is to demonstrate your competence and safety to practice as a dietitian in Australia.

This five-week full-time placement is completed with XNN448-1 or XNN448-2, with 36 hours contributing to the volume of learning in XNN448-1 or XNN448-2.

This is a designated unit which is essential to your course progression. Designated units include professional experience units, units requiring the development of particular skills, and units requiring demonstration of certain personal qualities. If you fail to achieve a satisfactory level of performance in a designated unit, you may be excluded from enrolment or will be put on academic probation. If you fail a designated unit twice within your course, you may be excluded. Supplementary assessment is not available on designated units.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

  1. Critically apply the nutrition care process to design, implement and critique complex, community-based nutrition care integrating specialised knowledge and expert judgement in population and community food and nutrition.
  2. Utilise a range of digital data, systems and tools with proficiency to provide complex, community-based nutrition care service delivery adhering to ethical and legal standards.
  3. Interpret, translate and communicate evidence-based research and practice for complex community-based nutrition care utilising a range of oral, written and digital technologies formats to ensure inclusive and accessible access for culturally and cognitively diverse audiences.
  4. Lead culturally safe nutrition care that values and advocates for Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing, and responsibly integrates the cultural beliefs and practices of individuals within communities and populations.
  5. Lead and collaborate with clients, interdisciplinary and intraprofessional teams to deliver inclusive, equitable and sustainable community-based nutrition and dietetic services.

Content

You will attend a Work Integrated Learning placement at one community or public health nutrition site and undertake project work as designated by the placement supervisor. You may be required to attend placement outside the Brisbane metropolitan area. You will attend your allocated placement site for the equivalent of five weeks, five days per week with some flexibility required to cater to placement supervisor and project needs. Wherever possible you will attend the placement in pairs.

Prior to proceeding to placement you will be required to demonstrate evidence of active participation (including reflection) on specified cultural competency learning activities in earlier units of your course. These learning activities will specifically address working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients and staff as well persons from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Learning Approaches

This unit engages you in your learning through practical application experiences. You will apply your advanced knowledge and skills in Community and Public Health Nutrition during a Work Integrated Learning experience. You will be placed with supervisors in a community or public health nutrition setting either individually or in pairs for five weeks to consolidate your learning experiences. You will receive support from these supervisors as well as QUT staff. You are expected to demonstrate initiative, independence and creative problem solving skills. Tutorial assistance is provided by QUT. You will be required to attend a week of orientation which will assist you to prepare for your placements. The best presentations will be invited to present at the end of year Nutrition and Dietetics “Conference”.

Your placement sites are negotiated by Nutrition and Dietetic staff on your behalf and communicated to you prior to your final year. These will be subject to change and you will need to be flexible in order to accommodate any alterations. You will be required to attend placement across a number of geographical locations that are within and outside the metropolitan area. Assistance will be provided in accessing scholarships to assist with travel and accommodation costs, however, students will be responsible for covering these costs.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will be provided feedback on your performance as you progress through placement by your placement supervisor. You should complete the placement competency forms throughout your placement and discuss these and seek feedback with your supervisor on a weekly basis to ensure you will have the opportunity to meet all required competencies and identify as early as possible any areas where further improvement may be required. Personal development and reflection is expected throughout.

You will reflect on your learning with your peer throughout your placement (if placed without a peer, this will be facilitated with another student at another site doing their placement in the same block).  In your final presentation you will engage and respond to peer feedback.

Assessment

Overview

This unit is required in order for you to demonstrate your safety to practice and your eligibility to enter the Accredited Practising Dietitian program with Dietitians Australia, where you will need to pass all forms of assessment. The unit is graded as satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

For each context you are required to engage in reflexive practice, and submit artefacts as part of your overarching portfolio that provide evidence of your competence. These artefacts have been developed so that they are authentic to the context. Different contexts will showcase different competencies and you will be moving through novice, advanced beginner and competent within these contexts. Being competent in one context does not necessarily imply you are competent in all contexts.

 

Unit Grading Scheme

S (Satisfactory) / U (Unsatisfactory)

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Nutrition and Dietetic Practice in Community and Public Health Nutrition – Placement performance

You must complete the required time at your allocated placement site and demonstrate satisfactory achievement of the National Competency Standards for Dietitians in Australia in this context. Demonstrating your achievement of competence includes the domains of Professional, Expert, Research and Collaborative Practice. Satisfactory performance in this unit also includes professional conduct, as outlined in the Dietitians Australia Code of Conduct for Dietitians and Nutritionists, complying with the QUT Student Code of Conduct and being culturally safe.

The QUT Nutrition and Dietetic Placement Performance Assessment forms must be completed by you and confirmed by your supervisor/clinical educator. Placement performance will be assessed by your placement supervisor and/or clinical educator and unit coordinator.

QUT Nutrition and Dietetic Placement Performance Assessment forms are used across all your WIL units, and are explained at the beginning of year orientation, orientation prior to each placement, in your mid-placement tutorial, and materials on Canvas. 

On your placement and in your project work you will have access to sensitive information and will be subject to the health service standards and codes of conduct which include ensuring the maintenance of confidentiality, which at present restrict the use of tools such as GenAI.

The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited in this assessment.

Weight: 0
Length: 5 weeks full time (placement), ~12 pages (forms)
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): End of placement
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Assessment: Nutrition and Dietetic Practice in Community Public Health Nutrition - Project

You will co-lead an applied project across your 5 week placement and summarise this work in a final report to demonstrate your knowledge and principles of the program planning cycle and project management in the area of Community and Public Health Nutrition. Your report will include a literature review which underpins your project and it's context.

Your report will follow a structured format.  You will provide a copy of your report to your supervisor and QUT. Your project work contributes to your assessment of competency and overall assessment in this unit, and is assessed by your unit coordinator with verification from your supervisor. 

The requirements for your report are explained at the beginning of year orientation, orientation prior to each placement, in your mid-placement tutorial, with further support materials provided on Canvas. 

This assessment task is authentic as you will be working in the role as a dietitian (under supervision) performing evidenced based practice tasks, including extensive stakeholder consultation and collaboration.  Your written project report summarises this work and is in a format consistent to what is done by dietitians in practice, and used by services. Your supervisor will verify your contribution to the project work and related content in your report. Your project experiences and your report will evidence your competency in nutrtion and dietetics including those in a community and public health nutrition context.

On your placement and in your project work (and report) you will have access to sensitive information and will be subject to the health service standards and codes of conduct which include ensuring the maintenance of confidentiality, which at present restrict the use of tools such as GenAI.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited in this assessment.

Weight: 0
Length: Approximately up to 15 pages plus appendices
Individual/Group: Either group or individual
Due (indicative): End of placement
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Assessment: Nutrition and Dietetic Practice in Community and Public Health Nutrition - Placement debrief

You will reflect on your placement experience and contribute critically to the discussion of your peers. (Your presentation will be in the week following your allocated placement)

You will present the findings of your project to your peers, QUT staff members and invited guests. In your presentation you to outline how you have collaborated effectively within and across teams to deliver inclusive, equitable and sustainable community-based nutrition services and your competence and expertise in the community public health nutrition. In your presentation, you will also be required to provide clarification to questions asked by audience members. You will also reflect on your placement experience and contribute critically to the discussion of your peers.  You will be provided formative feedback from this presentation to support the finalisation of our placement report.

The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details page for specific guidelines.

Weight: 0
Length: 10 minutes plus peer discussion
Individual/Group: Either group or individual
Due (indicative): Early in the week following your allocated placement
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.

The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Requirements to Study

Requirements

This a Work Integrated Learning unit and you will need to meet mandatory requirements for vaccinations and criminal history screening.

Blue Card

A blue card is required to complete this unit. A blue card confirms that you have passed a screening of your criminal history (the Working with Children Check) and have been approved to work with children and young people. For more information on the blue card and how to apply please visit the QUT website.

Costs

This a Work Integrated Learning and you will be responsible for your own travel arrangements, including accommodation. You will also be expected to wear professional clothing (including safe footware) for your placement, with some sites also requiring your QUT Nutrition and Dietetic polo shirt.

Resources

Resource Materials

Recommended text(s)

Hughes, R., and Margetts, B. (2011). Practical public health nutrition. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

 

Other

XNH350 Community and Public Health Nutrition unit learning materials and other resources as required.

Risk Assessment Statement

Assessment for this unit will involve a workplace-based assignment. You should be aware of and abide by the health and safety requirements of the workplace. You are expected to undergo any induction or other training provided in the workplace for employees or visitors to the workplace as appropriate. You will be required to meet mandatory requirements including those for vaccination and suitability for working with special groups, please see the Workplace Integrated Learning website for further details.

Course Learning Outcomes

This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.

XN90 Master of Nutrition and Dietetics

  1. Synthesise and apply specialised theoretical, technical and cultural knowledge and skills in food, nutrition and dietetics, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, curated to respond to a diverse range of contexts and audiences.
    Relates to: Nutrition and Dietetic Practice in Community and Public Health Nutrition – Placement performance, Nutrition and Dietetic Practice in Community Public Health Nutrition - Project, Nutrition and Dietetic Practice in Community and Public Health Nutrition - Placement debrief
  2. Critically analyse, reflect on, and integrate evidence-based research and practice to generate and evaluate creative, informed, client-centred and sustainable solutions to dynamic and complex current and emerging food, nutrition and dietetic problems.
    Relates to: Nutrition and Dietetic Practice in Community and Public Health Nutrition – Placement performance, Nutrition and Dietetic Practice in Community Public Health Nutrition - Project, Nutrition and Dietetic Practice in Community and Public Health Nutrition - Placement debrief
  3. Communicate and justify expert interpretations, translating complex food and nutrition information, theories and frameworks effectively, safely and inclusively using a range of oral, written and digital technologies and formats, responsive to the diverse cultural, social and cognitive needs of clients, interdisciplinary teams, stakeholders and the broader community.
    Relates to: Nutrition and Dietetic Practice in Community and Public Health Nutrition – Placement performance, Nutrition and Dietetic Practice in Community Public Health Nutrition - Project, Nutrition and Dietetic Practice in Community and Public Health Nutrition - Placement debrief
  4. Enact inclusive, clinically advanced and culturally responsive client-centred practice as a reflective, accountable and ethical professional, working independently and collaboratively to initiate, lead and manage innovative and entrepreneurial investigations and advances in food, nutrition and dietetics.
    Relates to: Nutrition and Dietetic Practice in Community and Public Health Nutrition – Placement performance, Nutrition and Dietetic Practice in Community Public Health Nutrition - Project, Nutrition and Dietetic Practice in Community and Public Health Nutrition - Placement debrief
  5. Plan and execute a substantial research-based project and/or scholarship that challenges, advances, builds capacity and assures quality in food, nutrition and dietetic practice, disseminating findings with individuals, interdisciplinary teams, stakeholders and communities.
    Relates to: Nutrition and Dietetic Practice in Community and Public Health Nutrition – Placement performance, Nutrition and Dietetic Practice in Community Public Health Nutrition - Project, Nutrition and Dietetic Practice in Community and Public Health Nutrition - Placement debrief