Nutrition Counseling Discussion Responses

(2) 250 words responses with a reference.

(1) Allowing nutrition counseling without certifications, licensing, or degrees does do harm, especially when it involves weight loss supplements. Hospitals see over 20,000 patients annually from complications due to weight loss supplements (Geller et al., 2015). Many states allow anyone to hang out a shingle and perform personalized nutrition counseling. Virginia, North and South Carolina, California, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and New York have lenient laws and allow anyone to perform individual nutrition counseling. Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wyoming are the opposite, and it is illegal to perform nutrition counseling without a Registered Dietician’s license (American Nutrition Association, n.d.)

Do not assume that a health care professional is knowledgeable in nutrition. Most physicians and nurses do not have adequate education in nutrition. The National Academy of Sciences recommends that physicians have at least 25 hours of nutrition training, but 71% of medical schools do not require nutrition education to graduate (American Heart Association, 2018). Recently, Washington D.C. tried to pass legislation requiring all nurses and doctors to have two hours of nutritional training. Even though it was only two hours of training, the D.C. Board of Medicine opposed the bill stating it was too burdensome to physicians (Milloy, 2019).

Letting uneducated people perform nutritional counseling without a degree or certification can cause bodily harm; that is why the topic is relevant. My state of Virginia requires a license to cut hair, groom dogs, sell a house, and go fishing (Virginia.gov, n.d.). However, no education or license is needed to sell weight loss supplements or design a nutrition plan. That needs to change.

References

American Heart Association (2018). How much does your doctor actually know about nutrition? https://www.heart.org/en/news/2018/05/03/how-much-…

American Nutrition Association. (n.d.) State regulation of nutrition practice. https://theana.org/advocate

Geller, A. I., Shehab, N., Weidle, N. J., Lovegrove, M. C., Wolpert, B. J., Timbo, B. B., Mozersky, R. P., & Budnitz, D. S. (2015). Emergency Department Visits for Adverse Events Related to Dietary Supplements. The New England journal of medicine, 373(16), 1531–1540. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMsa1504267

Milloy, (2019). Training doctors to talk about the link between food and health could be the conversation we need to save lives. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/training-doct…

Virginia. Gov (n.d.). Business license. https://www.virginia.gov/state-government/business…

(2) United States is credited to account for the highest health care workforce in the world. But sadly, there has been recurring deficit of diversity amongst health care professionals in the US. To make sustainable evidence-based improvements and innovations in the health care industry, there is the urgent need for a restructured workforce that reflects equity, with inclusion of all U.S. demographics. Demographics of the U.S. population have changed dramatically in the past three decades. These changes directly impact the health care industry in regard to the patients we serve and our workforce. By 2050, the term minority will take on a new meaning (Nancy Borkowski, 2016). The U.S Census Bureau publication indicated that, “by midcentury the white, non-Hispanic population will comprise less than 50 percent of the nations population. As such, the health care industry needs to change and adopt new ways to meet the diverse needs of our current, and future patients and employees.”

According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.) defines diversity as the fact of being diverse with a situation where things differ.” Dreachslin (1998) defined diversity as “the full range of human similarities and differences in group affiliation including gender, race/ethnicity, social class, role within an organization, age, religion, sexual orientation, physical abilities/disabilities, and other group identities” (p. 813). Addressing the need to critically improve the diversity to jumpstart the inclusiveness of all people, regardless of socioeconomic background, ethicity, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, physical abilities and disabilities, are equitably represented in health care industry. Because, such inclusiveness and diversification, would have great extent of positive outcomes for all stakeholders, especially in patients health care outcome. Diversity in health care matters because it helps to ensure all backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives are adequately represented in the medical field. It is about providing the best possible care for all patients of different climes under the earth.

The benefits of a diverse workforce in the healthcare organization would enhance an environment of more respect and understanding for other cultures. It would encourage more creativity and innovation through a wide range of perspectives that could lead to better solutions, propel a movement towards a more global workforce in healthcare, which is a key in medical business success, when measured from patient and HCO satisfaction index. A well diversified workforce would eliminate completely, or minimize language, cultural, religious barriers challenges within an healthcare organization. Also studies have shown that medical students who have trained at diverse schools are more comfortable treating patients from ethnic backgrounds different from their own.

References:

Barney, S. M. (2002). A Changing Workforce Calls for twenty-first century strategies.

Journal of Healthcare Management, 47(2), 61-65.

Borkowski, N. (2016). Organizational Behavior, Theory and Design in Healthcare. JONES & BARTLETT LEARNING

Bristow, L. R. (2004). In the Nation’s Compelling Interest: Ensuring Diversity in the Health Care Workforce.

A Public Meeting of the National Academies of SCIENCES, ENGINEERING & MEDICINE

Dreachslin, J. L. (1998). Conducting effective focus groups in the context of diversity. Theoretical underpinnings

and practical implications. Qualitative Health Research, 8(6), 813-820.