Developing a Dual Career Ladder for RD's

In the Future Dimensions in Clinical Nutrition Practice, the importance in advancing a RD's career is a way to advance practice or expertise. For many RD's advancing their career may not involve going into management it may involve advancing to a higher level RD. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics provides a guide to creating an effective career ladder. There are two typical routes that RDs can advance traditional would be to advance a career in supervising, or a dual career ladder would involve the RD advancing to become more specialized in their skill or trade. These dual career ladders are often a great way to become certified in a specialty or advance their career with furthering education. In 2010, the Academy House of Delegates approved a Dietetics Career Development Guide to structure career advancement for RD's. This guide gives RD's the mechanisms to carve innovative avenues, define specialist and advance practice. There are multiple levels of advancing as an RD from a Level I-IV. The levels were created to distinguish from a competent RD (entry level) to a level IV expert RD. A scorecard is recommended to be used to record points to determine if the RD can be advanced in their career during each fiscal year at their review. When implementing a dual career ladder it is important to explain to staff why it is important to implement this plan. 

Intent:   explain reason for implementing, and the requirements for yearly qualifications and documenting how to maintain advanced practice.

Promotion: it is important to clarify goals and training, and how performance appraisals would work.

Demotion:  if employees do not meet expected points and how they can meet their points for the following fiscal year.

Supporting Documentation:  giving RD's required documents to meet criteria

Revisions: used to meet other criteria that can meet standards that may not be on current documents

It is important for the CNM to use these tools to advance careers in the correct paths for RD's. 

Johnson, M. (2014). Developing a dual career ladder for registered dietitians in a large health system. Future Dimensions in Clinical Nutrition Practice. 3-7.

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