Evaluating CNMs: what to expect when you get the job...someday

A recent  study to identify and validate CNM responsibilities was published in the Academy journal. The purpose was to establish educational needs for the role, and compare the findings with previous research. The article focused on frequency of involvement with ensuring compliance with regulations and accreditation standards, communicating, monitoring quality assurance and performance improvement, providing clinical expertise, and managing information technology.

CNMs (n = 215) answered questions determining how much of their work week was spent on the basic categories of interest listed above: compliance/regulations, communication, clinical expertise and technology.

Compliance/regulations/standards: most time was spent on monitoring staff compliance with policies and procedures and identifying nutrition-related regulations. Communication: serving as an interdepartmental and interdisciplinary liaison topped the list followed by developing and maintaining effective communication channels, identifying and informing clinicians of current evidence-based nutrition knowledge and communicating nutrition information to health care stakeholders. Clinical expertise: advancing clinical practice through mentoring, coaching, and training was number one with providing nutrition expertise for food service operations, ensuring the appropriate use of the nutrition care process, developing and providing evidence-based nutrition education and providing nutrition expertise to other health care professionals, administration, and policy makers ranking as a big part of the role as well. Information technology: ranked a big part of the week for using technology to efficiently communicate with others as number one and using technology to disseminate nutrition information to others, identifying, evaluating, and implementing technology systems for efficient and effective nutrition care and analyzing data from technology systems also being important.

CNMs spent the least time on: approving the diet manual, developing emergency policies and procedures and conducting clinical research studies. 

In the current study, 84 job tasks were identified, whereas previous researchers identified 54 job duties. The difference in the number of job tasks between current and previous studies suggests that CNMs’ scope of responsibility has expanded. This study supports the Academy’s priorities of enhancing management and leadership skills at both entry-level and advanced-level practice; this is reason number 368 of why a leadership concentration is the best overall internship area of study.

"Evaluating Clinical Nutrition Managers’ Involvement in Key Management Functions"

This article was written by Amber Howells, PhD, RDN, LD, director, Coordinated Program in Dietetics; Kevin Sauer, PhD, RDN, LD, associate professor; and Carol Shanklin, PhD, RDN, dean of Graduate School and professor, all with the Department of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics, and Health, Kansas State University, Manhattan.Kansas State University
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2016.08.010

FD