Sending on behalf of Jessica Rutherford:

Hello All,

I have reviewed your placement assessment forms and most of you did well on the forms given that this was the first time for you, the preceptors, and the program. 

I have put together a document containing expectations and tips for success. this can be found under the content tab or by clicking the link.

Here is a summary of some of my general observations. If, after reading the summary below and the document I prepared, you need additional support or you have questions, please schedule office time with me using the booking link on UM Learn.

• I heard form preceptors, that a few students waited until the last night or two before your assessment meeting to compile your examples. DO NOT do this. Examples should be documented frequently (AT LEAST weekly but ideally every evening). The reason for this is 1. You will forget important details if you wait too long to add examples, 2. It is stressful for you to try to log all your examples in one evening and what happens if you miss something (remember if it is not recorded IT DID NOT HAPPEN)? 3. Your examples will not be as well constructed if you are rushing, and this will add additional stress for you and your preceptor during your meeting.
• In your examples, you must convey the level of supervision received (did you observe, do something independently), be specific about what you did and clearly link it to the competency. See the linked document for examples.
• Population Health Promotion and Food Provision are, for the most part, project-based placements. This means you are achieving competency through the competent completion of projects. I found the examples and the rating within these placements were generally well constructed.
• The Nutrition Care placements are, for the most part, not project based. The nutrition care process is a competency that you will build over the 18 weeks of nutrition care placement. For some of the nutrition care assessments, more specific information is required. You must make the link between what you did and how it relates to the competency. If the link is not clear than it will not be clear to me or your preceptor.
• DO NOT expect to be competent in all the nutrition care competencies until your final placement. It is not a race, and you are not competing with your peers. Each of you will progress at different rates and each of you will have different strengths and weaknesses.
• Each preceptor has different backgrounds, worldviews etc. and this may impact how they assess competency. We have provided training and various mechanisms to help ensure consistency between preceptors however, there will always be some variation in how each preceptor determines competence just as there may be some variation in how instructors teach.
• I know some of you are anxious about achieving your competencies and may be feeling anxiety with your final placement evaluation looming. If you are in a nutrition care placement and you do not achieve competency in all, or even in any, of the performance indicators that is fine. That is expected! I am looking for progression in the nutrition care competencies throughout your three nutrition care placements with competency attainment by the end of the third placement. 
• if you have a population health or food provision placement and you do not achieve competence in one or some of the required competencies, it will be okay! The process will be that we will discuss this at our supportive check-in meeting and then you will lead the development of a plan to obtain the missed competencies. The activities required will depend on the specific competencies and number of competencies missed.

Jessica Rutherford RD, MSc 

Master of Applied Human Nutrition (MAHN) Coordinator 

Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences 

Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences 

University of Manitoba 

Follow MAHN on Instagram  |  Follow MAHN on LinkedIn

The University of Manitoba campuses are located on original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.  We respect the Treaties that were made on these territories, we acknowledge the harms and mistakes of the past, and we dedicate ourselves to move forward in partnership with Indigenous communities in a spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.