Recipient Organization
NORTH SHORE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
1 FERNCROFT RD
DANVERS,MA 01923
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Nutrition education and counseling are powerful tools to address the health disparities in the US, especially for non-communicable diseases. However, diversity in the dietetics profession is lacking. Notably, only 5% of nutrition and dietetics professionals identify as Hispanic. North Shore Community College, a Hispanic Serving Institution, has a 28% Hispanic enrollment rate in a community withi a population of ~40% Hispanics. It boasts a rigorous 2-year associate degree program in nutrition science; however, the programis not accredited. This means that graduates cannot obtain registration and licensure to practice nutrition therapy after graduation. Effective 2024, education requirements to become a dietitian now require a graduate degree in addition to a dietetic internship, furthering the gap between edcuation and practice. Just like other healthcare professionals, there is an entry-level credential nutrition students can obtain that would enable them to work under a dietitian (much like how a physician assistant works under a physician). The credential is dietetic technician, registered, or DTR. There are no accredited programs in Massachusetts and only one in the entirety of New England. Healthcare leaders, such as Boston Childrens Hospital, Catholic Medical Center, and WIC centers are actively seeking DTRs but cannot fill vacant positions.Given these predicatments, it is the aim of the grant project to accredit the already existing nutrition program. This will allow graduates to become DTRs and work in the field within 2 years. And not just any graduates, but the focus is to attract Hispanic students to the program and help them earn their degree and DTR credential. This can allow them to provide life changing nutrition therapy; empower their community members to live better lives; and reduce the economic burden on the current healthcare system. Because of strong community partnerships, Hispanic graduates can choose to continue working as a DTR or transfer to a 4-year school, potentially with employer-sponsored tuition support, to earn a bachelor's or master's degree at their preference. Increasing the 2-, 4-year and beyond education of Hispanics in the field of nutriton and dietetics has the potential to positively impact local, state, and national health initiativess.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
GOALS: The ACCREDIT, ATTRACT, ACHIEVE, ADVANCE project has two main goals:GOAL ONE: Increase the number of qualified candidates in mission critical professions in the nutrition and dietetics fields.GOAL TWO: Attract Hispanic undergraduate students and prepare them for a career in nutrition and dietetics in the United States. As an HSI, NSCC will educate and train traditionally underrepresented populations in the field of nutrition and dietetics. As a result of this proposed project, NSCC's NSD program will meet the AND's DEI practices for ACEND-accredited programs, which includes "recruitment and admission practices that encourage diversity."OBJECTIVES: To achieve the afore-mentioned goals, this project has identified the following objectives;Obtain accreditation of the North Shore Community College (NSCC) Nutritional Science & Diet Technology (NSD) program through the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), which is a branch of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). Accreditation will allow NSCC graduates the ability to sit for the registration examination for dietetic technicians, registered (DTR) and gain meaningful employment in mission critical professions.Obtaining accreditation will enhance the quality of postsecondary education instruction in the aforementioned fields. As is inherent in an accreditation process, the NSD program curriculum and teaching methodology will be elevated to meet or exceed the accreditation standards.The project aims to attract and support undergraduate students from underrepresented groups to prepare them for careers related to food, agriculture, and human sciences in the US. The project seeks to attract and increase Hispanic student enrollment by 10% each year starting in Year 2 from the Early College program, currently enrolled students, traditional and non-traditional learners, and change-of-career or career enhancement students and graduate them with an associate degree in nutritional science and diet technology. Afterwards they can become dietetic technicians, registered and / or continue on to a four year school to earn their bachelor's degree and beyond in nutrition or a related field.The project aims to provide opportunities and access to food and agricultural careers in the public, non-profit and private sectors. As an HSI, NSCC's project will educate students on various career opportunities, the career path to achieve these careers, and provide field experiences during their time of study. This is specifically accomplished in the newly created course "DTC 100: Introduction to the Dietetics Profession," where students will learn about the education needed to obtain credentials and earn advanced degrees. NSCC also offers a supervised practicum experience at a public, non-profit food pantry that services a diverse population.The project aims to align the efforts of HSIs and other non-profit organizations to support academic development and career attainment of underrepresented groups. As an HSI, NSCC will use this grant opportunity to build upon an already existing nutrition program and its partnerships with other higher educational institutions. such as UMASS-Lowell and Simmons, and local healthcare institutions, such as Boston Children's Hospital (BCH) and the Catholic Medical Center (CMC) to enhance its experience for students from the Hispanic community.
Project Methods
METHODSEfforts: The effort of the grant proposal is to provide formal education via an accredited degree program to the target population (i.e. Hispanic students). This is via curricula that educates the student on the science of nutrition and dietetics via formal classroom instruction, laboratory instruction (e.g. simulation lab and food lab), and practicum experiences (e.g. local food pantry and pediatric hospital). As part of the accreditation process, the PD/PI will develop culturally appropriate curriculum and infuse innovative teaching methodologies to maximize retention and academic achievement.Evaluation: There will be four major evaluations of the ATTRACT, ACCREDIT, ACHIEVE, ADVANCE grant program:ACCREDIT: By the end of year 1, NSCC will achieve candidacy status for accreditation from ACEND. By the end of year 2, NSCC will achieve accreditation status from ACEND.Evaluation is simply a "yes" or "no" for this aspect of the grant. ACEND, as an accrediting body, will have its own robust criteria to ensure the program fulfills the appropriate academic, laboratory, and practicum requirements based upon accreditation standards.ATTRACT: By the end of year 1, NSCC will increase Hispanic enrollment into the nutritional science and diet technology program by at least 25% through strategic marketing and advertising. By the end of years 2, 3 and 4, NSCC will have increased Hispanic enrollment by at least 10% per year.To evaluate the "ATTRACT" success of the grant program, the PD/PI and PC will review enrollment data and conduct surveys of newly enrolled Hispanic students to determine effectiveness of marketing strategies. This will be shared at division meetings and with administration and the college's marketing team; it will also be summarized and shared with the program's Advisory Board and presented at area nutrition conferences (see "Products" section of the project initiation application for more details).ACHIEVE: By the end of years 3 and/or 4, at least 50% of enrolled Hispanic students wil obtain an associate's degree in nutritional science and diet technology; at least 50% of those will take the dietetictechnician, registered exam with an 80% first time pass rate.To evaluate the "ACHIEVE" success of the grant program, the PD/PI and PC will review graduation data and conduct post-graduation surveys of the target audience. The registeredADVANCE: By the end of year 4, 25% of Hispanic graduates will continue on from NSCC to an articulating state university to continue towards a bachelor's degree in nutrition.The PD/PI and PC will share data and continue to collaborate with local, articulating universities to track progress from the associate's to the bachelor's degree level of education.Each stage of the grant program will be evaluated at the end of the academic semester (e.g. fall, spring, summer). Key milestones include accreditation status, graduation of the target audience (Hispanic students) with an associate's degree, achievement of the dietetic technician, registered credential, and transfer to a four-year institution for ongoing education and training in nutrition and dietetics.