TY - JOUR
T1 - Clinical Placement Experiences of International Student Dietitians in Australia
AU - Aawulenna, Dorothy
AU - BACON, Rachel
AU - KELLETT, Jane
PY - 2018/5/31
Y1 - 2018/5/31
N2 - Research has identified a number of placement challenges for interna-tional students in the clinical setting. These include both verbal andnon-verbal language and communication difficulties; cultural integra-tion; and learning style difficulties. This study describes the experiencesof international student dietitians during their professional placementwith regards to language and communication difficulties and considersstrategies to address them. A descriptive qualitative study adopting aninterpretivist pragmatic approach was conducted. Four purposively-selected international student dietitians participated in in-depth per-sonal telephone interviews using a semi-structured interview guidewith four pre-determined questions. Interviews were tape-recorded,transcribed verbatim, and subjected to thematic analysis using theapproach of Braun and Clarke. Five themes emerged from the analysis:(1) Building confidence with dietetics skills; (2) Verbal communicationand cultural integration barriers; (3) Planning, preparation and practice;(4) Pre-placement induction programs; and (5) Networking. This studyfound that international student dietitians face not only similar chal-lenges to those identified in literature but also face profession relatedchallenges. These included inadequate knowledge of local practicessuch as food and social activities and difficulty navigating around place-ment settings and contexts. Placement challenges of international stu-dent dietitians go beyond language and communication issues in theclinical setting, supporting the need for individualised strategies.
AB - Research has identified a number of placement challenges for interna-tional students in the clinical setting. These include both verbal andnon-verbal language and communication difficulties; cultural integra-tion; and learning style difficulties. This study describes the experiencesof international student dietitians during their professional placementwith regards to language and communication difficulties and considersstrategies to address them. A descriptive qualitative study adopting aninterpretivist pragmatic approach was conducted. Four purposively-selected international student dietitians participated in in-depth per-sonal telephone interviews using a semi-structured interview guidewith four pre-determined questions. Interviews were tape-recorded,transcribed verbatim, and subjected to thematic analysis using theapproach of Braun and Clarke. Five themes emerged from the analysis:(1) Building confidence with dietetics skills; (2) Verbal communicationand cultural integration barriers; (3) Planning, preparation and practice;(4) Pre-placement induction programs; and (5) Networking. This studyfound that international student dietitians face not only similar chal-lenges to those identified in literature but also face profession relatedchallenges. These included inadequate knowledge of local practicessuch as food and social activities and difficulty navigating around place-ment settings and contexts. Placement challenges of international stu-dent dietitians go beyond language and communication issues in theclinical setting, supporting the need for individualised strategies.
UR - http://www.mendeley.com/research/poster-abstracts-alphabetical-order-1
U2 - 10.1111/1747-0080.12427
DO - 10.1111/1747-0080.12427
M3 - Meeting Abstract
SN - 1747-0080
VL - 75
SP - 68
JO - Nutrition and Dietetics
JF - Nutrition and Dietetics
IS - s1
M1 - 395
ER -