Number Of Dietitians “Woefully Inadequate”

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30211, 16 August 1963, Page 2

Number Of Dietitians “Woefully Inadequate”

.. , Dietitians were necessary members of the staff of hospitals n patients were to benefit from current knowledge of nutrition in health and disease, said the president of the New Zealand Oietitic Association (Miss Margaret Till) in her address to the association’s conference in Christchurch yesterday.

But the number of dietitians now working and training in hospitals was woefully inadequate to provide the skilled dietitic services required by the patient. In some instances it was possible that qualified dietitians were wasting their professional skills on non-professional duties. Miss Till said.

Today, dietetics is concerned with the feeding of people everywhere, in outer space as well as in every corner of the earth—people alone or in groups, sick or well of every age and occupation," she said.

Looking to the future of the profession, Miss Till said that if history were any guide there would be deitours and switch-backs along the road ahead "We shall be repeatedly delayed and frustrated for we live in an age of constant danger of disaster that may terminate enterprise. But now is the time to accept your share of responsibility and develop your potential leadership. You will find it a rewarding experience," she said.

To cope with change, new ideas were needed and a spirit of exploration No matter how competent

persons might be on entering professional Life, they soon realised that they must keep on learning to meet the continual challenge of change

The successful dietitian must be able to deal with anticipated problems at the executive level by planning for the future. She should be more interested in what would happen next year than the success of the last year “Today's problems must be

solved; but they might not have been so serious if there had been some advance planning. Thus the dietitian has been established in hospital organisation as an important executive person in a very strategic position,” she said. Executive Control

The dietitian must be competent, well-trained and highly interested in her work to maintain this executive control in the eyes of her superiors. “Executive control implies good methods and this in turn means leadership. A good leader can persuade persons to do a job in the manner and at the time she wants it done, and she can make them want to do this job.” said Miss Till.