Policy Name: 2-10 Assessing Academic & Practical Training Requirements
Established:
Reviewed:
Revised: March 23, 2012, May 4, 2012, March 2014, November 2014, June 2016, June 1, 2018, March 16, 2020, October 4, 2021
Policy Statement
The College’s Registration Requirements for academic and practical training are set out in subsection 6(1) of the Registration Regulation 72/12 of the Dietetics Act, 1991. Where there is doubt that the non-exemptible requirements are met, a panel of the Registration Committee will assess the applicant’s academic and practical training qualifications for substantial equivalence to the Canadian national accreditation standards as set by the Partnership for Dietetic Education and Practice (PDEP). Substantial differences in academic and practical training are those that would impede safe and effective dietetic practice in Canada.
The Integrated Competencies for Dietetic Education and Practice (ICDEP, 2013) delineate the entry-to-practice standard or minimum requirement for registered dietitians in Canada and is the tool against which applicants are assessed. The panel’s assessment is intended to ascertain whether the applicant has the necessary knowledge to demonstrate the academic and practical training performance indicators outlined in the ICDEP.
Procedure
To assess the equivalency of the applicant’s academic and practical qualifications, the panel will ordinarily consider the following:
1.0 Academic Equivalence
a) Level of Study
The applicant’s academic study must at minimum be equivalent to a bachelor’s level in Canada. An applicant will be refused if their education is not deemed to be equivalent in level to a Canadian Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degree.
For education completed within Canada, the panel will consider completed undergraduate and graduate level courses, which were taken at a university or college with degree-granting authority within Canada. The courses must have been completed within a degree-granting program (e.g., Bachelor, Master, or PhD level). Courses at the diploma, certificate, or continuing education program level may not be included. Courses completed in Quebec at a CEGEP or pre-university College will be considered. This includes transfer credits, and credits which were awarded through a prior learning assessment and recognition process.
b) Education Completed Outside Canada
Unless exempted under this policy, applicants whose education was completed outside of Canada must submit a Course-By-Course evaluation from World Education Services (WES) Canada, which will provide information about the equivalence of the level study (e.g., equivalent to high school, college, undergraduate, or graduate level study).
Applicants who completed education in the United States (US) are not required to submit a WES assessment if the degree was from a university with Regional Accreditation. Education from US universities without Regional Accreditation must be assessed by WES Canada.
If an applicant submits an assessment from WES US, College staff will contact WES Canada to confirm whether the assessment aligns with WES Canada’s standards. If WES Canada identifies that the WES US assessment does not reflect WES Canada’s standards, the applicant will be required to submit an assessment from WES Canada.
If the applicant has been granted admission to a recognized Canadian or US graduate program for which a Bachelor’s degree is among the admission requirements, the level of the degree will be considered equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree in Canada, and the applicant will not be required to have the level of their degree assessed by WES Canada.
c) Academic Content
The panel will consider the content of all courses confirmed to be at a Bachelor’s level against the Canadian national accreditation standards as set by PDEP. The panel will use its best judgement in determining whether the required foundational knowledge and academic content has been addressed.
2.0 Review of Practical Training Equivalence
a)A program deemed equivalent to an accredited practical training program in Canada will:
i. include a formal/structured program with an evaluation component;
ii.be supervised by qualified individuals;
iii.include competency-based outcomes comparable to those in the Canadian national accreditation standards as set by PDEP;
iv.cover the three areas of Canadian dietetic practice (Nutrition Care, Population & Public Health, Food Services Management); and
v.be a minimum of at least 1250 hours in length.
b)The applicant will ordinarily be refused and directed to complete additional practical training, as outlined in subparagraph 6(1)1.ii. of the Registration Regulation, in order to be admitted in a subsequent application if:
ithe applicant has completed no practical training;
iithere is no evidence of a formal structured program (e.g., formal evaluation, based on competencies or learning in outcomes, evaluated by qualified individuals);
iiithe competencies or learning outcomes of the practical training are not comparable to the Canadian national accreditation standards as set by PDEP; and/or
ivthe practical training was less than 1250 hours in length.
3.0 Former Members of the College
If an applicant was a former member of the College and, at the time of their original application to the College, their academic and/or practicum programs were assessed to be equivalent to an accredited program, the applicant will be deemed to meet the current academic and practical training requirement, even if the accreditation standards have changed since the time of the applicant’s original application to the College. If an applicant requires upgrading, they will be subject to Policy 3-30: Assessing Currency for Applicants
4.0 Human Rights Issues
Where the application of this policy would have a disproportionate effect on an applicant, such that accommodation may be required under the Human Rights Code, the Registrar will bring the issue, usually with legal advice, to the panel for consideration.
5.0 Relevant Information
The panel will consider all relevant, objective evidence when conducting an assessment of an applicant’s academic and/or practical training. This may include the outcome of the College’s Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) process, comprising the Knowledge and Competence Assessment Tool (KCAT) and the Performance Based Assessment (PBA) results, if available.