Nutrition degree inspires healthy careers
A high demand for qualified dietitians to work with everyone from elite athletes to diabetics has prompted the University of the Sunshine Coast to offer a new degree in nutrition and dietetics.
USC has been awarded 20 new places to introduce the Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2007, and Sports Nutrition Lecturer Fiona Pelly says nutrition studies can lead to a variety of exciting career paths, and even the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of Australia’s biggest stars.
“My profession has given me the opportunity to work with exceptional sportsmen and women, including the Wallabies Rugby Union team, Penrith, Parramatta and West Tigers Rugby League teams, and world-class competitors in several high-profile sporting events,” Fiona said.
“I’ve even worked with The Wiggles.”
Fiona has also put her skills to use as a consultant food service dietitian at the Sydney Olympic Games, and at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, where she coordinated a nutrition help desk for athletes and conducted research on athletes’ food preferences prior to competition.
Graduates of the new Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics degree will have opportunities to work across a broad spectrum of special interest areas, including sports nutrition, paediatrics, diabetes, public health, parental nutrition, food allergies, indigenous nutrition, aged care and vegetarian eating, and the program will offer a combination of study and practical placements to prepare students for the workplace.
USC will also offer a new Bachelor of Nursing Science program in 2007, and students enrolled in this degree will benefit from the new state-of-the-art nursing laboratory that was recently opened on campus.
“Students will have access to human simulation models, with advanced human responses that can be pre-programmed to mimic a large range of clinical situations,” Nursing Program Co-Director at the University, Dr Leonie Mosel Williams said.
“These models are used nationally and internationally in nursing and medical education and have the capacity to simulate lung, heart and abdominal sounds, as well as coughing and ‘speaking’ to the students.”
The new nursing degree will also offer the opportunity for 30 students to graduate with a major in Mental Health - an area that is currently high on the national and state health agendas, with one in four Australians experiencing altered mental states during their lifetime.
USC has been awarded 49 percent of Queensland’s new university nursing places for 2007, with the 20 new nutrition and dietetics places adding to 100 places for nursing and 30 for mental health nursing.