Continuing education—a study of dietitians participation in and attitudes to continuing education

It is now generally acknowledged that education and training is a continuing and lifelong process. It is also increasingly clear that education may take many forms, not all of them traditional. No longer can a person's education be associated exclusively with the period of induction and learning which occurs in the first 20 or so years of life. Nowhere is this more evident than in the professions.
The pace of scientific, technological, social and political change is now so rapid and intense that an initial period of professional training can only provide the foundations of knowledge, skills and attitudes on which further education and training must be built, if they are to remain current and valid.
This study seeks to inform the current debate within the profession, on the development of an education and training strategy for State Registered Dietitians. It reviews current participation in and attitudes towards continuing education among a random sample of British Detetic Association members.
The authors conclude from the results that dietitians are aware of the need for continuing education but need to be more actively involved in initiating and directing their own professional development. Some suggestions as to how this may be achieved are included at the end of this article.