Client perceptions of dietetic students and registered dietitians at a university-based nutrition clinic

Client perceptions of students enrolled in a nutrition counseling practicum were compared with client perceptions of those students' clinical instructors, who were registered dietitians. One hundred forty-two clients who had either a student (no. = 81) or a dietitian (no. = 61) as primary counselor completed a postcard evaluation or a telephone interview. Students were rated significantly more positively (p less than .01) than their instructors for the item "I would recommend the clinic to others" and (p less than .05) for the items "The counselor helped me with my problem" and "I learned at the clinic what I did not know before." Seventy-two of the 89 clients interviewed by telephone replied to the question "Did students enhance or detract from services provided?" Sixty-one percent replied that students enhanced, but 25% replied that students detracted in some way, primarily because of concerns about having an additional observer during counseling sessions. In general, clients receiving nutrition counseling evaluated student dietitians very positively.