Professionalism and Final Issues

1. Professionalism and Final Issues Chapter 13

2. Key Terms • Code of Ethics • Standards of Professional Practice • Biomedical Ethics • Client Rights • Nutrition Therapist • Business Roadmap • Social Media Marketing

3. Professionalism • Defined as “the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession” (Merriam-Webster dictionary) • AND defines the dietetics profession as “the integration and application of principles derived from the sciences of food nutrition, management, communication, and biological, physiological, behavioral, and social sciences to achieve and maintain optimal human health”

4. Professionalism • AND developed a “three-block framework” to implement professionalism roles • Block One: Foundation Knowledge • Code of Ethics • Body of Knowledge • Education • Autonomy • Service • Block Two: Evaluation Resources • Standards of Practice for RDs and DTRs • Block Three: Decisional Aids

5. Ethics • Ethics refers to “well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues” • In order to behave in an ethical manner we must self-analyze our own moral beliefs and moral conduct • AND has published the Code of Ethics for the Profession of Dietetics

6. Ethics

13. Client Rights • Clients are entitled to know their rights and options during the course of an ongoing counseling relationship • Clients should be provided with: • Confidentiality • Procedures and goals of counseling • Counselor’s qualifications and practices • LTC and acute care patients have established rights regarding personal choices

14. Client Rights • Confidentiality • Trust is crucial in counseling relationship • Clients must provide written permission in order for counselor to disclose any personal information • Discuss confidentiality during 1st session • AND Code of Ethics states: “The dietetics practitioner protects confidential information and makes full disclosure about any limitations on his/her ability to guarantee full confidentiality”

15. Client Rights • Procedures and Goals of Counseling • Should be discussed during 1st session along with clarification of any fees and time frame for payment • Client signs a counseling agreement • Ex/ Student Nutrition Counseling Agreement (Form 14.2 in Appendix)

17. Client Rights • Qualifications and Practices of Counselor • Your clients should know what you can and cannot do for them • Counseling agreement form should contain your credentials and information regarding scope of practice • During 1st session ask clients what they are expecting to get out of the counseling interaction and clarify any discrepancies at this time

18. Boundary Between Nutrition Counseling and Psychotherapy • AND Code of Ethics states: “The dietetic practitioner recognizes and exercises professional judgment within the limits of his/her qualifications and collaborates with others, seeks counsel, or makes referrals as appropriate” • RD may want to expand skills in psychotherapy if specializing in nutritional counseling

19. Boundary Between Nutrition Counseling and Psychotherapy • Psychotherapist’s work is based on feelings • Nutrition counselor’s work is based on food • Food issues, weight, eating patterns, body image • Should be cautious about giving advice about feelings • Ok to acknowledge feelings, but then may need referral to psychotherapist

20. Boundary Between Nutrition Counseling and Psychotherapy • Overlap between role of RD & psychotherapist • May become confusing to client • Who does what? • Counselor should explain what can be handled in nutrition counseling session • Counselor should refer to psychotherapist when appropriate • Ex/ Eating disorder

21. Referrals • RD may suggest to client that they seek additional assistance from a person qualified to work with them regarding their feelings • Referrals to mental health professional should be made when client discloses information such as: • Suicidal tendencies • Physical abuse • Severe marital difficulties • Feelings of depression • Unresolved sexual abuse • Recurring self-destructive behaviors • Eating disorders

22. Proper Dress Attire • Component of creating a professional image • 41% of employers felt that people who dress better or more professionally tend to be promoted more often than others in the organization - (CareerBuilder.com) • “Dress for success” • Counselor should dress in a manner that does not create discomfort for the client

23. Proper Dress Attire • Clean, neat, modest clothing and jewelry • Avoid: • Tight-fitting, revealing clothes • Strong scents – odor may be irritating; client may be allergic • Dangling, distracting jewelry • Nutrition counselors typically wear a white lab coat with nametag over professional attire

25. Starting a Private Practice • Desirable for “entrepreneurial-type” • Provides opportunity to work on projects for which you have a passion • Can be challenging to have total responsibility for progress of your business • 1/3 of small businesses fail within the first 2 years • Most small business take 3-5 years to turn a profit • Important to plan accordingly

26. Starting a Private Practice • Consider the following: • Do you possess self-motivation and self-confidence? • Are you a risk-taker? • Are you tenacious, disciplined and adaptable? • Do you have the ability to roll with inevitable down turns? • Can you critically evaluate difficulties?

27. Define a Focus • Clarify a vision for yourself and your career • Critically analyze whether your interest will produce a viable income • Investigate market possibilities • Finding a niche allows you to master skills in a particular area • Spreading yourself too thin runs risk of being a “jack of all trades, but master of none”

28. Professional Credentials & Achievements • Your area of interest will guide the credentials you wish to obtain • RD or RDN through Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) – annual fee • State licensure – varies by state • Other credentials may include: business management, food science, personal training, certified diabetes educator (CDE) • Portfolio with references, achievements, testimonials, positive evaluations

29. Continuing Education • 75 CEUs required every 5 years by CDR • 30 CEUs required every 2 years by state of Florida • May be obtained via webinars, conferences, workshops, journal articles, lectures, etc. • Make important networking connections by joining professional groups

30. Creating a Business Roadmap • Business plan may include: • Executive summary • Mission statement • Goals for your company • Target market • Implementation milestones • Management team • Competition • Financial projections • Small business planning templates available at inc.com or entrepreneur.com

31. Professional Support • “Time is money” • Consider hiring office manager, computer consultant, webmaster, bookkeeper, payroll company, marketing consultant, accountant • Net income increases despite extra salaries • Knowledgeable professional support can help your business grow and be more efficient

32. Financial Planning • Financial planning is essential for making a profit • Fixed costs – office rent, malpractice insurance, licensure fees • Variable costs – such as printing • Program costs – such as travel expenses • Wages • Explore possibility of becoming an in-network provider for individual health plans

33. NPI number • A National Provider Identifier or NPInumber • 10-digit identification number issued to HCPs in the U.S. by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) • Used by other payers, including commercial healthcare insurers • Mandated as part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) • CMS began issuing NPIs in October 2006

34. Marketing Basics • Consider your “brand image”, or how you are perceived by others • Develop a sound bite to describe your work: • General sentence about where you work and your area of expertise • Provide more depth about what you do • Give your title • Ex/ “I market probiotics. I write articles and maintain a website to help people have better digestion. I own my own company.”

36. Marketing Plan • A comprehensive marketing plan is essential for finding clients and may include: • Identifying a brand image • Creating marketing materials • Identifying referral resources • Developing advertising materials • Consider conducting a focus group or surveying potential customers regarding their knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes • Marketing strategies include word-of-mouth, networking, internet, referral sources

37. Web-Based marketing • A creative, easy to navigate website is essential for all businesses • 260 million people in the U.S. use the internet on a regular basis and average ~29 hours per month each • Web-based advertising is steadily replacing traditional marketing strategies

39. Social Media Marketing • Can create interest in your business and bring potential customers to your website • Tremendous growth in consumers using social media sites • Social media is defined as “content created by everyday people using highly accessible and scalable technologies such as blogs, message boards, podcasts, micro-blogs, bookmarks, social networks, communities, wikis, and vlogs”

40. Social Media Marketing • Provides advantages to small business owners: • Can be directed towards your target audience • Skills to use social media are not complex • High return on investment; often no costs at all • Online reviews by previous customers • Feedback by family and friends

41. Social Media Marketing

42. Social Media Marketing • 2013 statistics (Source: Social Media Today) • 751 million Facebook users access via mobile device • 23% of Facebook users access their account >5 times per day • 400 million tweets sent daily • 16 billion photos have been uploaded on Instagram • Food is the top category on Pinterest

43. Social Media Marketing • Important to track changes in social media activity • “The one thing that is clear about social networking is that regardless of how fast a site is growing, or how big it is, it can quickly fall out of favor with consumers” Jon Gibs, VP Media and Agency Insights, Nielsen Online