Assessment of continuing education needs and preferences of British Columbia dietitians and nutritionists.

A survey was conducted among members of the B.C. Dietitians' and Nutritionists' Association to determine their perceived continuing education needs and preferences. Responses were received from 68.3% of the membership. The self-administered questionnaire elicited information about preferred format and timing of continuing education activities, incentives and deterrents to participation, employers' contributions to continuing education, and perceived need for further study of 78 topics categorized as nutritional care sciences, behavioural/communicative sciences and managerial sciences. Respondents indicated a preference for workshops, seminars and lectures, held outside of working hours. Topic, time and location were the major incentives/deterrents to participation in continuing education. Most respondents reported receiving paid time off work, but few reported receiving paid time off work, but few reported receiving any financial contribution towards their continuing education from their employers. Learning needs were higher for topics in the nutritional care and communication areas than for the managerial sciences topics. The questionnaire developed for this study has provided valuable information for program planners and could be readily adapted for use with other groups of dietitians/nutritionists.