Abel Deborah M, Gatto Alayne M, Fowler Jennifer O, Valentine Christina J
Dietetics and Nutrition, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States.
East Carolina University Health Medical Center, Greenville, NC, United States.
Front Pediatr. 2025 Aug 26;13:1639283. doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1639283. eCollection 2025.
The neonatal registered dietitian nutritionist plays a crucial role in the care of premature and critically ill infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. Critical care success with such vulnerable patients requires expertise in patient-centered care, multidisciplinary collaboration, and adaptive clinical problem-solving. This research aimed to identify the needs, engagement levels, and expertise of the neonatal registered dietitian nutritionist while also providing insights into their job satisfaction and career longevity.
This was a cross-sectional examination using a national, online, IRB-approved survey completed by current and former neonatal practicing dietitians. In addition to descriptive statistics, the Chi-Squared test and Fisher's Exact test were used for categorical statistical analysis.
253 current ( = 206) and former ( = 47) participants completed the online questionnaire. Before role as a neonatal registered dietitian nutritionist, 210 respondents, 84 (40%) reported having pediatric clinical experience, 94 (44%) had clinical pediatric dietetic intern experience, 21 (10%) had previously worked as a community-based pediatric nutritionist, 15 (7.1%) had specialized pediatric certification or fellowship, and 12 (5.7%) had no prior experience. Of 163 respondents, 83 (50.9%) reported receiving financial support or reimbursement for additional neonatal training. Respondents who felt valued as team members planned to stay in the neonatal registered dietitian nutritionist role for more than 5 years ( > 0.0046). Additionally, they reported having acknowledgement and appreciation (64.4%), motivation (54.1%), and opportunities for advancement (22.9%).
Neonatal registered dietitian nutritionists do not have a clear competency roadmap, nor a defined career development track. In addition, financial support or reimbursement for continuing education is not consistently an employee benefit, which may play a key role in job satisfaction and retention. This data provides valuable insights for not only managers of dietitians but also professional societies and hospital administration to build career and employee retention opportunities, and to ensure safe patient care for the smallest hospital patients.
ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT06771778.
新生儿注册营养师在新生儿重症监护病房对早产儿和危重症婴儿的护理中起着至关重要的作用。对这类脆弱患者的重症护理成功需要以患者为中心的护理、多学科协作和适应性临床问题解决方面的专业知识。本研究旨在确定新生儿注册营养师的需求、参与程度和专业知识，同时深入了解他们的工作满意度和职业寿命。
这是一项横断面调查，使用了由现任和前任新生儿执业营养师完成的经机构审查委员会批准的全国性在线调查问卷。除描述性统计外，卡方检验和费舍尔精确检验用于分类统计分析。
253名现任（n = 206）和前任（n = 47）参与者完成了在线问卷。在担任新生儿注册营养师之前，210名受访者中，84人（40%）报告有儿科临床经验，94人（44%）有临床儿科饮食实习经验，21人（10%）曾作为社区儿科营养师工作，15人（7.1%）有专业儿科认证或进修经历，12人（5.7%）此前无相关经验。在163名受访者中，83人（50.9%）报告获得了额外新生儿培训的经济支持或报销。认为自己作为团队成员受到重视的受访者计划在新生儿注册营养师岗位上工作超过5年（P>0.0046）。此外，他们报告得到了认可和赞赏（64.4%）、激励（54.1%）以及晋升机会（22.9%）。
新生儿注册营养师没有明确的能力路线图，也没有明确的职业发展轨迹。此外，继续教育的经济支持或报销并非始终是员工福利，这可能在工作满意度和留任方面起关键作用。这些数据不仅为营养师管理人员，也为专业协会和医院管理部门提供了宝贵的见解，有助于建立职业发展和员工留任机会，并确保为最小的医院患者提供安全的患者护理。
ClinicalTrials.gov，标识符NCT06771778。
