Assuring Pediatric Nutrition Care in the Community

Assuring Pediatric Nutrition in the Hospital and Community, an intensive training program, is offered once a year to community-based registered dietitians (RDs). Other health care professionals with an interest in pediatric nutrition are also invited to attend. The training prepares RDs to screen children for nutrition problems, assess specific nutritional needs, and develop interventions for children with special health care needs.

RDs can earn up to 26 hours of continuing education credits from the Commission on Dietetic Registration for participating in the training. During the four-day intensive training program, 20 speakers cover an array of nutrition and feeding issues faced by children with special health care needs. Speakers from the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital represent a variety of disciplines. The class is limited to 40 participants to facilitate interaction and small group learning experiences and to promote development of clinical competencies. The conference was expanded in 2016, to provide training opportunities at an advanced level. Participants can select from a 3-day introduction to pediatric nutrition or a 2-day advanced topic option.