Lauren Snyder

Ethics/Scope of Practice Reflection

The Academy’s Code of Ethics is the baseline of principles and standards expected of all

those practicing in the field. The Scope of Practice for Registered Dietitians focuses on the

qualifications, competence expectations, and the roles and responsibilities for those with RD

credentials. The scope of practice goes on to discuss the education and extra certifications that

RDs can acquire. The two are related in the sense that they are available to guide Dietitians

through their practice. They share the standards in the field. Both are a set of expectations

expected from these healthcare professionals in regards to education, experience, responsibilities

and ethics. Every dietitian has the role of upholding their ethical duties in their professions, and

both of these documents reiterate the importance of doing so.

The scope of practice is important for the practitioner because they view it as a guide to

lead them through what is needed of them to become a Dietitian. It also helps future RDs dive in

to the possibilities of their future jobs and what settings they might be interested in pursuing. For

the profession, the scope of practice is essential to set a standard baseline of what all RDs must

obtain and what they must do to be qualified. It sets these standards up for students to follow

throughout their education to make sure they meet all of the requirements, and to make sure that

every student is set to the same standard. This is why we have specific core requirements for our

coursework at Bradley. We need to meet all of the academic goals set forth by the Academy. The

Code of Ethics is important to the practitioner because it also sets the standards of what is

expected of us as professionals. It tells us how to act in the workplace, how to treat patients, how

to protect patient information, and other rules that guide ethical practices all around in Dietetics.

If the practitioner fails to follow these ethical standards, they can face punishment in their

workplace for failing to adhere to the ethical codes. They can also lose patients, as well as
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respect in the RD and healthcare community. Again, for the profession, the code of ethics holds

everyone accountable on the same code of ethics and expects everyone in the field to follow and

act ethically in their practice. It’s purpose is to protect the company involved by having

Dietitians follow the rules, respect their work and those who they work alongside.

Overall, the Scope of Practice and the Code of Ethics act as two important documents for

RDs to follow and to live by in their practice. They show professionals and students the

importance of following these guidelines and acknowledging the possibilities within Dietetics.

Ethics Case Study #4

An outpatient RDN counsels patients that have diet related chronic diseases. She has an

approach of explaining to patients her reasoning for the MNT, as well as provides clients with

lists of foods to include and exclude, as well as tips for menu planning, grocery shopping and

food preparation. One patient expressed to the RDN that she was dissatisfied and was not making

progress with dietary changes. The client asked the RDN for help with coming up with a new

diet plan. The RDN did not change her approach and instead continued giving the same

information. After more appointments, the patient went to the RDN’s director and expressed her

dissatisfaction. The RDN should have taken the initiative initially when the client asked to

change the approach. RDNs should be accommodating and individualize their care. Patient

requests that are reasonable should not be dismissed. The director should penalize the RDN in

some way. Usually in practice, practitioners can receive some form of strike as a warning for

their actions. The director should sit down one on one with the RDN and explain why her actions
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were wrong and how she should handle situations like this in the future. She should also be asked

her the reasoning for not complying with patient needs.

This would be an ethical issue because it involved the RDN ignoring the client’s needs

and wants and instead continuing the same practices when the client asked for a change. It

doesn’t correlate to a business dispute. The dietitian is going against the competence and

professional development Code of Ethics. The specific principle that this RDN is going against is

acting in a caring and respectful manner, mindful of individual differences, cultural, and ethnic

diversity. The RDN was not caring when she approached the client by continuing to counsel her

in the same way when she knew it wasn’t beneficial for her situation. This also shows a lack of

respect for the client and makes the RDN seem self-focused on counseling just to counsel rather

than to benefit someone. This individual was different and didn’t benefit from this method, and

needed individualized care which RDN’s should always be doing. Even after several

appointments, the RD was not willing to change the plan in any way and was ignoring the clients

concerns.

Since the client had to address the issue to the director of nutrition, the RDN could face

disciplinary action and have to reevaluate their choices. If this has occurred multiple times and

has been brought to the director’s attention for each case, the RDN could face an even more

serious consequences such as being fired or put on leave. The RDN likely lost that client and if

she continues to practice like that, she will run away clients one by one.