Updated March 2022
Are you an Accredited Practising Dietitian or student Dietitian thinking about specialising in Paediatric Nutrition? Wondering what sort of paediatric nutrition courses are available? Or maybe you’re already working in paeds and are looking for paediatric nutrition courses to extend your knowledge and skills?
Either way, we’ve got you covered.
We’ve done the hard work for you and summarised everything you need to know about the paediatric nutrition courses offered across Australia and online. Read on to find out more.
Managing and Measuring Growth
About: This paediatric nutrition course was developed by Dietitians Australia’s Centre of Advanced Learning and is facilitated by some of the country’s leading Paediatric Dietitians. The evergreen course is split into four modules and provides information, resources, recommended reading and case studies to enhance your active learning experience. Once you’ve completed all four modules, you’ll receive a professional certificate.
Module 1 covers growth and nutrition assesment, module 2 looks at infant feeding, the third module discusses faltering growth and module 4 is the introduction to childhood obesity.
Cost: DA members = $299 (non members = $599)
Hours/CPD: This course is self paced, but should take 14hrs to complete and counts towards 14hrs of CPD (assessed)
Location: Online via the Learning Management System (ongoing access)
Best suited for: Newer graduates or those with limited Paediatric experience, wanting to gain knowledge in the area or a great refresher course.
Introduction to Paediatric Nutrition for Health Professionals
About: This online paediatric nutrition course was developed by Monash University and is run across six weeks, twice a year. A new topic is covered each week and participants have the freedom to work through these at their own pace. By the end of the six weeks, you’ll have covered nutrition assessment, nutrition requirements, normal feeding and under- and over-nutrition.
Cost: $550 (early bird rate = $500).
Hours/CPD: 4-6 hours per week. This counts towards 36hrs of CPD (assessed)
Location: Online via the HPEO Moodle site
Best suited for: Student Dietitians/APDs with limited experience in paediatrics. This course is a good starting point for those interested in paediatric nutrition.
Paediatric Nutrition for Dietitians (QLD Health iLearn Module)
About: This free online paediatric nutrition course was developed by QLD Health and is available to all qualified dietitians and student dietitians in Australia. Note: you do not need to be employed by QLD health to access this module, you just need to create a free account with iLearn@QHealth. The course involves 7 modules that participants can work through at their own pace.
Cost: Free
Hours: 3-6hrs per module. Counts towards 30hrs of CPD (assessed)
Location: Online vi iLearn
Best suited for: APDs wishing to extend their knowledge of paediatric dietetics in the inpatient/clinical setting
Paediatric Nutrition in Practice
About: this free online course was developed by Nestle Nutrition Institute and is available to all health professionals. The course involves twelve modules, covering topics such as growth, infant feeding, chronic diseases, metabolic disorders and malnutrition. Modules don’t need to be completed in any particular order, meaning you can pick and choose which modules you’d like to complete.
Cost: Free
Hrs: 60-90 mins per module
Location: Online
Best suited for: Student dietitians or APDs wanting to get a taste for the field before investing in one of the more recognised courses.
SOS Approach to Feeding
About: This course is designed to teach health professionals how to assess and manage feeding difficulties and disorders in children. The SOS approach to feeding aims to get children more comfortable with trying and exploring a variety of foods. Paediatric Dietitians can use this feeding approach when managing ‘problem feeders’ who may have sensory dysfunctions impacting on their food intake, as well as the ‘picky eater’.
Cost: $1320
Hrs: Four-day workshop
Location: Held in capital cities across Australia. Check here for the next course in your area,
Best suited for: APDs with experience in paediatrics who wish to extend their skills in managing feeding difficulties.
Certificate in Paediatric Nutrition and Dietetics
About: This Certificate in Paediatric Nutrition and Dietetics was developed by the Royal Childrens Hospital and is facilitated by some of the country’s leading Paediatric Dietitians. The course is split into two units and Dietitians can choose to complete a single or both units depending on their setting. Each unit is assessable with pre-reading, exams and an assignment and upon the completion you’ll receive a professional certificate from RCH in paediatric nutrition.
Unit 1 covers the basic content around nutritional, growth and disease assessment to ensure that dietitians are competent and skilled with implementing their nutritional interventions. of paediatric nutrition. Unit 2 has a clinical focus with dietitians implementing and evaluating interventions at more specific disease states in the neonate through to the teenager.
Cost: Unit 1 $950.00 and Unit 2 $950.00 or both combined $1800.00
Hours/CPD: Each unit runs over 4 days and counts towards assessable CPD
Location: Online via the Royal Childrens Hospital Online Learning
Best suited for: Experienced Dietitians wanting to gain more clinical expertise in the area of paediatrics
In summary, if you’re looking to become a Paediatric Dietitian, then there are a number of paediatric nutrition courses available both online and in some major cities across Australia. However, courses do vary significantly in price and the level of prior experience required.
If there is anything else we can help you with, now, during your course or beyond graduation, you can message us any time, any day, on the Dietitian Life Facebook or Instagram ! We are here to help you.
Want to learn more? Get started with a FREE Dietitian Life membership to get exclusive access to the huge library of clinical advice, and practical dietetic resources.
