The nutritionist is a professional figure graduating from the class of vocational health care degrees. The role of a nutritionist is clearly outlined in the ministerial decree 14/09/1994 n° 794 and its subsequent modifications.
The aim of the course is to train graduates to become well-rounded professionals equipped with the necessary skills in the field of dietetics and more generally in human nutrition. These objectives are achieved through theoretical and practical learning which allows students to gradually acquire responsibility and professional independence. The nutritionist must be able to provide a service based on clear and solid scientific foundations both in the fields of prevention and treatment.. They must learn how to carry out an active role in policy forming aimed at influencing nutritional choices made by both individuals and groups in order to improve health standards or reduce the level of risk in related nutritional pathologies.
They must be able to compile menus for healthy or ill people of any age or culture, taking into consideration possible financial limitations and/or personal circumstances. Through the application of concepts of psychology and sociology the nutritionist must be able to support the patient throughout the treatment phase which involves modifications to dietary behaviour. They will be required to collaborate with other health care professionals to guarantee standards of hygiene quality in the catering industry. They must know how to work within a multidisciplinary team dealing with the treatment of (dietary behaviour) eating disorders and therapeutic treatment using artificial nutrition.
Students must learn to respect the ethical and legal limitations of the profession and display competence in negotiation and mediation while working as a member of a team and when necessary displaying leadership skills.
The European standards of the Association of Nutritionists (EFAD) and the Italian ‘core competence’ require the nutritionist to guarantee both expertise and sound values.
The programme of studies is therefore structured in order to cover 3 levels of knowledge; know, know how, know how to be. Following a solid grounding in foundation subjects and the principles which regulate the physiological and biochemical mechanisms of the organism, students move on to the more specific disciplines with lectures always accompanied by interactive lessons, whereby the lecturer conducts increasingly complex and diverse simulations of ( professional ) situations. Subsequently, students actively experiment, under the guidance of a tutor, until complete professional independence is achieved during practical training. Students of nutrition must also study preparatory subjects, biomedical sciences and first aid in order to consolidate the fundamental concepts of human sciences and professional management. In this phase students will attain an adequate level of scientific English for communication in a professional capacity. Students will gain in-depth knowledge of the science of nutrition and dietetics, and theoretical and methodological concepts on which the work of the nutritionist is based. This will be developed through internships/practical training leading to students achieving full professional independence.
Università di Pavia - Course catalogue