Mission of the Nutrition and Dietetics Department

The mission of the Viterbo University Dietetics Program is to prepare students who use critical thinking and effective communication to promote health, manage disease through nutrition, and serve as leaders in community and medical settings.

 Mission of the Coordinated Program

The Viterbo University Dietetic Education Program  provides didactic and supervised practice experiences aligned with the Accreditation council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics’ 2008 Accreditation Standards.  It prepares students to be Registered Dietitians who serve as faithful and ethical leaders.

Philosophy of the Undergraduate Program

 Health care is a dynamic, changing part of our society, and dietetics, as an integral component of the health care system, is a changing profession. One of the important changes that have taken place in the last few years is the growing importance of prevention and not just treatment of disease. There is an amazing growth of outpatient clinics, public health agencies, and health education programs aimed at prevention of disease and promotion of general “good health.”  There is, therefore, a growing need to provide comprehensive nutritional care for communities.

A community-medical dietetics curriculum combines knowledge and skills of both the hospital and community dietitian to meet societal demands for comprehensive nutritional care. A graduate of the program is a professional member of the health care team, and as a professional person has been trained to make decisions based upon a body of current scientific knowledge and acquired skills.

Accreditation

The Community-Medical Dietetic Program at Viterbo University is currently granted continuing accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL  60606, 312-899-5400.