poet_kelly
on 9/25/11 12:42 am - OH

RNY on 11/04/08

I came across this information on wlsvitagarten today and thought I'd post a link so anyone else that's interested could read it. I'll sum it up, though - in a survey of 106 medical schools in the US, it was found that only 30% actually require doctors to take a nutrition class. That means 70% of doctors out there may have never taken one single class in nutrition. Now, many of the schools that did not require doctors to take a separate class in nutrition did provide some nutrition training during other courses, but on average, medical students received only 23.9 hours of education about nutrition. Note that two of the medical schools surveyed did not offer any training in nutrition at all. None.

Here's the link: wlsvitagarten.com/2011/06/10/study-status-of-nutrition-educa tion-in-medical-schools/

Kelly

Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.

Cherylkas
on 9/25/11 12:51 am - PA

Only 30% that is crazy. But then I guess that is why at least most bariatric docs have a nut/dietician working for them. My doc always tells me to talk to her person when I have a specific question as he knows more then her in that area. I am one of the lucky ones my guy is a dietician not just a nut.

Come visit me on my blog: http://apeekintomytreehouse.com/

Start weight 282, Surgery weight 265, Current weight 131, Goal weight 140

A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water. Eleanor Roosevelt

Price S.
on 9/25/11 2:32 am - Mills River, NC

RNY on 09/09/10

Explains a lot, huh.

66 yrs young, 4'11" hw 220, goal 120 met at 12 months, cw 129 learning Maintainance

Between 35-40 BMI? join us on the Lightweight board. the Lightweight Board

nfarris79
on 9/25/11 6:20 am - Germantown, MD

RNY on 04/13/11

I was impressed that this is a fairly recent study - 2006 may seem like a long time ago but in the world of "publish or perish", getting things out to a higher tier journal is a major deal. And their response rate was really good too. So yeah for the authors.
Now, the content: while pretty disturbing if we make assumptions about what drs know, reminds us that specialists have an instrumental place in our "treatment team". If one relies on their surgeon's opinion or even their PCP's ideas of nutrition, we're sailing thru uncharted waters. I'd been thru about 3 nutritionists before I found one that keeps up on her continuing education, has a plan that makes sense for what I know about my body, and is an RD. Not everyone has the luxury of deciding who is the best health care professional for them. Sometimes it's location, sometimes it's insurance companies - people get stuck with what is out there. I'm grateful that I live in a metro area with a sizeable medical community.

First ultra: Stone Mill 50 miler 11/15/14 13:44:38, First Full Marathon: Marine Corps 10/27/13 4:57:11, Half Marathon PR 2:04:43 at Shamrock VA Beach Half-Marathon, 12/2/12 First Half-Marathon 2:32:47, 5K PR Run Under the Lights 5K 27:23 on 11/23/13, 10K PR 52:53 Pike's Peek 10K 4/21/13, (1st timed run) Accumen 8K 51:09 10/14/12.

poet_kelly
on 9/25/11 7:54 am - OH

RNY on 11/04/08

Oh, specialists absolutely have a place on our treatment team. It's kind of strange, when you think about it, that we expect our surgeons to be experts in nutrition as well as in bariatric surgery. I mean, if we had a problem with our teeth, we'd call our dentist, right? We wouldn't say well, that's close enough to a medical problem, let's just ask the surgeon. But also, if we did ask our surgeon, he would most likely tell us to call our dentist. However, many of us have surgeons that allow us or even encourage us to treat them like experts in nutrition.

I think having a dietician that keeps up on continuing education is very important. New information comes out all the t ime.

Kelly

Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.

Cicerogirl, The PhD
Version
on 9/25/11 10:17 am - OH

RNY on 08/27/07

An acquaintance of mine who is an endocrinologist was not required to take any courses in nutrition in med school, but one was offered. (I don't know if there was MORE than one offered... I just know that he opted to take one nutrition-related course but only because weigth and nutrition are obviously relevant to his specialty.)

Lora

14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained

You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.

poet_kelly
on 9/25/11 10:22 am - OH

RNY on 11/04/08

Weight and nutrition seem VERY relevant to endocrinology. It's hard to believe that ONE class would provide all the information an endocrinologist would need to know. and what about all the endocrinologists out there that opted not to take the optional course in nutrition?

Kelly

Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.

Cicerogirl, The PhD
Version
on 9/25/11 10:31 am - OH

RNY on 08/27/07

Exactly! Scary that some of the endocrinologists coming out of his program might not have taken ANY nutrition course...!

Lora

14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained

You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.

nutrition classes in medical school

A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water. Eleanor Roosevelt

Our Mission

Follow us

Links

Select Photos

nutrition classes in medical school

A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water. Eleanor Roosevelt