According to L. 10 August 2000, n. 251, art. 3, subsection 1, graduates of this class are healthcare professionals who practice with professional autonomy the technical procedures needed to carry out dietary and nutritional diagnostic methods, in compliance with regulations about professional profiles provided for by Decree of the Ministry of Health.
Graduates of the class possess adequate grounding in core disciplines, so that they can better understand the main element at the basis of pathological processes upon which their technical nutritional intervention in the evolutive, adult and geriatric age is focused.
They should also be able to use at least one European Union language, besides Italian, in their specific professional field and to exchange general information.
Graduates of this class (Decree of the Minister of Health , 14/09/1994 n. 744), graduates are healthcare professionals with a specific competence in all the activities aiming at the correct application of alimentation and nutrition, including the educational aspect and the cooperation to the enactment of food policies, in compliance with the laws in force.
Graduate dieticians organise and coordinate specific activities with respect to alimentation in general and dietetics in particular; they cooperate with the bodies in charge for the hygienic-sanitary protection of food services; they draw, formulate and enact diets prescribed by physicians and check patient’s compliance; they cooperate with other professionals in the multidisciplinary approach to alimentation disorders; they study and elaborate food rations suited for the satisfaction of nutritional needs of population groups and plan the organisation of food community services for healthy and ill people; they carry out didactic-educational and information activity aiming at the diffusion of the principles of a correct alimentation, such to permit the recovery and maintenance of health of singles, communities and groups; they carry out their professional activity within public or private healthcare facilities, both as employees and as private practitioners.
The duration of the Degree Course in Dietetics (Class of the Degree in the Technical Health Professions class 3) is three years. The number of credits to be acquired on average for each year is 60, for a total of 180 credits. The university educational credit is the unit of measure of the learning work necessary for the student to complete the training activities prescribed for the achievement of the qualification. A University Formative Credit (CFU) corresponds to 25 hours of learning work, including lesson hours, theoretical and practical lessons, exercises, workshops, seminars and other training activities, including individual study hours.
Each CFU, depending on the type of training, can consist of: 10 hours of frontal lesson + 15 hours of study dedicated to self-learning of the student; 15 hours of laboratory training + 10 hours of self-learning study.
Internship means internship activity in the laboratory, ward, clinic.
