Centre for Education and DevelopmentCurriculum Framework for the Pre-Registration Education and Training of Dietitians

The curriculum framework for the Education and Training of Dietitians has been developed to describe in detail the key aspects of the knowledge, skills and attributes required by entry-level dietitians in order to ensure that new graduates are able to satisfy the Health Professions Council (HPC) Standards of Proficiency for Dietitians and are thus eligible for registration as a dietitian and work in the NHS and elsewhere.

In 2005 the responsibility for the curriculum was passed from the HPC to the British Dietetic Association (BDA).  At the point of transfer to the BDA the curriculum for dietetics education and training was described in the joint BDA/CPSM document Pre-Registration Education and Training of Dietitians, 2000. (PRET guidelines).  The Curriculum Framework for Education and Training of Dietitians, 2008 replaces these PRET guidelines.

The transfer of the responsibility for the curriculum from the HPC to the BDA afforded the opportunity to build on the previous developments and establish a curriculum framework which:

  • Describes what is expected of newly-qualified dietitians and provides the basis for development of specialist skills and capacity for long-term career development.
  • Enables the graduate dietitian to deliver evidence-based practice, problem solving and clinical reasoning within a multi-professional workforce.
  • Takes into account the changes in dietetic practice, both within and outside the NHS, and allows for future developments in health care.
  • Provides specific guidelines for the required content of qualifying programmes in dietetics whilst allowing flexibility for HEIs to develop their individual programmes.