Date of Conferral
9-3-2024
Date of Award
September 2024
Degree
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
School
Education
Advisor
Danette Brown
Abstract
To meet accreditation benchmarks, program directors of dietetic education programs monitor registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) exam pass rates. The RDN exam first-time pass rate for a midwestern university’s dietetic coordinated graduate program (CGP) had been 72.73% in 2022, 47.62% in 2021, 60.87% in 2020, and 69.7% in 2019, all of which fell below the required minimum of 80% for accredited dietetic education programs. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between undergraduate degree type and passing the RDN exam on the first attempt. Constructivism was the theoretical framework that informed this study. This study employed a quantitative correlational design with a Chi-square analysis of secondary data. The independent variable was undergraduate degree type (dietetics or non-dietetics undergraduate degree), and the dependent variable was passing the RDN exam or not (yes/no). The research question focused on whether an association exists between passing the RDN exam on the first attempt and having a dietetics or non-dietetics undergraduate degree. Chi-squared results were C2 (1) = .048, p = .82. The analysis revealed no association between undergraduate degree type and passing the RDN exam on the first attempt, and the CGP’s overall RDN exam pass rate was 59.7%, which informed the study’s project. A recommendation from the study was to enhance the curriculum of an RDN exam preparation course to help students pass the RDN exam on the first attempt. In the context of positive social change, enhancing dietetics education to prepare students from all backgrounds to pass the RDN exam on their first attempt has the potential to improve health equity by diversifying the dietetics workforce.
Recommended Citation
Ford, Jennifer J., "Undergraduate Degree Type and Passing the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Exam on the First Attempt" (2024). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 16109.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/16109
