Cathy O’Connor, MPH, RDPresentation to CAFP

Thursday January 30th, 2014

RDS IN THE WORKPLACEPractice 2006 2010

Clinical/Hospital 57% 37%Community(PH, LTC, family health)

21% 52%

Industry & Private Practice

<10% < 8%

Unemployed/outside of industry

12%DC. 2009. ON Dietetic

Workforce Survey 2009.

11% DC. 2010. On Task Force

on Dietetic Education Report.

CORPORATE OPPORTUNITIES!

Human Resources

Sales & Purchasing

Nutrition Expert

Marketing Director

Operations DirectorRegistered

Dietitian

OPPORTUNITIES: WELLNESS AND HEALTHY LIVING Based on 2010 survey, 460+ RDs to retire over the next 5

years!

60-90 Generation!People are blessed with long-life! (and resources….$ time to

maintain health)• Untapped Market• Lifestyle change management• Food, travel, activity

Mobile Apps• Consumers – 66% of Americans read labels; 60% source

nutrition information on-line• Food Network and Chef Celebrity• Families are cooking, growing vegetables and ordering

weekly food boxes – education?• Capitalize upon growing interest – develop an application to

integrate the lifestyle• You tube!

OPPORTUNITIES: WELLNESS AND HEALTHY LIVINGGovernment Initiatives –public health purse!

• Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Action Plan for Health Care

• Local Food Strategy• Local Food Act• Ministry of Education Healthy Eating Granto $50,000 for schools to ‘change food culture’o roof top herb gardenso Iron-chef culinary contestso re-furbing cafeteria eating spaceso local collaboration with farmers to showcase productso student nutrition action committees

• toward developing a holistic approach!

OPPORTUNITIES: WELLNESS AND HEALTHY LIVINGIndustry-Corporations• Hiring wellness experts• Expansion of health benefits• Reduction in the workplace of illness and absenteeism• Preventive approach to long-term employment

Educationo Healthier Students yield higher achievement and success!

• Curriculum o Resurgence of Home Economicso OAFE, Farm and Food Care, Agri-food

• National School Lunch Programo Collaboration of Ministries, Industry and Local

Producers

OPPORTUNITIES: WELLNESS AND HEALTHY LIVINGCollaborative Initiatives

• OMAF, DC, OFVGA, EDUo OMAF’s Foodland Ontario Programo EDU’s Guidelines for School Fundraising and

Foundations for Healthy Schoolso EatRight Ontario and Ontario’s Childhood Obesity

Panelo Fresh from the Farm, Healthy Fundraising for Ontario

Schools

• 70 schools – expansion to 19 school boards in 2014• Schools raised over $50,000; sold over 120,000 lb

vegetables and applesBuilt on Manitoba’s Farm Two School Healthy Fundraising

Programo 2010- 66 schools;o 2013- 410 (includes daycares)o 790,600 lb of vegetables and fruit

• raises awareness of the role good nutrition plays in the development and well-being of children

• supports the Ontario Ministry of Education’s SFBP• enables supportive nutrition environment – Comprehensive

School Health• opportunities for introducing the related topics of

agriculture, food, and healthy eating into the classroom • supports farmers through promotion and sales of fresh,

Ontario fruit and vegetables• promotes vegetables and fruit consumption within the

family home;• provides a healthy fundraising campaign and a profitable

revenue source for schools

KEY MESSAGES1. Don’t NARROW your focus (and miss potential

OPPORTUNITIES)o strive for moreo broad based profession

2. Become an EXPERT in your workplaceo H & S committeeso Management courseso Event Planning

3. Expand your HORIZONS - Continual SELF-DIRECTED LEARNINGo Develop organizational skillso Higher educationo Local organizationso Volunteer for community initiatives

4. Don’t UNDERESTIMATE what you can bring to an organizationo Transferable skills are often understated!

5. CONFIDENCE is an attractive attribute!