BDA Pre-Registration Degree Accreditation Assessors Role Descriptor: January 2017

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1 BDA Pre-Registration Degree Accreditation Assessors Role Descriptor: January 2017 The BDA is seeking to recruit new accreditation assessors. The full role will commence in However, successful applicants will be invited to observe current accreditation assessors in 2017 to familiarise themselves with the process. The evolving nature of healthcare requires dietitians to develop their skills and knowledge throughout their careers, evolving their practice to meet the changing demands of clients, healthcare and their current scope of practice. Dietitians are working in new environments, within multi-professional and multi-agency teams and are extending their roles into nontraditional activities and environments. The challenge for the BDA within this rapidly changing environment is to secure and advance the science and practice of dietetics and to promote the unique skills and knowledge of the dietitian while recognising the reality of working within the NHS and other private, public and third sector environments. The BDA is the owner of the pre-registration curriculum and its role is to safeguard and promote the role and identity of the dietitian by clearly articulating and monitoring against these educational standards. The role of accreditation assessor is to review and comment upon programme documentation and other associated material, submitted by the University. The full process is further explained below. Benefits of the role: This is a paid role. Assessors will receive the following fees: Full Accreditation: 300 per assessor per application Annual accreditation: 100 per application NB: Each assessor can expect to receive approximately five reviews per year. The vast majority will be annual reviews, with full reviews occurring every five years and intermittently in the interim (when a dietetic programme is subject to major change).

2 The role of accreditation assessor is a senior position within the BDA and as such can be a valuable addition to your CV. It demonstrates engagement with your professional body at a senior level and is excellent evidence of CPD, thus helping to meet the HCPC requirements. In addition, it provides an opportunity for individuals to gain a deeper understanding of the dietetic pre-registration education process and issues affecting Universities across the UK. Full Accreditation Process Programme submissions may be from brand new pre-registration dietetic programmes or may result from major revisions to an existing programme, a (re)validation event or significant changes within the accreditation period. To remain accredited, every programme will need to go through the full accreditation process at least every five years. Applications are assigned to two accreditation assessors who will work alongside each other to consider the programme documentation. The BDA will aim to appoint a practitioner and an academic to work together on each individual application. The BDA will check for any conflict of interests when appointing assessors. This process has the following possible outcomes: Accreditation with no requirements. Accredit subject to meeting specified requirements No accreditation possible at the present time

3 Process Flowcharts Provisional Accreditation for newly developed programmes Key Recommendations University Activity Assessor Activity BDA Activity This section explains the full process broken down into three stages: pre-application, submission and assessment. The flowchart shows the full process along with timings.

4 Full accreditation process (for currently accredited programmes) Notification of intention to submit discussed with BDA at earliest opportunity. Submission of application to the BDA (electronic). Acknowledgement of receipt sent (5 working days). Applications reviewed by a team (two) assessors: where possible, one from practice and one from academia. An overarching feedback report will be drafted. (4 weeks) The review will result in three possible outcomes: Recommend accreditation subject to the meeting of specified requirements. Application is of insufficient quality to meet BDA standards. Not to recommend for accreditation University notified of outcome and the requirements and invited to provide the evidence to meet the requirements (up to 4 weeks) To recommend accreditation There are no requirements Additional evidence will be reviewed by the original assessment team (2-4 weeks) The re-review will result in two possible outcomes: Requirements not sufficiently evidenced / met Not to recommend for accreditation Ratification of outcomes by the Quality Standards Committee or Chair s action (4 weeks) Three possible outcomes at this stage Successful: Certificate and letter sent. Unsuccessful: Applicant notified and provided with information on the appeals process The Committee stipulates further requirements. Education Board notified of outcome. The Education Board reports all accreditation outcomes to BDA Council. BDA web pages and publicity material updated

5 Annual monitoring Accredited courses will be subject to annual monitoring which will normally take place within the spring term. Accreditation assessors will be invited to review up to five applications per year. Decisions are ratified by the Quality Standards Committee. If a major change has occurred or is identified by the assessor, the BDA reserves the right to request further information or to request a full accreditation process. A comprehensive summary of the assessment process is detailed in Appendix 1: Accreditation Process for Pre-registration Education and Training of Dietitians. Skills, Knowledge and Other Requirements of the Postholder In order to undertake this role, applications should meet the following criteria: Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Registered Dietitian Full members of the British Dietetic Association Passionate about the future of dietetics and associated pre-registration education Significant / extensive (current) experience in one or more of the following: o Practice education delivery (Pre-registration students) o Academia linking to pre-registration dietetic education o Education policy involving pre-registration dietetic education Significant experience of quality assurance, quality improvement and/or audit Significant leadership experience Meticulous attention to detail and significant experience of studying complex documentation (eg. Course approval documents)

6 Post-holders will be expected to attend annual training at the BDA Offices in Birmingham on BDA standards and associated processes. This normally occurs in January and is a joint meeting with the Quality Standards Committee. Travel expenses relating to annual training will be reimbursed. If this cost exceeds 150, assessors are advised to contact the BDA in advance of booking to ensure that the most cost effective ticket can be purchased. Whilst payment will not be given for shadowing undertaken by newly appointed assessors in 2017, full travel expenses for attending BDA training will be paid. Applications: To apply for this role please submit a covering and a copy of your CV to r.hudson@bda.uk.com. Closing date for applications: Sunday 26 February 2017 Further information: Rosanna Hudson, Policy Officer (Education) r.hudson@bda.uk.com