Bachelor degree of Clinical Nutrition

The human body and its health depend to a great extent on healthy diet and nutrition. The clinical nutrition program has been built on the relation between basic nutrients with elements that effects food consumption, individual's health and nutritional status. It is also dependant on recognizing the community's needs in health and sickness.

The clinical nutrition program has been structured to qualify students to efficiently perform their practical experience in the field of clinical nutrition and the treatment of disease related to nutrition and to cope with any nutritional problems that face them in the hospitals or other health centers.

Students have also been taught how to plan and implement clinical nutrition programs, diet recipes and to organize and assess nutritional contents of various foods and to plan nutrition education programs.

After an extensive study of a number of clinical nutritional programs at international universities, a revised educational program has been prepared in 1427H to be up to date with the latest academic requirements with respect to the curriculum and its content keeping in mind the health environment for the Saudi society and its needs for awareness and nutrition education. 

Vision, mission and goals of Clinical nutrition program

Vision

Leadership and excellence in the field of clinical nutrition.

Mission:

Graduating qualified clinical nutrition specialists provided with sufficient knowledge and skills and armed with values required for professional practices and leadership in the field of clinical nutrition that meet the aspirations of the community at the national and international levels.

 Goals:

1. Providing the students with outstanding educational experiences in the field of clinical nutrition according to international standards that develop their professional practices.
2. Building the students' competencies of critical thinking, problem solving and effective communication that help them dealing with various nutritional problems in collaboration with the health care team and other nutrition- related sectors.
3. Integrating community service activities into the program to adopt healthy nutrition attitudes and behaviors and instill values ​​of compassion, loyalty and belonging among students.
4. Fostering the principles of life-long learning to empower students' professional self-development, and encourage their participation in conferences, workshops and clinical nutrition related scientific research activities.

Admission Criteria for Clinical Nutrition Program

1. Student should meet the requirements for acceptance in the college of Applied Medical Sciences under the terms of Deanship of Admission and Registration that include:
     • Graduation from high school with an average not less than 90%,
     • Pass a proficiency test,         
     • Pass a personal interview  

2. Pass the preparatory year.

3. At the end of the second level, student should fill out a form of specialization and based on the comparison between the students according to the cumulative GPA for the student.

Job Description for the graduate:
Professional Title: Clinical Nutrition Specialist.

Job Description of Clinical Nutrition Specialists:

• Evaluate and assess nutritional status for individual either in normal or abnormal condition.
• Identify the health, psychological and social factors that affect on or effect by the nutritional status.  
• Choose the type and content of food that appropriate for the patient.
• Work with the physician to support the patient on diseases treatment by identify the type and amount of nutritional supplements that should be given to the patient orally or by enteral or parenteral nutrition.
• Identify the effect of diet therapy on the patient health status and identify any complication yield from this diet therapy in some diseases.
• Use some computer programming systems to plan and calculate the nutrient need that meet the patient's nutritional needs.
•  Planning and coordination with some nutritional programmes like; Nutritional care and Community nutrition.
• Evaluate and observe the nutritionals' programs and strategies.
• Plan and apply the nutritional education program to various disease status that appropriate to every patient.
• Show all the medical team about the nutritional policies and guidelines that offer to the patients.
• Being a reference on nutrition education and nutritional information.
• Work as the supervisor of food services and trained the people who work  on the nutritional services.
• Apply the quality assurance in the nutritional services.
• Publish some research and studies that relate to clinical nutrition field.
• Respect the patients authority and obligate on the career ethics and policies.

Terms of graduation:

In order to obtain a Bachelor of Applied Medical Sciences in the field of Community Health Sciences- Clinical Nutrition from the King Saud University, the student must successfully pass the  135credit hours - eight levels including University requirement (33 credit hours), and department requirements (102 credit hours distributed on 6 levels). In addition to 50 weeks of internship in hospitals or other relevant health sectors.

Career Opportunities:

Job opportunities for graduates of the program are available in different health sectors, in governmental and private hospitals, in primary health care centers, in professional institutions, and regional health organizations, and voluntary associations, and others.

The Saudi graduates who have obtained an average of "excellent" or "very good" might be appointed in the department as demonstrators or given the opportunity to acquire a master's degree either in Saudi Arabia or abroad, and there is a master program for clinical nutrition offered in the college which started from the second semester of 1409 H until now.