What do you charge for practice education opportunities?

Participation in our practice education opportunities at to.be.a.Dietitian comes at no cost to the student. We proudly accept the NHS education tariff through your University. For Universities in Scotland, Wales & Ireland, please get in touch for more information on how we can work with you & your learners. 

Are the PBL leads registered dietitians and what experience do they have?

Absolutely! Ellie is a registered dietitian with the HCPC and an active member of the British Dietetic Association. She has also achieved fellowship status in the Higher Education Academy and Ellie brings extensive experience in facilitating placements throughout her NHS & academic career. She has notably expanded placement opportunities in non-traditional sectors, orchestrating placements in public health and academic domains. Leveraging her profound understanding of HCPC standards of education and the BDA curriculum, coupled with her hands-on involvement in initiating, managing, and supporting practice placements, Ellie has played a pivotal role in establishing additional opportunities to fortify the future dietetic workforce at to.be.a.Dietitian.

We also work closely with our associate dietitians who are knowledgeable freelancers and/or lecturers in dietetics. Depending on the number of students and the specific requirements of the PBL several dietitians may be involved in supervising and facilitating the learners. The dietitians are chosen for their expertise in education, leadership, or speciality and you can find more information on our associates on our affiliates page.

Why are your opportunities virtual?

Hosting virtual placements for dietetic students enhances accessibility, scalability, and flexibility, enabling increased student capacity for all UK HEIs. It offers cost-effective, high-quality learning experiences, improves placement availability, reduces travel barriers, and supports diverse, real-world clinical scenarios.

Our learners have expressed that our opportunities have eased the financial burden, especially those ineligible for the bursary—such as international students. In addition to this, we have made it possible for learners with additional requirements to have accessible and rewarding practice based learning opportunities outside of the traditional PBL environment.

How do we ensure we deliver high quality practice based learning?

Our founder and primary educators are academic professionals & specialist dietitians with extensive experience in student training across various UK universities, the NHS, and private practice. Each brings unique but significant expertise in establishing and facilitating practice education opportunities.

We are actively involved in educational audits with all Universities we work with - we also try to share our audits where appropriate across Universities.

Why should your HEI use to.be.a.dietitian for extending PBL opportunities?

Universities face considerable challenges in growing student practice placements, especially given the limited capacity for NHS placements. Consequently, dietetic Higher Education Institution (HEI) teams have opted to internalise more practice education using simulation and virtual placements however, this shift has resulted in an increased workload. Currently, HEI teams grapple with the challenges of academic staff attrition, recruitment difficulties, and freezes. to.be.a.Dietitian was established to address this placement capacity gap by offering top-quality practice placement opportunities, thereby alleviating the heightened workload pressures on HEI teams. 

We have extensive experience in dietetic training across UK universities, the NHS, and private practice. Our PBL opportunities provide dietetic learners with experience they would not gained in traditional placement environments, growing the skill-set of the future workforce.  Our placements aim to foster the four pillars of dietetic practice by providing opportunities to:

1. Acquisition of knowledge in evidence-based practice, optimizing outcomes, and contributing to the evolving evidence base.

2. Cultivation of experience in dietetic practice across diverse settings, enhancing personal capabilities, skills, and knowledge transferable to various practice domains.

3. Accumulation and dissemination of knowledge of dietetic practice across professional roles.

4. Recognition of the responsibility of advocating for the dietetic profession.