Upcoming events
Certificate in Paediatric Nutrition and Dietetics
The Department of Nutrition and Food Services at the Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) in Melbourne began a Certificate in Paediatric Nutrition and Dietetics in 1997. This highly regarded course is exclusively for qualified dietitians, with the course content targeted to meet the training needs and learning outcomes for Paediatric Dietitians.
Entry criteria
University entry criteria apply. Candidates must hold a graduate or post graduate qualification in Dietetics. Evidence of qualifications must be provided.
Successful completion of Unit 1 is required to proceed to Unit 2. It is not possible to complete Unit 2 prior to Unit 1. However, Dietitians with 3+ years' experience in paediatric dietetics may apply to complete Unit 2 only.
Dates
The
course runs within a financial year i.e. July
- June.
2025
- Unit 2: 12th-15th May 2025.
- Unit 1: 8th-11th September 2025.
Contact hours
Two Units will be held in blocks of 4 days (Monday-Thursday). Each unit provides approximately 24 contact hours with additional non-contact hours
required to complete assessment tasks.
Venue
Unit 2 2025 will run onsite at the Royal Children's Hospital in Ella Latham Lecture Theatre.
Unit 1 2025 will be online. (Unit 2 2026 will also be online)
Soft-copies
of slides will be provided prior to the course start date where possible.
Assessment
Assessment for both units is by a written online examination to be completed following each of the units.
Participants pass the examination to receive a certificate of completion.
NB: Completion of Unit 1 and 2 does not render participants experienced, paediatric dietitians. Within the realms of the two units, it is only possible to provide the theoretical background on which future practice can be based. Following the course, it is the
responsibility of each participant to keep their knowledge regarding paediatric nutrition updated.
Registration
In order to register you will need to create an account on the RCH online learning platform, please follow the instructions once you have clicked on the below link.
Price
tbc
Refunds
As per the Royal Children's Hospital Online Learning Platform:
a) Requests for
refunds must be made in writing and should be emailed to the course
administrator
b) The below
table outlines when learners can request a refund and the % refund. Please
note the 1.5% card-processing fee included in the course fee is
non-refundable.
|
Within 24 hours of
event
|
Learners requesting a
refund within 24 hours before event start date.
|
No
refund
|
|
7 days before
|
Learners requesting a
refund up to 7 days before event start date.
|
50%
refund
|
|
30 days before
|
Learners requesting a
refund up to 30 days before event start date.
|
Full
refund
|
Course Information:
Unit 1 Nutrition and Child Health
On successful completion of this unit participants will:
- Be competent in assessment of nutritional status, growth and nutritional requirements of infants, children and adolescents.
- Understand the aetiology of common nutrition-related diseases, which have their origins in childhood.
- Be competent to provide the nutritional requirements of infants, children and adolescents across common nutrition related disorders.
- Understand and apply current research findings to the care of paediatric patients.
Unit 1 Topics
General Paediatrics:
- Growth
and nutritional assessment
- Breastfeeding
and introduction of solids
- Infant
formula - new developments and manipulations to meet altered requirements.
- Toddler nutrition and fussy eating
- Workshops
on growth and energy requirements from infancy through to adolescents
Specific Nutrition Problems
- Common
childhood disorders requiring nutritional intervention such as growth faltering
and iron deficiency.
- Management
of common infant gastrointestinal disorders: constipation, colic, reflux and
gastroenteritis.
- Feeding
difficulties including practical aspects of feeding children with a disability
- Enteral
feeding
- Dietary
management of simple allergy
Community Nutrition Topics
- Paediatric
public health issues e.g. childhood obesity
- Communicating
with children and adolescents
- NDIS
Unit 2: Clinical Paediatric Dietetics
On successful completion of this unit participants will:
- Be competent in the nutritional and dietary assessment of infants, children and adolescents with a range of acute and chronic diseases.
- Have a detailed understanding of nutritional management and dietary therapy in children with acute and chronic diseases.
- Be able to plan, implement and evaluate nutritional interventions, including dietary manipulation and artificial nutrition support measures.
- Understand and apply current research findings to the care of paediatric patients.
Unit 2 Topics:
Unit 2 focuses on clinical conditions common in paediatrics. Lectures and workshops are disease specific and include an overview of the condition, nutritional assessment, estimating nutritional requirements and management.
- Topics include diabetes, renal disease, oncology, liver disorders, GI disorders, neonates, eating disorders, congenital heart disease, ketogenic diets for epilepsy, parenteral nutrition, intestinal failure, cystic fibrosis, complex food allergy, inborn errors of metabolism and PICU
Dietitian Professional Development Day 2025
Opportunities for updating and maintaining skills in the area of paediatric nutrition are limited. This professional development day provides an update across a range of topics of interest to both community and clinical dietitians.
Who should attend?
Dietitians working in clinical, community or private practice settings seeking to develop or update skills in providing nutrition services for children and adolescents.
The program is suitable for dietitians looking for an update after completing the Certificate in Paediatric Nutrition and Dietetics at The Royal Children’s Hospital as well as those with an interest in paediatric nutrition.
Course Information:
Date: Thursday 27th November 2025
Time: 8.30am-4.30pm
Mode: Online
Other details tbc in the second half of 2025
Nursing Education Day 2025
Nurses play a key role in monitoring children’s growth and development and supporting families. With so many areas to address keeping up to date and ensuring practice is evidence based can be challenging. This symposium provides a unique opportunity to update knowledge on a range of nutrition related topics in a one-day program.
Who should attend?
Maternal and Child Health Nurses – including students or those wishing to increase knowledge and skills, Community Nurses and Allied Health Professionals with an interest in early child nutrition, health and development.
Course Information:
Date: Thursday 24th July 2025
Time: 8.30am-4.30pm
Mode: Online
Other details tbc
For queries regarding the above courses please contact nutrition.education@rch.org.au