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How to Critique Michael Wilson's Interview:

Your supervisor has asked you to critique Michael Wilson’s client history interview with Jay Carter. In any interview, both how you ask questions (style) and what questions you ask (substance) are important. You will be critiquing both of these aspects of Wilson’s interview.

Use the provided Client History Critique Template to record your work. Remember to review the schedule and familiarize yourself with your tasks.


Get Organized

1. Download the attachments from the email your supervisor sent you and save them in a folder you label in a helpful way. For example, you might name the folder “Michael Wilson” since he is the practitioner you are assessing. Remember that you will be referring to these materials as you complete several upcoming tasks, so make them easy to access.
   
   
2. Meet with your team.
   
   
   • Start by asking yourselves what exactly you have been asked to do. Re-read the email from Pat Niren and review the supporting materials attached in the email. Read all the steps in this Step-by-Step Guide to make sure you understand everything you need to accomplish for Task 1.1 Critiquing the Practitioner's Interview.
   
   
   
   • For ease of information exchange and project management, identify one person to be a team leader for this task. Picking a team leader now may help your team work more smoothly. (You can appoint a different leader for each task or keep the same leader throughout, depending on what your team decides). For additional guidance on how to work well in teams, refer to the materials related to Teamwork in the General Skills Resources in the left menu.

Prepare for Your Critique

The following tasks will help you prepare to critique Michael Wilson’s initial interview with Jay Carter. You may complete the tasks in whatever order you choose and structure your time as you and your teammates see fit.

1. Watch the video of Michael Wilson interviewing Jay Carter.  The first time you watch the interview, simply try to understand the overall context of the meeting as a way of familiarizing yourself with the client case. 
   
   On your initial viewing, you may want to generate ideas about what you intuitively think is good and bad about the interview and take notes as you go. 
   
   (The next step discusses how you might use the attached Client History Review Template to help you take productive notes. You may wish to look that over before you view the video.)
   
   Keep in mind, the purpose of the nutritional advisor’s (registered dietitian or nutritionist) initial consultation with the client is to uncover any problems the client has that the advisor can address through recommended dietary changes and/or referrals to other health specialists. So, a good interview needs to reveal details about the client’s diet and behavior as they relate to the client’s nutritional well-being.
   
   
2. Review the Client History Critique Template. This is the template you will use to critique Michael Wilson’s work. The following steps will help you complete the template, but for now read the template and think about the kind of information you will need as you prepare for your critique of Wilson’s interview. You may want to use the template questions to guide your note-taking when watching the video interview.
   
   

Conduct Your Critique

As you conduct your critique, consider the style and substance of Wilson’s interview with Jay Carter. You may complete the following tasks in whatever order you and your teammates decide, revisiting the video interview along the way to support your analysis. In order to determine answers to the questions below, refer to the Resources (link above) where you will find information about all of the topics listed. There is more information about the Resources in step 3 below.

Take notes on your answers to steps 1 and 2 below as you do your research. Later you can use your notes to write your final report in the template provided.

1. Watch the video again and think about Wilson's interview style. That is, how Michael Wilson asks questions and relates to his client, Jay Carter. To understand what elements make for a successful interview, you can do some research on good interview techniques using the materials available in Resources.
   
   
   • How well did Michael Wilson use key elements of style (tone, demeanor, rapport, etc.) to encourage his client, Jay Carter, to open up and share the details Wilson needed to know?
     
     
   • What style-related mistakes did Wilson make, that a practitioner should avoid, because they might make a client (Jay) reluctant to either talk or follow the practitioner’s suggestions?

2. Consider the substance of the interview. To determine what nutritional advisors should aim to learn about their clients in an initial assessment interview, you can do some additional research on good interview techniques using the Resources section. The following questions can guide both your research and your analysis of Wilson’s interview.
   
   
   • What information would a practitioner need to make an accurate assessment of a client’s nutritional needs?
     
     
   • What questions might you ask a client to arrive at this information?
     
     
   • Note that while you did receive the questionnaire that Michael Wilson used to direct his interview, you should not consider that to be the answer to the above questions. Different nutritionists and dietitians use different kinds of questionnaires for this purpose. They do not all agree on which ones are good. You might decide you do not think he used a good questionnaire, or you might think he should have asked questions that go beyond the questionnaire or that get more specific. As you consider the substance of the interview, you need to determine what you would want to ask if the client was your own.

3. Review the Resources link available (above) to help you with the task. In order to critique how well Michael Wilson took Jay’s history, you need to find out what a good client history interview entails. Therefore, before you can start your critique, you may first need to do some research. You should look into how a nutritionist or dietitian should approach an interview (style) and what they should aim to find out during the interview (substance). Take well-organized notes as you work.
   
   Particular Resources you may find helpful include:
   

• General Nutrition Resources for some useful background information--in particular if you have limited background on the topic of nutrition. These Resources will be available to you throughout the Nutrition Advisor rotation, while the Task Resources will vary for each task.
  
  
• Throughout the rotation, you may refer to the Diagnosis and Treatment Process document in the General Nutrition Resources section as a helpful orientation to the process of assessing and addressing a client’s nutritional needs. Step 1 may be particularly helpful at this point in the process.


• Good Interviewing Techniques in Task Resources, including Balancing Parent and Client Perspectives. Take note of the fact that not all practitioners involve parents in the interview and consider the implications that may have for a successful interview.
  
  

Write Your Report

1. Write your formal evaluation of Michael Wilson’s interview with Jay Carter. Use the notes you took in your answers to the questions above to help you write your final report in the Client History Critique Template.


2. Advise Michael Wilson on how to improve future client interviews. As a part of your final report, the Client History Review Template asks you summarize your findings for Wilson. Use as much space as necessary to provide a thorough summary (i.e., do not limit yourself to the space on the template).
   
   

Submit Your Work

1. Review your work. Revisit the template to be sure you thoroughly addressed each of the questions. Make sure all team members sign off on the completed template.
   
   
2. Submit your work to your mentor. Review the checklist located in the Submit Your Work section of this task and submit your work to your mentor.
   
   

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Interview Style:

• The nutritional advisor should help the client feel at ease and believe that s/he genuinely cares about his/her well-being. This approach helps the client feel comfortable enough to share important personal information with the practitioner so s/he can gather the relevant clinical findings through the interview process. Along these lines it is helpful for the practitioner to:
  
  
  • demonstrate active listening
  • have a good bedside manner
  • use a warm, welcoming tone
  • use receptive and interested body language
  
  
  
• Each nutritional advisor makes a choice to include (or not to include) the parent in the interview with a young client. In doing so, s/he should consider whether the parent’s presence or absence in the interview:
  
  
  • seems appropriate
  • introduces any risks in terms of the outcome of the interview
  • impacts the practitioner’s understanding of the client’s needs and risks

Interview Substance:

• A nutritional advisor should not simply ask questions that are on his/her client questionnaire. Instead, s/he should listen to the client and ask probing questions. Follow-up questions often reveal important information that is helpful in developing a plan that meets a client’s needs and fits his/her lifestyle.



• A practitioner should always consider what the client is not telling him/her. S/he should think about what additional information would be helpful to gather from the client and ask appropriate follow-up questions.

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When referring to a Wikipedia resource, note that while Wikipedia is a valuable resource, unlike some other websites anyone can contribute to or modify the site (whether they're knowledgeable about the topic or not). As a result, the site is subject to constant change by questionable sources. Be sure to cross-check information on Wikipedia with other reputable sites to ensure accuracy.

Overview of Eating Disorders - This overview gives you information on how to identify, assess, and treat eating disorders. The content provided in the overview links to useful web sites that provide additional, relevant information on clinical findings, risk factors and treatment options.

TASK RESOURCES

Information on a Career as a Dietitian or Nutritionist

Dietitian vs. Nutritionist - This site helps you understand the differences between a dietitian and nutritionist in terms of their qualifications.

Career Overview for Dietitians and Nutritionists - This site from the College Board gives you a general overview of what dietitians and nutritionists do and what skills you need to enter the nutrition field.

Educational and Professional Requirements for Dietitians - This page from the American Dietetic Association provides a summary of the educational and professional requirements for becoming a dietitian.

Good Interview Techniques

Ask the Expert: What are a dietitian's goals in an initial client interview?

Ask the Expert: What are some challenges when conducting a client interview and how do you address those challenges?

Ask the Expert: What general advice would you give about conducting a client interview?

Ask the Expert: How do you attempt to build rapport with your clients?

Ask the Expert: What do practitioners mean by "good bedside manner?"

Asking Probing Questions - This FAQ explains how practitioners use probing questions as part of their interviewing technique.

Putting it All Together: The Nutrition and Health Assessment - This page gives you helpful tips on the client interview and nutritional counseling process.

Balancing Client and Parent Perspectives - This FAQ helps you understand the challenges of conducting an effective client interview when both a parent and a child are present.

Asking Open-Ended Questions - The ability to ask open-ended questions is important in many situations. This page explains what open-ended questions are, and how they can be used effectively to solicit information.

Good Bedside Manner - This site gives you tips on how to build rapport with a client.

What is Active Listening? - This page from Wikipedia provides a definition on active listening and explains some of the benefits of putting this skill to use.

Different Types of Body Language - This site outlines the difference between various types of body language and how you might use each to communicate your message.

Client Education

Educating Clients about their Nutritional Health - This FAQ explains how a dietitian can educate the public on nutritional and dietary issues.

Maintaining Professionalism with Clients

Ask the Expert: What does client confidentiality mean in your field and why is it important? And what do you tell your clients about confidentiality and their rights? 

The Importance of Keeping Client Information Confidential - The issue of client confidentiality is an important one. This FAQ explains why confidentiality is vital to a dietitian's professionalism and must be taken seriously at all times.

Eating Habits

Common Causes of Unhealthy Eating Habits - Unhealthy eating habits develop over time. This FAQ explains some of the common causes of unhealthy eating habits and provides questions that dietitians can ask clients to help uncover unhealthy eating habits.

The Truth about Snacking - This FAQ addresses the misconceptions around snacking that exist in today's world.

GENERAL NUTRITION RESOURCES

Nutrition Tools & Practices

The Diagnosis & Treatment Process Specific to Nutrition - This document describes a process that health care professionals, and dietitians and nutritionists in particular, typically use to assess what is wrong with their patients, and how they develop treatment plans to help them.

MyPlate (originally The Food Guide Pyramid) - This site provides information on the MyPlate Program, which was designed by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to promote healthy nutrition in children over two years of age. It serves as a general guide to daily food choices and includes age-specific food plans, calorie counters, and general nutrition guidelines.

Background Information

The American Dietetic Association - This is the site for the nation's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals.

The American Society for Nutrition - This is the site for The American Society for Nutrition, a premier research society dedicated to improving the quality of life through the science of nutrition.

U.S. Department of Agriculture: Food and Nutrition - Under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's web site, this page gives you general useful information on food and nutrition.

U.S. Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans - Under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's web site, this page provides guidelines regarding how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases.

Nutritional Needs of Adolescents - This article provides a detailed account of facts and statistics regarding the nutritional needs of adolescents.

The Science of Biology, Eighth Edition, William K. Purves - This link requires a username and password. Your username is vista1, and your password is arginine. Using the menu at the top of the screen, select Chapter 50 (on nutrition) for the most relevant material.