Page 61 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

SELF-ASSESSMENT 1

How satisfactory are the following openings? How can they be improved?

Employee Interview:
1. “Come on in. I’m very busy today, but need to hire a new employee. Do you have any work experience?”
2. “Hi, I’m Steve Johnson (shaking hands). We’re looking for a cook for early shift. Do you prefer early

hours or late?”
Patient/Client Interview:
1. “Hi, Mr. Jones. I’m Mary, a nutritionist. Have you been on a diabetic diet before?”
2. Entering patient room: “Good morning, Julia. What’s up? How are you guys doing today? I’m here to

tell you what to eat on a sodium-restricted diet.”

Exploration or Body

In the second stage, the exploration or body of the interview, the interviewee is asked a series of questions;
these are the tools used to obtain information. They are not spur of the moment. A good interviewer has
carefully preplanned these questions in a prepared “interview guide,” an outline of the information desired or
topics to be covered that are relevant to the clear purpose of the interview.3 The guide should tell not only
what questions will be asked, but also how questions will be phrased to gain the most information in the
limited time available. With practice, a natural flow will occur. Effective interviewers speak extemporaneously
rather than following a scripted, preplanned message.26

Topics should be arranged in a definite sequence. In a nutrition or diet history, for example, the interviewer
may desire information about foods and beverages consumed, eating in restaurants, portion sizes, meals,
methods of food preparation, and snacks. Put in sequence, the list includes meals, portion sizes, methods of
food preparation, snacks, beverages, and eating in restaurants. See Box 3-1 for questions and directives for diet
histories.

In a preemployment interview, the sequence may be examples of previous work experiences, career goals,
education, present activities and interests that are job-related, and personal qualifications. Specific questions
intended to gain information about the applicant’s qualifications, compared with those in the job description,
should be planned in advance.

1. “Who plans and prepares the meals at home? Who does the grocery shopping?”
2. “Are you currently restricting your food choices in any way?” (because of allergy, religion, intolerance,

etc.)
3. “Please tell me about any questions or issues you have in making food choices; about the people in

your family who eat together and any dietary problems they have.”
4. “How physically active are you?”
5. “Now I am going to ask you to think of all the foods and beverages you consume in a typical day.

Please tell me about the first food or drink you have after arising and the portion size of that food.”
6. “That’s good. Now tell me about what you eat and drink next including the amount.”

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