CLÄ°NÄ°CAL NUTRÄ°TÄ°ON (NON-THESÄ°S)
Second Cycle Programmes
(Master's Degree)

D.1. General Information about Program

Hacettepe University Medical School is a pioneer and a leading medical school in Turkey since its first establishment through the qualified staff trained by the faculty. Currently a great number of master programs are being implemented. Clinical nutrition is an interdisciplinary field dealing with natural and artificial nutritional treatment of patients. Artificial nutrition is administration of nutrients either into gastrointestinal tract without passing through the mouth (enteral nutrition) or into systemic circulation (parenteral nutrition).  Clinical nutrition has a wide spectrum of patients who need nutritional support at home, hospitals, or nursing homes.  Although many branches of medicine including surgery, gastroenterology, anesthesia and reanimation, geriatrics, oncology, critical care, neurology, otorhinolaryngology, pediatrics etc. are involved in clinical nutrition, there are no widespread structured clinical nutrition education programs in Turkey. Only in Erciyes University there is a Clinical Nutrition Master Program in this country. In United States clinical nutrition fellowship programs are present in some universities.  

Malnutrition is an important health problem.  In a nationwide clinical study performed in 2009 including 34 hospitals and 29 139 patients by Turkish Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition Society (KEPAN), it was found that 15% of all hospitalized patients are malnourished. (Clinical Nutrition 2009:28;533-7).  Additionally in this study highest malnutrition rates were seen in critical care, cancer, and geriatric patients. On the other hand, although malnutrition rates were high only 51.8% of malnourished patients received nutritional support. One of the main reason of this deficiency is the lack of health care givers who are trained and gained awareness in clinical nutrition.

If patients who are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition do not receive nutritional treatment, the rate of complications and mortality is increased. Additionally hospital costs are also increased. Aging is a risk factor for malnutrition. As the population of Turkey is getting older, this topic is gaining more attention. Despite these facts, there is not much development in clinical nutrition education. Currently structured clinical nutrition education programs are scare in Turkey. Usually physicians become experienced in clinical nutrition only by their personal efforts. As a result of this, in many medical centers including teaching hospitals and universities, patients could not receive adequate nutritional management. 

As a result of the pioneering identity of the Hacettepe University, it was decided to open this program in order to meet this shortage and the future needs of our institution and our country to well-trained and skilled staff. If this program becomes an example to other universities in the future, a valuable contribution to the solution of an important problem of our country will be seen. The language of the program is Turkish. Students must complete at least ten classes not at least than total 30 credits and 60 ECTS and a term project. The training program includes theoretical courses as well as clinical skills such as patient evaluation/monitoring and practical applications including access for nutrition treatment.   The elective courses related to the basic and vocational courses mentioned in the program will be given by the relevant departments within the body of Hacettepe University School of Medicine and other than the relevant faculty members of the university including School of Pharmacy and Faculty of Health Sciences. Applied courses will be carried out by Hacettepe University Departments of General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Pediatrics, Neurology clinics, polyclinics and operating rooms.

D.2 Qualification Awarded

Non-thesis Master's Degree

D.3. Level of Qualification

QF-EHEA: 2
EQF-LLL: 7

D.4. Provisions for Registration

To be accepted to the clinical nutrition non-thesis master's program.

 http://www.saglikbilimleri.hacettepe.edu.tr/en/menu/ales_foreign_language_scores-252

http://www.saglikbilimleri.hacettepe.edu.tr/tr/menu/kanun_ve_yonetmelikler-219

D.5. Qualification Requirements and Regulations

In order to graduate from the program, students have to fulfill 60 ECTS credits with elective and required courses and complete the term project. Minimum of 40% of the total credit has to be taken from the elective courses within and outside the field. Student must successfully complete all courses and term project according to HU Graduate Education and Examination Regulations and must have at least 2.50 academic average.

http://www.saglikbilimleri.hacettepe.edu.tr/tr/menu/kanun_ve_yonetmelikler-219

D.6. Specific Arrangements for Recognition of Prior Learning

There is a similar program at Erciyes University in Turkey. It is possible for successful students who have an equivalent education and have completed at least one semester in another center abroad for lateral transfer. In order for the applications to be accepted, there should be an open position of a non-thesis graduate student in the department, the student has to meet the admission requirements of the graduate program that he/she wishes to transfer, he/she has to study at least one semester and must have taken C1 success grades from each of the courses. Lateral transfer and recognition of classes are accepted after being discussed in the Academic Board of the Non-Thesis Master of Clinical Nutrition Program and are finalized with the decision of the board of directors of the Institute.

D.7. Goals and Objectives

The aim of the Non-Thesis Master of Clinical Nutrition Program is to gain competence in the management of patients who are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, to develop skills and willingness for research and scientific production as well as good practice, to provide a contribution to meet the needs of our country to trained staff in this field.

D.12. Occupational Profiles of Graduates with Examples

Doctors, who graduated from this program, can contribute to education of clinical nutrition by being appointed as trainers in educational institutions, and to more effective and correct treatment of patients in the light of scientific principles by being appointed as clinical nutrition specialist at public and private hospitals.

D.13. Access to Further Studies

QF-EHEA:
EQF-LLL:

D.14. Profile of the Programme

The program consists of theoretic and application courses (nutritional assessment, calculation of nutritional requirements, access routes, patient follow-up etc.) and the term project (writing a scientific manuscript and submission to a journal for publication). Sixty percent of the courses are required and 40% of them are elective. Elective courses consist of within and outside the field courses (epidemiology, statistics, etc.) and start from the first semester of education. Applied courses are performed in general surgery, internal medicine, anesthesiology and reanimation, pediatrics, neurology clinics, polyclinics and operating rooms. Required courses in the program are for a semester and elective courses can be opened in both semesters. While, the courses in the program provide the students with the basic knowledge about the field since the first semester, application courses aim to transform the knowledge, which was learned, into skills and competencies.

D.15. Examination Regulations, Assessment and Grading

To graduate from the program, students must complete a total of 60 ECTS courses, not less than 30 credits, and a term project. Minimum of 40% of the total credit is to be taken from the elective courses within and outside the field. Student must successfully complete all courses, applications and term project, which were required by the program, according to HU Graduate Education and Examination Regulations and must have at least 2.50 academic average.

 http://www.saglikbilimleri.hacettepe.edu.tr/tr/menu/kanun_ve_yonetmelikler-219

D.16. Graduation Requirements

Students who successfully complete the at least ten courses and credits specified in the curriculum in the first two semesters must take the Term Project course in the third semester. Students are required to register for this course in the semester in which the term project is taken and to submit a written project and / or report at the end of the semester. Students who meet these requirements can graduate with the Master of Science Degree (Non-Thesis) on Clinical Nutrition

http://www.saglikbilimleri.hacettepe.edu.tr/tr/menu/kanun_ve_yonetmelikler-219

D.17. Education Type

1. Full Time Education

D.18. Programme Director

Prof.Dr. Kaya YORGANCI