By: Aliahcorr Balanon
Photo by: Carlo Concepcion/The LANCE
The Colegio’s Nutrition and Dietetics (ND) program is aiming to enhance its accreditation level by the Philippine Accrediting Association of School, Colleges, and Universities’ (PAASCU) standard, conducting its formal survey visit on Feb. 3 and 4 for its re-accreditation.
The program, which previously received its Level I accreditation effective for three years, employs the benefits and incentives of the accreditation such as financial and full administrative deregulation.
Level II Re-Accredited Status entails the same benefits with Level I, with three to five years effectivity based on the appraisal of the accrediting agency.
In an exclusive interview with The LANCE, Inst. Jeanne Carla T. Bruce, RND, MSCN, shared that the department reviewed the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) memorandum detailing actions and recommendations from PAASCU’s formal survey as part of its preparations to meet the standards for the re-accreditation.
They also conducted a student and faculty evaluation consisting of teaching and learning, facilities, and other student services, followed by a Planning, Quality and Accreditation (PQA), orientation before the accreditation process.
During the formal survey visit, ND’s Nutrition Clinic is actively providing consultations for students and athletes, which also serves as immersion for students enrolled in the program.
According to Bruce, the key areas that needs to be improved in the program are the facilities, comprehensive freshmen recruitment, and increasing community engagement and exposure.
“We need to have more engagement when it comes to community so we are looking at immersions not just an exposure. So immersion means, you’re gonna be one with the community, more than just a day, so you would actually immerse more, not just get to know them in a very quick manner which is just exposure,” Bruce shared.
“In order to achieve them, these recommendations have been communicated with the management and hopefully we will be supported,” she added.
Bruce also shared the program’s capability of producing quality students despite its small population, mentioning ND’s 100% passing rate in the Nutritionist-Dietitian licensure exams since 2018.
Following the re-accreditation, future ND students can expect collaborations from different departments in Letran including partnership with the Senior High School department where the STEM students will be conducting their work immersion at the Nutrition Clinic.
The program is also looking forward to community partnerships, focusing on three fields of nutrition which are Good Service, which conduct visits to hotels and restaurants to see the actual operations of food establishments;
Hospital Dietetics, which entails visiting tertiary hospitals to see the dietary and trayline operations; Public Health, through observing health offices and barangays, and plans to visit indigenous communities.
“We’re actually integrating sports nutrition in the curriculum of nutrition program. In Letran, there are lots of athletes and the nutrition program actually supports the athletes,” Bruce said.
The program also encourages the students and faculty to participate in national and international competitions.
In 2024, ND students won the Championship in the Department of Science and Technology - National Capital Region’s (DOST-NCR) quiz bee and Bruce also emerged Top 2 in the Clinical Nutrition Research in Philippine Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (PhilSPEN).
“I was one among the five doctors. So, out of the 5, I’m the only one nutritionist and I emerged as the Top 2. So wherever we go, our students in the faculty, we bring the name of Letran with us,” Bruce said.
The program ensures that the facilities and resources meet the industry standard, adhering to the CHED memorandum and initiating the purchase of nutrition tools to meet the aforementioned points.