DIETETICS – STUDY PROGRAM

Studies at the Silesian College of Medicine in Katowice can be undertaken full-time or part-time. For each, courses are conducted according to the following respective schedule:

Full-time - courses are held from Monday to Friday (on average 6 academic hours a day starting from the morning).

Part-time
For part-time studies, the courses (practical classes, seminars, lectures) are usually held every two weeks on Fridays starting from 16:00, and on Saturdays and Sundays.

Note!
The starting and ending time of courses on given days may change depending on the number of hours in the semester and the schedule. The times presented are as close as possible to the actual ones.
 
The study program combines knowledge in the field of medicine, chemistry and dietetics with the practical skills required for the profession in contemporary market conditions.

 CURRICULUM:

DIETETICS – UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM – PRACTICAL PROFILE

No.	Course name	1 YEAR		2 YEAR		3 YEAR		4 YEAR
		I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII
I	GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES
1	Foreign language	x	x	x	x
2	Occupational safety and health	x
3	IT					x
4	Foundations of ethics				x
5	P.E. (full-time studies)	x
II	BASIC COURSES
6	Human anatomy	x
7	Human physiology	x	x
8	Human physiology				x
9	General and food biochemistry	x
10	Food chemistry	x
11	General and food microbiology		x
12	Parasitology		x
13	Genetics		x
14	Qualified first aid					x
III	MAJOR COURSES
15	Human Nutrition	x	x
16	Pediatrics				x
17	Clinical outline of internal and surgical diseases			x
18	Nutritional pharmacology and pharmacotherapy			x
19	Nutritional education					x
20	Law and economics in health care					x
21	Analysis and evaluation of food quality			x
22	Hygiene, toxicology and food safety				x
23	Food technology and science of food commodities		x	x
24	Basics of diet therapy				x
IV	SPECIALIZATION COURSES
	SPECIALIZATION: NUTRITIONAL COUNSELLING
25a	Nutrition laboratory for the specialization of nutritional counseling					x	x	x
26a	Interpersonal communication					x
27a	Entrepreneurship and organization of nutritional counseling						x
28a	Diet-related diseases and preventive diets						x	x
29ab	Nutrition for pregnant and breastfeeding women						x
30ab	Nutrition for children and adolescents							x
31ab	Nutrition for physically active people							x
32ab	Nutrition for the elderly						x
33ab	Coaching w dietetyce							x
34ab	Public health							x
	SPECIALIZATION: DIETETICS IN SPORT AND WELLNESS
25c	Nutrition laboratory for the specialization of dietetics in sport and wellness					x	x	x
26c	Physiology of exercise					x
27c	Endocrinology of physical exercise						x
28c	Sports medicine						x
29c	Biological regeneration and body shaping						x
30c	Dietetics in sport and wellness						x	x
31c	Modern-age diseases and preventive diets						x	x
32c	Biologically active compounds in vegetables and fruits							x
33c	Nutritional coaching in sport							x
34c	Health promotion							x
35c	Ecology and environmental protection							x
36c	Organization of catering in spas and wellness facilities							x
	SPECIALIZATION: CLINICAL DIETETICS
25b	Nutrition laboratory for the specialization of clinical dietetics					x	x	x
26b	Clinical psychology					x
27b	Clinical dietetics						x	x
28b	Mass catering organization						x
29ab	Medical biology						x
30ab	Food and nutrition legislation						x
31ab	Nutrition in the perioperative care						x
32ab	Gerontological dietetics						x
33ab	Pediatric dietetics							x
34ab	Infectious and parasitic diseases and nutrition							x
35b	Medical coaching							x
V	GRADUATE THESIS WORKSHOP
Va	Methodology of scientific research					x
Vb	Diploma seminar						x	x
VI	VOCATIONAL TRAINING		x		x	x	x

 * The College reserves the right to modify the courses in accordance with the regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education on the education standards for individual faculties and levels of education, as well as creation and conditions for creation of inter-disciplinary studies and combination majors of July 12, 2007.

Outline of selected courses

 Basic courses

1. Human anatomy
Basics of human anatomy with special emphasis on the digestive system, its structure and function. Locomotor system. Respiratory system. Circulatory system. Urogenital system. Endocrine glands. Central, peripheral and autonomic nervous system. Functional anatomy.

2. Human physiology
Neurohormonal regulation of physiological processes. Metabolism. Water-electrolyte balance. Acid-alkaline balance. Physiology of the digestive system, respiratory system, circulatory system, internal secretion glands and nervous system. Digestion, absorption and metabolism of nutrients. Sensory organs.

3. General psychology
Psychological determinants of contact with the patient. Communication styles. Barriers in communication. Psychological and pedagogical foundations of nutritional education. Psychological and ethical problems in the profession of a dietician.

4. General and food biochemistry
Biochemistry as a life science. Cell structure as the environment of metabolic transformations. Biochemical characteristics of carbohydrates, fats, amino acids, vitamins and nucleic acids. Enzymes, hormones - their structure and functioning. Oxidation processes. Nitrogen cycle. Metabolism.

5. Food chemistry
Functional properties, biochemical and chemical transformations of food ingredients. The impact of storage and processing conditions on food ingredients. Mutagenic and carcinogenic substances in food. Interactions between food additives and food.

6. General and food microbiology
Role of microorganisms in nature. Gastrointestinal microorganisms. Characteristics of various groups of microorganisms in food technology and nutrition. Role of food microbiology. Food poisonings. Technological processes and the microbiological quality of food. Microbiological evaluation of production processes and ready-made food.

7. Parasitology
Clinical parasitology. Protozoa and intestinal helminthic infections. Tissue protozoa and helminthic infections. Exotic parasitic infections. Arthropod parasite infections. Treatment of groups of patients at risk.

8. Genetics
Mechanisms of gene transfer. Genetic and environmental determinants of human characteristics. Genetically determined diseases. Diet therapy of genetically determined diseases. Pharmacogenetics and ecogenetics. Genetic engineering.

9. Qualified first aid
Recognizing situations posing a threat to human health or life. Assessment of the person's clinical signs in a state of emergency. Restoration, maintaining and stabilization of basic vital functions - respiratory and circulatory functions. Protection and stabilization of various areas of the body damaged as a result of external factors. Providing qualified first aid under various environmental threats. Organizing and conducting safe transport for people in the state of an imminent threat to their health or life.

MAJOR COURSES

1. Human Nutrition
A historical outline of the evolution of nutrition. Composition of the human body. Nutrition and individual development. Proteins, carbohydrates and fats - their classification, role in nutrition, digestion and absorption, nutritional value, sources, dietary requirements. Dietary fiber. Role of water in human body. Minerals and vitamins - functions in the body, dietary requirements and sources. Metabolic processes and energy balance of the system. Energy sources. Nutrition standards. Classification of food products. Classification and characteristics of various diets. Fortified food. Functional food. Principles of menu planning. Diet and nutritional status evaluation. Nutritional norms in Poland. Nutrition in sport. Nutrition for adults and the elderly. Vegetarianism. Veganism. Malnutrition. Diet therapy in diseases. Introduction to dietetic treatment of nutrition-dependent diseases. Nutritional treatment. Psychogenic eating disorders. Nutrition in allergies, food intolerance and malabsorption syndromes. Nutrition in obesity.

2. Pediatric dietetics
Principles of nutrition for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Nutrition in pathological states of pregnancy. Natural and artificial feeding of infants, principles and conditions for preparing meals for healthy and sick infants. Selection and nutritional value of milk formulas, cereal, meat, fruit and vegetable products for infants and older children. Celiac disease - principles of nutrition for children and adolescents, selection and use of gluten-free products. Exclusion diets in phenylketonuria, galactosemia, lactase and sucrase deficiencies. Food allergies.

3. Clinical outline of internal and surgical diseases
The concepts of health, illness, inflammation and infection. Diseases of the alimentary, circulatory, respiratory, urinary and nervous systems. Allergic diseases and immunological disorders. Infectious and parasitic diseases. Metabolic diseases. Nutrition-dependent diseases. Cancer. Pathologies of the elderly - geriatrics. Injuries. The impact of diseases on the nutritional status. The impact of malnutrition on the course of disease.

4. Nutritional pharmacology and pharmacotherapy
Drugs and their impact on the body. Drugs used in diseases of the digestive system. Nutritional pharmacotherapy. The impact of nutritional status on drug efficiency. Types of drug interactions with food.

5. Nutritional education
Aims and objectives of nutritional education. Organization of nutritional counseling. Role of a nutritionist in health care. Individual and group counseling, nutritional demonstrations. Economic factors in planning an appropriate diet. Health threats resulting from improper diet. Prevention of modern-age diseases and improper diets. The impact of mass media on nutrition.

6. Law and economics in health care
Food and nutrition situation in Poland and around the world. State health policy. Sources and methods of financing health services. Quality in health care. Medical services contracts. Selected issues in the area of labor and business law.

7. Analysis and evaluation of food quality
Techniques used in the evaluation of food quality. Methods for marking basic food ingredients. Food quality standards. Principles of sampling for analyzes.

8. Hygiene, toxicology and food safety
Anti-nutritive substances in food. Food additives. Biological and chemical contamination. Nitrogen substances in raw food materials and food products. Radiological food contamination. Pesticides. Heavy metals. The impact of technological processes on food contamination.

9. Food technology and science of food commodities
Technological processes used in food production, preparation and storage of raw food materials and meals and their impact on the food quality. Machinery and equipment for: pre-treatment of raw materials, thermal processing, washing and sterilization of containers. Initial and heat processing of raw materials. Designing production and dispatch halls. Practical food production. Techniques of food preservation.

SPECIALIZATION COURSES

1. Mass catering organization
Organization of catering in hospitals: hospital kitchen, external catering - advantages and disadvantages. Nutrition department: role and position in the structure of the hospital. The system of ordering meals for patients. Meal hours. Additional meals. Prevention of malnutrition in the hospital. Standards of nutrition for hospital patients. Principles of choosing diets for hospital patients. Nutritional education in the hospital. Dietary counselling. Dietary recommendations after discharge from the hospital. The role of a dietician. Catering - production and distribution systems of food products and meals. Required sanitary and hygienic conditions. Machines and equipment.

2. Diet-related diseases and preventive diets
Diet-related diseases: definition, epidemiology, causes, contemporary challenges, life expectancy. Economic and social costs of diet-related diseases. Nutrition and physical activity in the prevention and treatment of obesity in adults.
Integrated prevention of non-communicable diseases. Measures undertaken around the world and in Poland. Green paper. Promoting healthy nutrition and physical activity. The scope of prevention of overweight, obesity and chronic diseases in EU. Recommendations of the EC. Diabetes. Hypertension. Atherosclerosis. Osteoporosis. Diseases of the digestive system. Alcoholism.

3. Clinical dietetics
Clinical nutrition. Definition. Objectives. Methods. Basic nutrition. Light diet. Principles for creating a diet. Selection of products. Indications, contraindications. High-protein, low-protein, low-carbohydrate, low-sodium, low fatty acid diets. Enteral and parenteral nutrition. Nutrition in diseases of specific systems and organs.

4. Food and nutrition legislation
Scientific basis and general principles of food legislation. Polish and European legislation. Polish legal regulations regarding food safety - the Act on food and nutrition safety. Sanitary and hygienic requirements in the production and sales of food. Risk analysis in ensuring safety of food and nutrition. Programs for prevention of nutrition-related diseases with consideration of legal regulations. Nutrition policy - national and international aspects. Food legislation and pharmaceutical law. Genetically modified food. Dietary supplements in national and EU regulations. Legal and practical aspects of food labeling.

5. Nutrition for pregnant and breastfeeding women
Physiology of pregnancy. General principles of balanced nutrition for pregnant women. Nutrition in common ailments during pregnancy. Appropriate nutrition for a pregnant woman depending on her nutritional status. Principles of balanced nutrition for breastfeeding women. Requirements for macro- and micro-nutrients in pregnancy and after childbirth.

6. Physiology of exercise
Physiological classification of physical exercise. Physical performance and exercise tolerance. Fatigue and relaxation as a result of physical strain. Adaptive changes due to endurance, strength and speed training. Energy processes occurring in the body during physical exercise. Physiological foundations of nutrition for athletes. Energy requirements in sport, energy balance. Content and functions of basic nutrients in the athletes’ diet. Protein requirements in sport. Carbohydrates as the main energy source in sport nutrition. Carbohydrate resources in muscle cells and their increase through training and nutrition. Fats in sport nutrition. Mineral ingredients in the athletes' diet. Vitamin requirements in sport.

7. Dietetics in sport and wellness
Standards of nutrition for selected sport disciplines. The nature of sport nutrition during the period of training, tournaments and regeneration. Controlling body weight in sport. Nutrients in sport. The impact of supplementation on body mass and composition and anaerobic power. Detecting anabolic-androgenic substances in anti-doping control.

8. Biological regeneration and body shaping
Principles of physical (therapeutic) training. Body shaping: muscle relaxation, elimination of cellulite, increasing muscle strength. Methods of increasing strength. General energy characteristics of intense and moderately intense exercise. Physical strain. Intensity. Capacity. Training frequency. Physical treatments in wellness. Massage in wellness and sport.

9. Modern-age diseases and preventive diets
Lifestyle and human health, alcohol consumption, physical activity, nutrition - energy balance, nutritional value of food. Activities promoting healthy diet and physical activity in various social groups of a varied socio-economic level. Changing habits not beneficial to health among various social groups of a varied socio-economic level.

10. Biologically active compounds in vegetables and fruits
Vegetables as a source of vitamins A, E, K, B, C and PP. The impact of technological processes and storage on the nutritional value of vegetables and fruits and food products prepared from them: frozen food, concentrates, purees, fermented vegetables, dried food. Content and assimilability of macro and micronutrients contained in vegetables and fruits. The importance of vegetables and fruits as a source of non-nutritive substances (sulfur compounds, glucosinolates, carotenoids, chlorophyll, phenolic compounds, isoflavones, flavonoids). The role of vegetable and fruit conditioning in maintaining their biological value.

11. Organization of catering in spas and wellness facilities
Nutrition in health resorts. Legal regulations. Organization of catering in health resorts and spa facilities. Suggested diets. Place and role of a dietician.