Celebrating Dietitians Day: Honouring clinical nutritionists at the Montreal Children’s Hospital! 

Did you know that nutritionists can prescribe? 

Pediatric nutritionists are responsible for ensuring children’s growth. To help hospitalized children or those being monitored as outpatients reach their full potential, they tailor nutrition plans to meet the child’s macronutrient and micronutrient needs, while also improving the overall medical condition of their young patients. 

They monitor not only nutritional intake and laboratory tests but also various anthropometric measurements, such as weight, height, head circumference, and other key indicators. These include percentiles, Z-scores, weight-for-height ratio, weight-for-age, height-for-age, growth curve trends, and mid-upper arm circumference. 

To help them better fulfill their role, several prescription activities have been added to the recognized practices of clinical nutritionists in recent years. After obtaining certification and a permit from the RAMQ, they can now prescribe: 

• laboratory tests 
• nutritional formulas 
• macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals 
• enteral feeding equipment 
• pancreatic enzyme solutions to restore feeding tube functionality 
• adjustments to insulin doses and antidiabetic medications. 

This applies regardless of the route of administration (oral, enteral, or parenteral/intravenous). 

These practices help patients receive the best possible nutritional care, as quickly as possible. All 32 nutritionists at the Montreal Children’s Hospital are certified to prescribe. 

Nutritionists can also perform these new tasks: 

• administer certain medications orally, according to a prescription. 
• remove a feeding tube permanently (after additional training). 

The role of our dietetic technicians in improving care for children can’t be overlooked, as they assist with food choices during admissions. Lastly, the support of our administrative staff must be acknowledged, without whom daily work could not be carried out. 

Congratulations to the entire dedicated team!