By: Elisangela Napoli, NM
Foreword by: Maria Biasutti
Foreword
I first met Elis in 2021 when she joined one of our LTC homes as a Food Service Supervisor. As she was finding her footing in this new role, I discovered her inspiring background—she’s a dietitian from Brazil who aspires to continue her practice here in Canada. The process of becoming a Registered Dietitian in Canada is already complex and demanding, but the more I observe, the more I learn about the unique challenges faced by internationally-trained dietitians.
Supporting the future of our profession means recognizing these challenges and advocating for ways to improve the pathway for skilled dietetic professionals. In honour of the talented and dedicated internationally-trained dietitians in our group, I’ve asked Elis to share her journey with us. We are rooting for you Elis – your resilience strengthens our profession – keep pushing for your dream!
My Path to Becoming a Dietitian in Canada
Before becoming a Dietitian in Brazil, I always followed an entrepreneurial path. However, when I discovered Nutrition, I quickly fell in love with everything that comes with this profession.
I graduated in Nutrition in Brazil 15 years ago and continued my studies after that, concluding Post Graduate courses. When I chose nutrition, I could never have imagined that one day I would need to study and practice this beautiful profession in another language, and I can tell you how challenging it is, like learning almost everything again but in English!
We, a family of 4, me, my husband and my two children, arrived in Canada on July/12/2018! When we decided to leave Brazil to come to Canada, my desire was to continue in my field, and I started researching which courses I could take that would give me a certificate and the possibility of continuing to work as a Nutritionist in Canada. In 2018, while still in Brazil, I was accepted at the University of Guelph, and I started studying ELP (English Language Program). Later, I was accepted at Conestoga College to study Nutrition and Food Management in 2019. At the same time, I began researching the path required to become a Dietitian in Canada. In April of 2021, during the Pandemic, I graduated with a Nutrition and Food Management Diploma, becoming an active member of the CSNM (Canadian Society of Nutrition Managers) and I am currently studying Holistic Nutrition at CSNN.
At this point, I already knew the next steps to become a Dietitian in Canada, possibly!
So, the first step was to contact WES (World Education Services) to validate all my diplomas from Brazil, with course-by-course evaluation, which was a long process. The Canadian Equivalence was Bachelor 4 years in Canada, and for my Post Graduations, I got Post Graduate 1 year equivalence. After receiving feedback from WES, I contacted the CDO – College of Dietitians of Ontario, presenting all the documentation required by them, including the Diploma of Nutrition and Food Management, and in February 2022 I wrote the KCAT exam for the first time.
The program for internationally educated dietitians offered by the CDO is called Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition Process (PLAR), which is a process divided into 5 phases.
The first step is to write the Knowledge and Competence Assessment Tool (KCAT) exam which has 3 levels for the result. In order to move to the next phase, we need to obtain Level I in Kcat to write the second phase called PBA – Performance Based Assessment; passing PBA, the 3rd phase is successfully complete the Dietitian of Canada Critical Nutrition Course; 4th phase is JKAT – Jurisprudence Knowledge Assessment tool; and finally write the Regional Registration Exam.
When I wrote the exam in February 2022, I only got a Level II result. An internationally educated Dietitian has the chance to write the KCAT 3 times. Level II only gave me the right to write the exam again. On September 25/2024 I wrote the Kcat for the second time and I am here, hoping to receive a Kcat Level I result to move forward with my plans and dreams!