ADA membership

[Guest guest]

It's a struggle for me every year when it comes time to decide whether or

not to renew. I'm not a clinical dietitian. I don't read the Journal although I

occasionally find that there are articles from previous issues that help me

when I'm writing articles. I read the articles online rather than in the

Journal but I believe you have to be an ADA member to access that feature for

free although I'm not sure.

I join because of the DPGs. Their newsletters are so much better than the

Journal or at least meet my needs better. And the list serves have been an

invaluable tool for me when I've needed to get info quickly that I cannot seem

to

find after doing my own research.

I attend FNCE as a journalist so I don't have to pay to attend nor do I have

to be a member to be invited as a journalist.

So I join for the DPGs. And that's it. And to me it's been worth it to have

access to the newsletters and the list serves even though the cost is

prohibitive!

As for ADA's liaisons with industry--I see both sides. I'm appalled at

having Coca Cola and Monsanto as sponsors. On the other hand, their money is

being

used by us to promote better health. I don't like sleeping with the enemy

any more than you do but I don't see a quick solution. Most dietitians don't

make very much money so raising our dues to cover the costs of running the

organization is not a good solution. The fewer dietitians who join ADA, the

more

ADA will have to partner with these industry giants to get funding to keep

running. Catch 22.

If it's a moral issue for you, then follow your morality and don't join. You

can always get your friends to share their copies of newsletters with you.

And one of us will gladly forward an e-mail to the other list serves if you

have a question that is not answered on this list. I do it all the time.

I've always felt that if you have an issue, you shouldn't run from it but

work to change it. If you don't like that ADA is partnering with companies that

run counter to our message, then work hard to get ADA to partner with

companies that align with our message.

If finances are tight, then I'd say don't join. If finances are tight, then

you probably cannot pay extra for the DPGs and most of us think that's the

major benefit of being a member.

Sharon Salomon, M.S., R.D.

1924 East Flynn Lane

Phoenix, AZ

_http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonsalomon_

(http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonsalomon)

http://diaryofadietingdietitian.blogspot.com

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