Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Registered Dietetic Technician 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A DTR is working in a WIC clinic. WIC primarily serves which population group?
- Elderly adults over age 65
- Low-income women who are pregnant, postpartum, or breastfeeding, and children up to age 5 (Correct answer)
- School-age children in low-income districts
- Adults with chronic diseases on Medicaid
Correct answer: Low-income women who are pregnant, postpartum, or breastfeeding, and children up to age 5
WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) serves low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk.
Question 2: The nitrogen balance study of a patient reveals nitrogen intake of 14 g/day and urinary urea nitrogen (UUN) of 10 g/day. Using a fecal/sweat loss factor of 4, the nitrogen balance is:
- 0 g/day (Correct answer)
- +4 g/day
- -4 g/day
- +10 g/day
Correct answer: 0 g/day
Nitrogen balance = N intake − (UUN + 4) = 14 − (10 + 4) = 0, indicating equilibrium.
Question 3: Which specialized enteral formula would be most appropriate for a patient with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) requiring ventilatory support?
- High-protein, standard formula
- Low-carbohydrate, high-fat formula (Correct answer)
- High-fiber, low-calorie formula
- Elemental, peptide-based formula
Correct answer: Low-carbohydrate, high-fat formula
High-fat, low-carbohydrate formulas reduce CO2 production (lower respiratory quotient), which benefits patients with compromised respiratory function.
Question 4: A DTR calculating energy needs uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for a sedentary male patient. After calculating REE, which activity factor should be applied?
- 1.0
- 1.2 (Correct answer)
- 1.375
- 1.55
Correct answer: 1.2
A sedentary lifestyle (little or no exercise) corresponds to an activity factor of 1.2 when applied to the Mifflin-St Jeor REE.
Question 5: A patient receiving continuous tube feeding via nasogastric tube has a gastric residual volume (GRV) of 550 mL. What is the most appropriate action?
- Continue feeding at the same rate
- Increase the feeding rate to compensate
- Hold the feeding and notify the care team (Correct answer)
- Switch to parenteral nutrition immediately
Correct answer: Hold the feeding and notify the care team
A GRV of 500 mL or greater is typically the threshold to hold enteral feedings and reassess, as it may indicate delayed gastric emptying and aspiration risk.
Question 6: Which food component in excess is most directly linked to hypertension and fluid retention in the general population?
- Saturated fat
- Dietary sodium (Correct answer)
- Added sugars
- Dietary cholesterol
Correct answer: Dietary sodium
Excess dietary sodium promotes fluid retention and increases blood pressure, making sodium restriction a cornerstone of hypertension management.
Question 7: A DTR completing a food service production record notices that 100 portions were planned but only 85 were served. What is the leftover percentage?
- 10%
- 12%
- 15% (Correct answer)
- 18%
Correct answer: 15%
(100 − 85) ÷ 100 × 100 = 15% leftover, indicating 15% of planned portions were not served.
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Registered Dietetic Technician 5
A DTR is working in a WIC clinic.
WIC primarily serves which population group?