DACBN study guide
DACBN · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The DACBN - Diplomate, American Clinical Board of Nutrition - is the credential held by certificants of the American Clinical Board of Nutrition (ACBN), a certifying agency in clinical nutrition founded in 1986. ACBN describes itself as the only interdisciplinary diplomate program for doctoral-level providers in clinical nutrition certified by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), which has accredited it since 2005; the organization is a 501c3 non-profit. The credential is therefore aimed at doctorate-level health care providers who want formal recognition of specialized clinical nutrition practice, and diplomates describe using it to signal board-certified nutrition expertise to patients and to state boards. ACBN states that it establishes education, examination, experience, and ethics requirements for certification, so candidates should expect eligibility to rest on more than a test score. The exam itself is a clinical nutrition examination for doctoral-level practitioners; ACBN's site points candidates to a Candidate's Handbook, exam resources, forms to sit, proctor forms, and 300-hour courses, and those are the appropriate starting points for format, eligibility, and preparation planning. Because ACBN does not publish exam length, timing, pass score, fees, or retake rules on its public homepage, verify every such detail directly with ACBN before scheduling. Topics on this exam: Clinical Nutrition. The DACBN study guide has 1 section and about 397 words.
01Clinical Nutrition
Clinical Nutrition on the DACBN exam tests whether you can translate assessment data into a defensible nutrition diagnosis, intervention, and monitoring plan. Questions emphasize malnutrition definitions, anthropometrics, laboratory interpretation, energy and protein estimation, enteral versus parenteral nutrition, refeeding syndrome, and disease-specific priorities. Screen first with a validated tool (MUST, NRS-2002, MNA-SF), then assess intake trends, unintentional weight loss, BMI, muscle/fat loss, functional decline, and inflammation. Diagnose malnutrition using phenotypic plus etiologic criteria (GLIM or ASPEN/AND): weight loss, low BMI, reduced muscle mass, plus reduced intake or inflammation.
397 words, about 2 minMore study resources for DACBN
- Practice questionsA patient with chronic kidney disease not on dialysis has a serum potassium of 5.8 mEq/L.
- FlashcardsEnergy value of protein. Protein provides approximately 4 kcal per gram, the same as carbohydrate.
- Cheat sheetEnergy from macronutrients: carbohydrate 4 kcal/g, protein 4 kcal/g, fat 9 kcal/g, alcohol 7 kcal/g, and fiber roughly 2 kcal/g (1.5-2.5 depending on fermentation).
- Key termsBody mass index (BMI). A screening ratio calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.
- Study planMap the Clinical Nutrition domain into a written outline covering nutrient assessment, energy and protein requirements, and malnutrition screening tools.
- Common mistakesCandidates memorize a single '1.2-1.5 g/kg' figure and apply it reflexively, so they never pause to check which weight basis the item is probing; the arithmetic then lands on a distractor that was deliberately built from actual weight.
- Exam-day guideBring the original, unexpired ID in the name used on your registration.