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» Dietetic Internship Program

 

Individuals wishing to apply to the Dietetic Internship Program (D.I.P.)must submit the American Dietetic Association(ADA) application as well as pages A, B and N of the Simmons graduate Nutrition application for the appropriate academic year. Students whose first language is not English must also submit page C of the Simmons graduate Nutrition application;request that official TOEFL scores be sent to the School for Health Studies. Students must submit supporting materials as requested in these pages.

The Dietetic Internship Program fulfills the internship requirement to become a registered dietitian. The program also provides preparation for the registered dietitian exam. Simmons students have been highly successful passing at the first attempt.

This full-time program takes approximately 30 weeks to complete, including fieldwork and a graduate nutrition practice course. Internship rotations emphasize community-based health care settings. A distance-learning option allows students from regions beyond Boston to arrange local internship rotations and commute to Simmons once a week for class. Students in the Dietetic Internship Program may also apply for the Nutrition and Health Promotion Master's Degree or Sports Nutrition Program simultaneously.

All dietetic internship rotations include:

  • 8 weeks in acute care
  • 4 weeks in a community health center
  • 4 weeks in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health
  • 4 weeks in a state-based nutrition initiative program
  • 4 weeks in various settings that offer individual and group nutrition education, and counseling
  • 6 weeks in a long-term care/food service program

Program Completion Requirements

  • Completion of six required rotations including related projects and assignments.
  • Completion of all forty-seven core competencies and nine community emphasis competencies required by the American Dietetic Association.
  • A 'B' or better in the required graduate course Nutrition 452: Nutrition Program Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation.
  • Attendance at all scheduled Monday afternoon internship meetings at Simmons College.
  • Completion of a formal evaluation by the student's primary preceptor at each of their rotations.
  • Completion of a formal evaluation by the student of each of their six rotations.
  • Completion of various worksheets provided in the Student Handbook for each rotation, and submission to the Program Director at the end of the program.
  • Participation in and evaluation of each of the monthly joint dietetic internship class days.
  • Collection and submission of projects completed during each rotation, and submission to the Program Director at the end of the program.
  • Participation in exit interviews at the completion of the 30 week internship experience.
  • A grade of 80% or better on a practice RD exam administered after participation in the RD exam review sessions required during the final week of the internship program.

Program Options

The Dietetic Internship Program offers two options:

1. Program-Arranged Dietetic Internship Program
This program, accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association (CADE), is designed for students who hold an undergraduate degree and meet the requirements for the Didactic Programs in Dietetics as approved by the American Dietetic Association.
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2. Student-Proposed Distance Dietetic Internship Program
This program allows students to choose their own internship rotations close to home to accommodate students who have specific geographical requirements due to:

  • pre-existing employment commitments,
  • family and/or financial obligations,
  • entry into the field of dietetics at a later point than the traditional college-aged student, or
  • any other considerations that may inhibit a student from acquiring a community-based dietetic internship experience close to home.

Since the distance-learning students are required to take a graduate-level course that meets once a week from September through the beginning of December and the Dietetic Internship Discussion Seminar that meets throughout the internship, we expect, but do not require, that potential applicants live within a two-hour radius of Simmons College (i.e., Massachusetts, Rhode Island, southern New Hampshire, southern Maine, eastern Connecticut).
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