Program Overview

NYU Dietetic Internship

The NYU Dietetic Internship is a program designed to provide graduates with the knowledge and skills needed for practice as entry-level Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN). The program prepares graduates to integrate theory with practice and apply critical thinking and analytical skills in order to help improve dietary intake, nutritional status, and overall health of individuals and groups.

Program Overview

• The NYU Dietetic Internship is housed in the Masters of Science in Clinical Nutrition program.
• The graduate degree and the Dietetic Internship together require enrollment for approximately 2 years total.
• The full-time Dietetic Internship program, which offers Fall and Spring admissions, includes one full semester (either Fall or Spring term) of course work on the University's calendar followed by 26 weeks of on-site experiential learning for a total of 1000 full-time, supervised practice hours.

Program Requirements

• Completion of all Dietetic Internship coursework and experiential learning rotations, as well as completion of a graduate degree, is required for dietetic interns to receive an ACEND Verification Statement and for the program director to submit dietetic interns for eligibility to sit for the Credentialing Examination for Registered Dietitians.
• Students who have completed a graduate degree prior to entering the program will be evaluated on an individual basis for suitability of graduate degree.

Academic Course Work

• Enrolled interns must complete five graduate courses (12 credits) before entering supervised clinical practice.
• All dietetic interns must receive a grade of B or better (no pass/fail permitted) in each required internship course in order to be moved forward to the 26-week experiential learning rotations.
• The courses are:
  • NUTR-GE 2000.02 New Graduate Student Seminar: Nutrition Section (0 credits) (F, Sp)
  • NUTR-GE 2190.01 Research Methods (3 credits) (F, Sp)
  • NUTR-GE 2037Medical Nutrition Therapy (4 credits) (F, Sp)
  • NUTR-GE 2037.002Medical Nutrition Therapy Recitation
  • NUTR-GE 2196 Nutrition-Focused Physical Assessment (2 credits) (F, Sp)
  • NUTR-GE 2198 Nutrition Counseling Theory & Practice (3 credits) (F, Sp)

Experiential Learning Rotations

• The NYU Dietetic Internship, with a concentration in Medical Nutrition Therapy, provides students with a well-rounded internship experience, providing exposure to many different opportunities and career options in the field.
• Our focus is on medical nutrition therapy in the clinical setting; dietetic interns meet the majority of program goals and required competencies on-site with one of our major medical center partners.
• The dietetic interns enrolled in the program will receive training in diverse areas to help them develop the following skills:
  • Perform and supervise nutrition assessments
  • Plan and evaluate nutritional care
  • Develop educational nutritional care
  • Develop educational materials for patients and clients
  • Teach nutrition to individuals and groups
  • Evaluate food service systems
  • Present case studies
  • Assess community nutrition resources
  • Conduct research on current issues in nutrition
  • Meet the requirements to take the registration examination for dietitians, which are set by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)

Dietetic Intern Schedule

• The NYU Dietetic Internship includes one full semester (either Fall or Spring term) of coursework on the University's calendar, followed by six months of experiential learning rotations (on-site supervised component), in which interns complete 40-hours per week.
• The demanding nature of the program requires dietetic interns to be flexible: dietetic internship hours can vary from week to week and can start early in the morning.

Program Goals, Objectives, and Outcome Measures

• Program Goal #1 : The program will prepare Dietetic Internship graduates to be competent, entry-level Registered Dietitian Nutritionists.
• Program Goal #2 : The program will prepare Dietetic Internship graduates to successfully attain advanced degrees and work in a variety of professional settings.
• Program Objectives:
  • At least 80% of interns complete program requirements within 18 months (150% of planned program length).
  • Of graduates who seek employment, at least 80% percent are employed in nutrition and dietetics or related fields within 12 months of graduation.
  • At least 95% percent of program graduates take the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists within 12 months of program completion.
  • The program’s one-year pass rate (graduates who pass the registration exam within one year of first attempt) on the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists is at least 80%.
  • At least 85% of employers who responded to the NYU Post-DI Employer Survey will indicate on a Likert scale (of 1-3) that program graduates are satisfactorily (2 or above) prepared for entry-level positions in nutrition and dietetics.
  • At least 80% of Dietetic Interns will achieve an overall performance rating of very well or better (on a Likert scale of 1-5) on the Dietetic Intern Final Evaluation that the intern has achieved entry-level competence.
  • At least 85% of Dietetic Internship graduates will obtain the Master’s Degree in Clinical Nutrition; the average length of completion will fall within 2 years of graduation from the Dietetic Internship.

Accreditation

• The NYU Dietetic Internship is accredited by The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL . Phone: 800/, ext. 5400.