Description, schedule, rotations, program outcomes and completion
Dietetic Internship at Oregon State University
The OSU-DI is a well-rounded program with internship rotations in a variety of practice settings, including senior care, community nutrition, and primary care nutrition practice.
Program description
The Oregon State University Dietetic Internship (OSU-DI) is a well-rounded program with internship rotations in a variety of practice settings, including senior care, community nutrition and primary care nutrition practice.
All interns rotate through a variety of supervised practice sites, primarily with one-on-one training provided by preceptors. All core competencies and learning outcomes for Dietetic Internship Programs as specified in the 2022 ACEND Standards are met over the series of rotations.
Program curriculum/schedule
Program comparison between OSU-DI (stand-alone internship for those who have completed a Masters degree) and MS-PD (master's degree DI).
Scroll table left right on mobile devices
| Program Feature | OSU-DI Program (stand-alone internship for those who have completed a Masters degree) |
MS/DI Program (combined internship/graduate degree) |
|---|---|---|
| Program Calendar | 9.5 months long September to June |
22 months long September Year 1 to June Year 2 |
| Rotation Schedule | September through June 40 hours per week |
September through June 40 hours per week |
| Holidays/Vacations | 2 weeks vacation over winter break, Thanksgiving and Friday after Thanksgiving, Memorial Day | Follows OSU Academic Calendar during first year; during rotations (year 2), 2 weeks vacation over winter break, Thanksgiving and Friday after Thanksgiving |
| Didactic Hours | Orientation, professional meetings (such as Oregon Academy Educational Conference), and monthly didactic classes | Intern orientation, professional meetings (such as Oregon Academy Educational Conference) |
| Rotation sites | 6-8 rotation sites plus staff relief | 6-8 rotation sites plus staff relief |
| Graduate coursework | None | See details below |
| Capstone project | None | See details below |
MS/DI coursework and schedule
(subject to change with schedule of offerings)
The MS/DI program curriculum is innovative in that academic coursework is offered online through OSU’s Ecampus.
For the first year of the program, students can choose to live outside of Oregon.
During year two, students must reside in Oregon.
The internship orientation and rotations start fall term of year 2 and continue through spring term of year 2.
Students will then present their capstone project and graduate in June of year 2.
Total program credit hours: 49-50
Year 1
Total year 1 credits: 31-44
Living Location: Anywhere
Ecampus courses credit hours
- H 524 Intro to BioStatistics 4
- NUTR 547 Research in Nutrition and Dietetics 3
- HHS 523 Public Health Impact 4 (also offered summer term)
- NUTR 551 Advanced Medical Nutrition Therapy 4
- CITI Online Research Ethics 0
or
GRAD 520 Responsible Conduct of Research 2
Total credits: 11-13
Living Location: Anywhere
Ecampus courses credit hours
- HHS 526 Linear Regression 2
- NUTR 548 Capstone Literature Review 1
- NUTR 552 Food/Nutr Program Management & Evaluation 4
- Required Elective
Total credits: 7-10
Living Location: Oregon
Ecampus courses credit hours
- NUTR 507 Seminar 1
- NUTR 549 Capstone Proposal 1
- NUTR 551 Advanced Medical Nutrition Therapy 4
- NUTR 553 Dietary Behavior and Counseling 4
(Hybrid)
Total credits: 10
Living Location: Oregon
Internship begins
Ecampus courses credit hours
- H 533 Health Systems 3
- HHS 523 Public Health Impact 4 (also offered fall term)
- Optional Elective
Total credits: 3-11
Year 2
Total year 2 credits: 13
Living Location: Oregon
Ecampus courses credit hours
- NUTR 510 Field Experience -Internship 2
- NUTR 506 Capstone 2
Total credits: 4
Living Location: Oregon
Ecampus courses credit hours
- NUTR 510 Field Experience -Internship 2
- NUTR 506 Capstone 2
Total credits: 4
Living Location: Oregon
Ecampus courses credit hours
- NUTR 510 Field Experience -Internship 2
- NUTR 506 2
- NUTR 507 Seminar 1
Total credits: 5
MS/DI Capstone Project
The Capstone is required in lieu of a thesis for MS-PD option of the MS Nutrition Graduate Program. Students may choose between two capstone options: Capstone Research Project (CRP) or Capstone Practice Project (CPP). Both options culminate in a final presentation and oral examination.
Capstone Research Project (CRP)
The CRP is a scholarly endeavor including an original research project that culminates in a scholarly paper and an oral presentation and examination. Student who choose the CRP will be offered a choice of available research and/or practice-based projects, after being pre-identified by the Nutrition faculty and the MS-PD preceptors (site supervisors). The goal is to prepare students for advanced practice by building skills to address practice-based problems or questions using evidence to evaluate the outcomes of care, effectiveness of treatment, service quality and/or program evaluations. The CRP builds graduate student skills in applying research approaches to solving food and nutrition problems and practice decisions.
Capstone Practice Project (CPP)
The CPP is a scholarly endeavor including a professional paper/portfolio and an oral presentation and examination. Students, in consultation with their advisor, select competencies along with their approaches for synthesizing them. The CPP describes the student’s experiences and accomplishments while completing the MS-PD option. The project allows students to reflect on their knowledge, skills, and competencies throughout their MS-PD coursework and apply them to their internship experience. The portfolio provides a platform by which students can 1) plan their MS-PD program with the support and guidance of their advisor, and 2) assess and evaluate their progress towards mastery and synthesis of ACEND competencies (CDRNs) in an ongoing manner.
Internship rotations overview
The dietetic internship program structure reflects the recognition that entry level Registered Dietitians (RDs) require a diverse repertoire of skills to meet future practice needs.
Rotation sites include facilities encompassing long-term health care, the Women Infant and Children’s Supplemental Food Program (WIC), foodservice sanitation and menu planning, school foodservice management, and community nutrition education programs. In addition, traditional acute care settings round out the program allowing interns to develop skills in providing medical nutrition therapy for individuals. Interns gain traditional practice experience in clinical, community, and foodservice settings, as well as in newer practice areas such as primary care. They gain experience delivering food and nutrition services to pediatrics, adults, and older adults populations in both preventive nutrition and treatment.
The program consists of approximately 30 rotation sites although each intern will only rotate through 6-8 sites. The rotation schedule is developed such that only one intern is at a rotation site at a time, with minor exceptions where there may be overlap of interns, due to the length of the rotation.
Interns will complete projects at each rotation. The projects are aligned with the competencies for the supervised practice component of entry-level dietitian education programs. Regular homework outside of the internship is also part of the curriculum.
The internship rotation sites
Rotations are located throughout the Mid-Willamette Valley. All interns can expect some commuting.
A typical intern schedule may include the following:
- Clinical sites – 10 weeks
- Primary care sites – 4 weeks
- Community sites – 4 weeks
- Foodservice sites – 4 weeks
- Clinical Management – 2 weeks
- Staff Relief – 1 week
Intern completion requirements
Interns are evaluated using competency-based rubrics, which documents that each intern has achieved a “proficient” score (of 3 or higher on a scale of 1 to 4) on all competencies and post-assessments. This must be completed to earn a Verification Statement of program completion. Preceptor evaluations for interns are filed to ensure that all interns have met this requirement. Following program completion, a signed Verification Statement documents completion and is sent in a timely manner to the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) to register interns for eligibility to take the RD exam.
Interns who do not complete assignments satisfactorily may be asked to re-do assignments and/or to extend the internship time until satisfactory completion can be attained. Interns who are not proficient in specific competencies will be informed of this during preceptor evaluation and the mid-year evaluation by the program director. Specific meetings with the program director may be scheduled to ensure interns meet all internship requirements.
Information about program evaluations and outcomes, program rules and requirements, Program Support Services, Information Management, Grievance Procedures and Program Assessment for Interns can be found in the student handbook and the OSU Academic Regulations and Academic Calendar. Interns are expected to conduct themselves according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Code of Ethics.