Dietetic Internship, Explained

I've come to realize that the name "dietetic internship" leads some people to think of summer-long affairs of tedious work. And when I mention The Emily Program, some think I'll be working there for the duration. So it's time to clear up what exactly I'm doing for the next eight months.

What is a dietetic internship?

A dietetic internship is a supervised practice program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) whose completion is required to write the national examination  administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), which, when passed, earns you the Registered Dietitian (RD) credential.

Without the alphabet soup:  internship → exam → credentials! 

This program must provide at least 1200 hours of supervised practice in Foundation Knowledge and Competencies, which cover cover all dietetics practice functions (clinical, community, foodservice). Competencies look like this:

DI 3.1 Perform the Nutrition Care Process and use standardized nutrition language for individuals, groups and populations of differing ages and health status, in a variety of settings

And this:

DI 4.2 Perform management functions related to safety, security and sanitation that affect employees, customers, patients, facilities and food
DI 4.4 Participate in public policy activities, including both legislative and regulatory initiatives

Mastering all these "upon completion of the DI, graduates are able tos" requires a good deal of observing RDs in their natural environments; i.e., hospitals, foodservice settings, nonprofits, WIC, and more. It also includes a healthy dose of projects, such as designing a themed meal, presenting on a nutrition topic to a group, charting, presenting case studies, pricing out a menu and completing nutrition care plans.

So there's the DI in a nutshell. Next up: What does The Emily Program have to do with it? (If you can't stand the suspense, click here.)