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.)

Meal for Mom

Calendar trumps weather. Once I folded the month of April on itself to reveal May, I traded soups and stews for summer fare. Disregarding the chill and rain of Mother's Day, I prepared one of my favorite warm-weather meals for Caren and Mark: Japanese soba noodles with as many trimmings as I can muster.

Soba noodles surrounded by bok choy and topped with nori strips. Homemade dipping sauce to the right. Zigzagging from right center, tofu with pickled ginger, more nori, pea shoots, green onion, and sardines.

This was my first attempt at plating food for each guest. I drew inspiration from Peter and Joan Martin's Japanese Cooking.

Green onions float in tsukejiru dipping sauce.

What meal says warm weather to you?

"Food and Nutrition Information You Can Trust"

I renewed my student membership to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (the Academy). I did not make this decision lightly.

I recently joined a group of "Progressive Nutritionists," started by members of the Hunger and Environmental Nutrition dietetic practice group. These RDs are fed up with the company the Academy keeps. Partners include the following:

• ARAMARK - a food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel company

• The Coca-Cola Company - no explanation needed
• Moderation Nation - a national consumer education campaign sponsored by the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition
• National Dairy Council - providing science-based nutrition information to the public on behalf of dairy farmers

The Premier Sponsors line-up includes General Mills, Kellogg Company, Mars, Inc., SOYJOY, PepsiCo, Truvia, and Unilever (owner of such brands as Ben and Jerry's, Hellman's, Skippy, and SlimFast), as well as two companies that sell various nutritional products.

How credible does the nutrition advice from an organization that takes money from these companies seem to you?


Revised 8/4/12.