Dietetic Internship Program

About the Program

The Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness (FNW), located in Tallahassee, Florida, manages the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Dietetic Internship Program.

The Dietetic Internship Program is a nine-month program (September – May) accepting two interns per year. The program is based upon the Eligibility Requirements and Accreditation Standards (ERAS) of the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Academy).  The internship provides students with supervised practice and didactic experiences that meet ACEND Competencies and Learning Outcomes for Dietitians requirements. An area of concentration for entry-level practitioners in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child Nutrition Programs, and School Food Service Management is provided through this internship. Students who successfully complete this nine-month program are eligible to take the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s (CDR) Registration Examination for Dietitians. Please see Admission Requirements to determine your eligibility for the program.

Program Mission, Vision, and Goals

Mission

The mission of the Dietetic Internship Program is to provide quality supervised practice and didactic training, with a focus in School Food Service Management. Students will develop the expertise and skills necessary to apply the nutrition knowledge and theory of their didactic education to the work environment.

Vision

Students will develop the expertise and skills necessary to apply the nutritional knowledge and theory of their didactic education to the work environment.

Program Goals

To prepare dietetic interns:

1. For entry-level positions in dietetics
2. To perform the variety of tasks that are required for operating successful school food service departments
3. To positively impact the quality and adequacy of food and nutrition services for children and adolescent

Program Outcomes

Outcome measures include Program retention and completion rates, pass-rate on the Registration Examination for Dietitians, rates on employment in dietetics, including school food service, and responses on graduate and employer surveys.

All graduates have been retained and have completed the internship. Most of the graduates have been employed in dietetic positions within six months of program completion, with a large percentage of graduates employed in school food service positions, including school food service directors and nutrition educators. Graduates and their employers positively rank the program’s ability to prepare graduates for entry-level practice.

Application Requirements

• Official Verification Statement of completion of the Academy Dietetic Program requirements or a completed Declaration of Intent to Complete Degree 

• Letter describing the applicant's short and long term career goals

• Official transcripts (applicant points for rankings begin at grade point averages of 2.75)

• Two letters of recommendation

• Complete application due by February 15 (the internship program will follow deadlines established by ACEND) through Dietetic Internship Centralized Application System (DICAS)

• Select final applicants will be contacted for a telephone interview

• A resume may be submitted

Admission Requirements

• Proof of a bachelor’s or master’s degree in nutrition and/or dietetics and a Verification Statement from a ACEND accredited didactic program in dietetics  

• Proof of earned degree may be provided by either final transcript or by letter from the registrar

• Proof of current medical liability, health, and automobile insurance and a recent physical exam and TB test or x-ray

• A successfully completed Employment Screening and Security Background investigation conducted through FNW

Completion Requirements

Satisfactory performance on all required assignments, projects, curricula, rotation objectives, case studies, presentations, and exams and compliance with agency policies and procedures are required for the completion of the Dietetic Internship Program. In addition, interns must demonstrate behaviors consistent with the "Code of Ethics for the Profession of Dietetics," and they must have good communication, customer service, and employability skills.

Student Costs

The following costs are expected to be covered by the dietetic intern:

• Approximately $3,100-tuition    

• $50-computer matching fee, if applicable

• $25-lab coat for clinical rotation

• $30-nonslip shoes for school food service rotation

• $30-uniforms for school food service rotation

• $100-200 - physical exam including TB test and titers

• Two $85-background check clearances, drug screen, name badge

• $25–professional liability insurance

• $50-parking permit

• $50-Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics membership

• $5,000-10,000–food, housing, and transportation expenses will vary with each rotation site

Program Schedule & Components

The program begins the day after Labor Day and concludes the Friday before Memorial Day.

• Dietetic Internship requirements are satisfied in classroom (didactic), school and hospital food service, clinical and renal dialysis settings, cooperative extension service, county health department settings, and state agencies.    

• Interns must attend one or more Tallahassee Dietetic Association (TDA) meetings. www.eatrightflorida.org

Clinic Rotation - Fourteen Weeks - Facilities

• Capital Regional Medical Center or Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare - 8 weeks
  

• Pediatric Pulmonary Center, Gainesville, Florida - 2 weeks

• Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare - Diabetes Center - 1 week

• DaVita Healthcare, Tallahassee/surrounding area – 2 weeks

• Riverchase Care Center or Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Rehabilitation Services, Quincy or Tallahassee, Florida – 1 week

Food Service Rotation - Eight Weeks - Facilities

• Sarasota or Orange County School Boards – Osprey, or Orlando, Florida and surrounding area - 4 weeks

• School District of Manatee County – Bradenton, Florida or surrounding area – 2 weeks

• Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare or Capital Regional Medical Center – 2 weeks

Community Rotation - Sixteen Weeks - Facilities

• Leon County Health Department - WIC, Tallahassee, Florida

• Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services – Food, Nutrition and Wellness and Office of Healthy Schools, Tallahassee, Florida

• Florida Department of Health – Child Care Food Program, Tallahassee, Florida

• University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Tallahassee or Wakulla, Florida

• Florida Department of Elder Affairs, Tallahassee, Florida

Accreditation Status

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service's Dietetic Internship Program has been granted initial accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

For more information on ACEND, please contact the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, by phone at 800-877-1600, Extension 5400, or on the World Wide Web at www.eatright.org/acend.

Download Our Brochure

Dietetic Internship Brochure