NYU Dietetic Internship

The Mission of New York University’s Dietetic Internship is to provide graduates with the knowledge and skills needed for practice as entry-level Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN).

Academic Course Work

Enrolled interns must complete five graduate courses (12 credits) before entering supervised clinical practice. All dietetic interns must receive a 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.

These 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 2037 Medical Nutrition Therapy (4 credits) (F, Sp)
• NUTR-GE 2037.002 Medical 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.

During the NYU Dietetic Internship, the coursework and curriculum are designed to provide students with:

• Skills and knowledge to meet entry-level performance requirements of the profession
• Opportunities to integrate theory and professional practice
• Preparation to contribute to professional practice and research Direction and leadership to meet future career challenges

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 Interns complete experiential learning rotations in the following areas:

• Clinical Nutrition Therapy: 13 Weeks
• Staff Relief: 3 Weeks
• Clinical Nutrition Management: 1 Week
• Pediatric Dental Clinic: 1 Week
• Community Nutrition: 4 Weeks
• Food Service Systems Management: 4 Weeks

If the dietetic intern begins the academic component of the dietetic internship in the fall semester, then they will begin the experiential learning rotations in January/February. If they begin the academic component of the dietetic internship in the spring semester, then they will begin the experiential learning component in July/August.

Concurrent with the experiential learning rotations, dietetic interns register for the remaining 6 credits of the 18 credits required for the Dietetic Internship in two consecutive semesters:

• NUTR-GE 2146 Clinical Practice in Dietetics I (3 credits)
• NUTR-GE 2147 Clinical Practice in Dietetics II (3 credits)

Experiential Learning Rotation Sites (Subject to Change)

The New York University Dietetic Internship is proud to partner with top, academic medical centers, where our dietetic interns complete their experiential learning rotations. Clinical Rotations may be completed at one or more of the following sites:

• New York University Langone Health, NY, NY
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY, NY
• Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY
• Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, NY, NY
• Mount Sinai Medical Center, NY, NY
• Mount Sinai St. Luke's Roosevelt, NY, NY
• Stamford Hospital, Stamford, CT

The majority of dietetic interns will complete their Food Service Systems Management Rotations at the same Clinical Site where they complete their Clinical Rotations. If the Clinical Site does not offer a Food Service Rotation experience, the dietetic intern will be assigned to an alternative site, such as a School District or Meal Delivery Service Production Center.

Community Rotations may be completed in a variety of different settings that allow the dietetic intern to achieve desired competencies. Community Rotation sites may include: Food Pantries, Meal Delivery Services, Community Centers, Private Practices/Outpatient Nutrition Counseling, Nutrition-Focused Technology Companies and other related opportunities.

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.

If you begin the academic component of the dietetic internship in the fall semester, then you begin the on-site component around January/February. If you begin the academic component of the dietetic internship in the spring semester, then you begin the on-site component around July/August.

Note: While in the on-site component of the internship, dietetic interns follow their respective rotation site’s calendar regarding holidays. Dietetic Interns may take up to 5 Personal Days throughout their experiential learning rotations. Personal days must be approved by the on-site manager and the program director. If the dietetic intern exceeds their time allotment for personal days, the corresponding hours missed must be made up for. 

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.

Outcome measures over a 5-year period:

• 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.
• At least 80% of DI graduates will indicate in the 1-year post Dietetic Internship survey that they felt comfortable seeking employment in diverse settings
   

Outcomes data measuring achievement of program objectives is provided for ACEND reviews and is available upon request. If you would like this information, please contact Program Director Gena Seraita at grs309@nyu.edu.