Dietetic Internship

Mission

Diabetes CampThe South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control( SCDHEC) Dietetic Internship advances the health of the public by providing the highest quality training and supervised practice in clinical, community and food systems management dietetics. The program prepares its dietetic interns for careers as registered dietitians in acute healthcare, community health, business and industry.

Program Goals

To best assist DHEC (the Department of Health and Environmental Control) in recruiting, developing and retaining qualified public health professionals, the following program goals have been established:

  1. Prepare graduates who have met the entry-level performance requirements as defined by the Commission on Accreditation in Dietetics Education (CADE) to become competent entry-level registered dietitians.
  2. Increase the number of registered dietitians in  the state
  3. Provide a program in which graduates can effectively apply and communicate current research and scientific information in practice as entry-level practitioners.

Outcome Measures

Goal 1- Over a five year period graduates of the program will achieve a first time  CDR examination pass rate of 80%.   Over a five year period 70% of graduates who seek employment will be employed within three months of graduation.  After completion of the program at least 90% of graduates will strongly agree that they feel competent  to practice as entry-level dietitians.

GOAL 2- Over a five year period 20% of graduates will be employed as registered dietitians in the state of South Carolina.  During their first year of employment  graduates will be ranked by at least 75% of employer respondents as above average in professional knowledge and skills.

GOAL 3- At least 80% of  employer respondents agree that graduates are able to incorporate current research and scientific information into their daily practice.
At least 80% of graduate respondents will strongly agree that they feel competent to evaluate and utilize current research/ literature and incorporate it into their practice .

Curriculum

Interns selected for the program may  select one of two areas of concentration to further develop entry level depth.
Medical Nutrition Therapy and Community Health will be offered as areas of concentration.

Rotations:
The internship consists of 1240 hours supervised practice.

PROGRAM OF STUDY

Full time- 36 weeks 40 hours per week
Part time- 52 weeks 24 hours per week

Orientation 2 weeks
Vacation 3 weeks
Clinical Nutrition 12 weeks ( Medical, Surgical, Renal, Oncology, Cardiac, Nutrition Support Staff relief)

Community Nutrition 8 weeks ( Diabetes, Cardiac- rehab, WIC, Community Clinics, Outpatient, Supplemental Nutrition Education, Head Start, Schools, Children’s Rehabilitation Services)

Food Systems Management 5 weeks (Hospital, School Foodservice, Industry)

Research Project 3 weeks

Area of concentration – 4 weeks
Medical Nutrition Therapy or Community Health

Food Stamp Nutrition Education

Admission Requirements

  1. A complete ADA supervised application and official transcripts (no photocopies accepted) from every university or college attended.
  2. Three letters of reference from at least two professors in major field of study and one from a direct supervisor from a work experience.
  3. Minimum of Baccalaureate degree from an accredited university with a minimum GPA of 3.0 in courses completed as part of Didactic Program in Dietetics requirements (DPD).
  4. A letter describing your interest in the internship.
  5. Evidence of good health (after acceptance).
  6. Proof of malpractice and health insurance (after acceptance).
  7. A Declaration of Intent form or Verification Statement from the Didactic Program Director.
  8. Access to an automobile, valid driver's license, and current automobile insurance (after acceptance).
  9. Sufficient financial resources to cover required educational resources, travel, and other incidental costs associated with the practice experiences.
  10. If the date on the DPD verification statement is more than five years prior to the starting year of the internship, the applicant must have taken six credits within the last five years. At least three credits must be in clinical nutrition at a university with an approved DPD program.
  11. GRE Scores recommended, but not required.

culinary projectAdditional requirements for DHEC employees:

  1. At least one year of employment with DHEC at the time of application and willingness to make a two year employment commitment to DHEC after completing the internship.
  2. A letter from the Health Director supporting the applicant's participation in the program.
  3. One of the three letters of recommendation must be from the Regional Nutrition Director and one must come from your immediate supervisor.

Additional requirements  after acceptance:

Background checks and drug screens: Students who participate in this program are assigned to off-site clinical experiences .They will be required to obtain a criminal background check through American Database before attendance is permitted. A drug screen may be required by some clinical sites SCDHEC Dietetic Internship will honor the wishes of the clinical site if they reject a student whose criminal background check /drug screen raises any concern.

Come See Me

To schedule a visit call 803-898-0819 or 803-898-0918

Application Process

Submit a complete application package and a non-refundable $50.00 application fee by February 17, 2009 to the Internship Director. (DHEC employees must submit their applications by January 20th of each year). The deadline for computer matching is February 17, 2009.

Applications are available on disk through the American Dietetic Association or download the Application here as a Word document.

For additional information contact the internship director:

Sandra Spann, MS, RD, Director
Dietetic Internship Program
S.C. DHEC, Office Of Public Health Nutrition
Box 101106
Columbia, SC 29211

E-mail: spannsh@dhec.sc.gov
Phone: 803-898-0819

Accreditation Status

The South Carolina Dietetic Internship is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education, American Dietetic Association, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, Ill 60606-6995 312/899-0040 ext.5400.

Computer Matching

  1. This internship participates in computer matching for ten of fifteen appointments. Five appointments are pre-selected for DHEC employees. If the pre-selected slots are not filled they will become part of the computer match process. DHEC employees are notified of acceptance by February 1. If they are not chosen, they may then apply to other programs. If five employees are not chosen, the slots are available for computer matching.
  2. Applicants must participate in computer matching to be eligible for the program. Deadline for computer matching is February 17, 2009. Applicants should request this material from any ADA approved Didactic Program in Dietetics or from D&D Digital Systems. It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide all material by the February 17 postmark deadline. There is no fee for this material. However, there is a $50.00 fee for computer matching that is due with the applicant's prioritized ranking.
  3. Applicants are interviewed by a selection committee.
  4. Applicant will be provided their personal matching results from D& D Digital Systems via the internet site on April 20, 2009 www.dnddigital.com.
  5. Appointment day is on April 21, 2009. Matched applicants must fax a confirmation letter of acceptance or rejection to the progrm director at (803) 898-0445 by 5:00pm EST April 21, 2009.

Address for Computer Matching:
D&D Digital Systems
304 Main Street Suite 301
Ames, IA 50074
(515) 292-0490

Estimated Expenses

Program expenses include application fee, background check, tuition, transportation, overnight lodging, liability and health insurance, health physical, professional attire, books, materials, and other expenses outlined in the Dietetic Internship orientation manual. Estimated program expenses are approximately $575 plus tuition.

TUITION
Out-of-State                 $7,300
In State                         $5,200
DHEC Employess     $3,000

Employment Opportunities

We have several positions in the regions for nutritionists that are not Registered Dietitians, so there is possibility of working part-time while completing the internship, or finding part-time employment elsewhere. These positions are not guaranteed to be available in all health regions. To inquire about DHEC vacancy positions, please see the DHEC JOBS PAGE.

This internship is very flexible with employment outside of the internship and understands that although the internship is the interns' number one priority, earning money to help fund living and internship expenses is important as well.

Other Important Considerations

HOUSING:

Arrangements are the responsibility of the intern. Due to the structuring of this internship with all the interns placed in different geographical locations according to health region, it may not be possible to live with a fellow intern. The internship director is the best initial link to general geographical information, or the intern can check out housing information via the Internet.

TRANSPORTATION:

It is absolutely mandatory that interns have access to a car with a valid driver's license and proof of motor vehicle insurance. There are many seminars, conferences and meetings that are required during the course of the year and will be in areas other than where the intern is placed where a car will be necessary.

COMPUTER:

Many projects and papers required for the graduation of the internship will include research on the Internet. It is very beneficial to become comfortable and moderately knowledgeable on the Internet and the World Wide Web prior to beginning the internship, therefore, a computer with a modem is extremely useful for the intern's benefit, however, it is not a requirement.

Pre-Dietetic Internship Assignments

Prior to entering this internship program, interns are expected to review medical terminology, medical abbreviations and laboratory values. They will also be expected to review DPD subject matter. This review will benefit the intern immensely and will be tested during the orientation week.

Multi-Disciplinary Skills For Dietetic Interns

The SCDHEC Internship received one of the first grants from the ADA for Innovative Dietetics Education.

Interns will participate in a program to develop multi-disciplinary skills in the areas of :

Interns will be given the opportunity to demonstrate skills in the clinical setting during the internship.

AngelGuardian Angel Program

The Guardian Angel Program was established to help in-coming interns. After new interns accept their appointments, the Internship Director will send them the name and address of the current intern living in the area where they will be assigned. The new intern's "angel" will answer questions about the area in which they will be living and assist them with finding housing, etc.

What Are We Looking For?

Helpful Links

Visit the American Dietetic Association's Internship site.

For students interested in graduate studies in Public Health please visit the the web-site of the Arnold J. Norman School of Public Health, University of South Carolina located in Columbia South Carolina at www.sph.sc.edu.