UNH Dietetic Internship
Program Content
This full-time program offers extensive exposure to a wide range of clinical and administrative activities. The facilities where the intern will gain supervised learning experiences are found on the UNH campus, but also include hospitals and community organizations in the New Hampshire Seacoast area and sites in Portsmouth, Manchester, Concord and Nashua. Many participating sites outside the University campus are between 30-45 minutes away but a few may take 50-80 minutes.
The UNH Dietetic Internship is a 10-month program. It consists of rotations in Hospital and Foodservice Systems Management; Community Nutrition; Clinical Nutrition; and Nutrition Research. In addition to the more extensive rotations, all dietetic interns are required to spend time during the first two weeks of August participating in the supervision and management of food and nutrition services for Camp Carefree, a program for children with type I diabetes.
Vacation breaks are provided in each session.
Interns enrolled in the UNH Dietetic Internship are non-degree graduate students. The three courses for which the interns will sign up are:
Principles of Dietetics (NUTR 929) -- Includes orientation to the profession and internship, diabetes camp, initiation of the applied research rotation, and a three-week long term care/hospital foodservice rotation. (Credit-pending course)
Dietetics Practicum I (NUTR 930) -- Foodservice Systems Management and Community Nutrition; 4 credits
Dietetics Practicum II (NUTR 931) -- Medical Nutrition Therapy; 4 credits
Upon successful completion of the program, interns will be verified by as completing an Accredited Dietetic Internship Program and will receive a certificate showing that they completed their experience through the University of New Hampshire. Successful completion of the internship enables the intern to sit for the Registration Examination.
Clinical Dietetics: The clinical experiences provide practice in most of the patient care units at area hospitals. These may include general medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, rehabilitation, oncology, cardiology, nutrition support, and surgery. (Fourteen to sixteen weeks in length, 4.5 days a week.)
Food Service Systems Management: This experience includes the area of food production and dining services management. The intern participates in the operation of a kitchen that produces more than 9,000 meals per day. Innovative equipment and systems demonstrate alternate methods to meet the needs of the clientele. Providing service to the dining service customer emphasizes the importance of good customer relations. The intern works with the department head and managers in activities such as budget development, food production, and problem solving within the department. (Fifteen weeks in length, 2.5 days per week.)
Applied Research: The intern has the opportunity to focus on a particular area of research interest among projects currently being researched by nutrition professors at the University of New Hampshire or affiliated with the University of New Hampshire. This rotation allows the intern to obtain experience in research design and statistical analysis. (Two weeks in length, with additional integration throughout the internship)
Community Nutrition: The intern will be assigned supervised practice in two UNH or community settings that provide counseling, education, and nutrition-related services in a variety of settings. Involvement with these programs allows the intern to determine nutritional needs of individuals and groups, to plan, prepare, and present nutrition education programs, and to gain experience in counseling individuals with a wide range of nutrition-related problems. (Fifteen weeks in length for two days per week; rotation runs simultaneously with Foodservice Systems Management.)
