Overview

Mission Statement

It is the intention of the Dietetic Internship at the University of Delaware to develop outstanding future oriented dietitians for the profession and society. The program emphasizes that this is the beginning of a career involving continuing education, a variety of experiences and professional growth. This program expects to educate the future leaders of our profession.

Goals and the expected outcomes

Measurable Goal #1: To provide dietetic professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to function as an entry-level generalist.

1. Target measure for program completion rate: A measure for students who are admitted to the program and will receive verification statements verifying successful completion is set at 100%.
2. Target measure for employer satisfaction survey: At least 95% of the graduates will receive a minimum of an overall satisfactory rating by employers.
3. Target measure for graduate surveys: At least 95% of the graduates will feel that they were at least adequately prepared for entry-level practice.
4. Target measure for the registration examination for dietitians: To maintain or exceed the current five-year pass rate of 80%.

Measurable Goal #2: To provide a comprehensive program with an emphasis in community nutrition that will prepare graduates to work in all areas of dietetics.

1. Target measure for graduate employment: At least 95% of program graduates will be employed in the dietetics profession or pursue higher education.

Measurable Goal #3 To provide an internet-based internship to meet the needs of location bound students utilizing cutting edge technologies.

1. Target measure for location bound students: At least 75% of the class will be location bound.
2. Target measure for evaluation of technology: At least 95% of the graduates will have an overall satisfactory rating regarding the technologies utilized in program delivery.

Accreditation

The Dietetic Internship at the University of Delaware is a post baccalaureate certificate program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association, and delivered via the Internet.

Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE)
American Dietetic Association
216 West Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60606-6995
(800)877-1600 ext: 5400

Schedule

The University of Delaware Dietetic Internship is approved to take up to 40 interns annually. The program is delivered online for all interns. This program utilizes a variety of technologies in the overall management of the program. Except for the initial one week on-campus orientation program, all instruction, courses, assignments and conferencing is done via the Internet.

Students who live outside the State of Delaware will be required to locate their own preceptors and facilities, subject to approval by the Internship faculty. Interns accepted into the local program DO NOT plan their own schedules. For information on how to locate preceptors and facilities in your local area as well as assistance in completing the necessary paperwork prior to submission of your Internship application, please contact one of the Internship faculty. Upon acceptance into the Internship, all students will be provided with a copy of the internship curriculum to use in completion of the program.

The Internship experience begins with a one week orientation program starting in mid August. Orientation is held in Newark, Delaware on the campus of the University of Delaware. All interns admitted to the Dietetic Internship must attend this orientation program. The purpose of this experience is to help students make the transition between undergraduate education and the professional practice environment. Students will be provided with hotel information for the Orientation program.

In addition to the supervised practice experience, interns complete the didactic portion of the program on Thursday mornings for one hour and forty-five minutes. This course is offered online and is a mandatory part of the internship. Various faculty and practitioners serve as guest speakers on current topics relevant to the practice of nutrition and dietetics.

For more information on rotation schedules, see the Schedule page.