Dietetic Internship Program Curriculum
There are several components to the NS-LIJ Dietetic Internship:
- Rotations through clinical, food service and community settings; staff relief experience, lectures and workshops.
- A minimum of 1,370 hours of supervised practice (at least 37.5 hours per week for 40 weeks are required.) The intern may need to work more hours to complete an assignment. All case study work must be done on the intern's own time.
- The intern will receive a final rotation schedule at orientation. This schedule must be maintained so that the program can be completed in the designated time frame. The intern will not routinely replace the hours of paid hospital employees except during staff relief as described below.
- The schedule will include staff relief experience. During this supervised experience, the intern will work under the direction of the registered dietitian. This experience is meant to give the intern an opportunity to experience day-to-day responsibility in a controlled setting.
- Lectures/workshops will be presented on various topics in clinical, management and community dietetics. The interns must attend classes as scheduled. Each intern will be assigned a topic and expected to develop and present germane information to selected audiences.
- The curriculum has a medical nutrition therapy emphasis. A total of 24 weeks are spent in medical nutrition therapy settings, ten weeks in food service, three weeks in a community setting and two weeks in elective.
- Medical Nutrition Therapy: Strong emphasis is placed on nutritional assessment and the relationship between the pathophysiology of disease to nutrition principles. Interns work closely with registered dietitians in all aspects of patient care. A variety of experiences will be provided throughout the health system. Rotations will be completed in general medicine, cardiology, surgery, neurology, orthopedics, maternity, oncology, adult and pediatric intensive care, general pediatrics, psychiatry, nephrology, long-term care and outpatient programs. Sites include: North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Lenox Hill Hospital, Glen Cove Hospital, Plainview Hospital, Franklin Hospital, Huntington Hospital, Southside Hospital and Syosset Hospital.
- Clinical II: interns must complete a clinical nutrition examination with a score 85% or higher in order to advance into Clinical III: Critical Care, Pediatrics and Staff Relief.
- Clinical III: a final examination with a score of 85% or higher is required for graduation.
- Participate in a final evaluation process in order to receive your verification statement.
- Food Service Management: the food service management rotation offers cook-chill, cook-serve, remote delivery systems, catering and retail operation sites to develop the integration of nutrition knowledge and food service. Experiences include: financial management, completion of a business plan, purchasing, food production, food delivery systems, personnel management, computer applications to food service and nutrition and staff relief. Sites include, Glen Cove Hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, North Shore University Hospital and Plainview Hospital. The interns also spend one week in a school food service setting.
- Community Nutrition: the community nutrition experiences cover the lifespan. Harbor Child Care accepts infants through elementary school-age children. The Prenatal Care Assistance Program follows women of childbearing age who are underserved. The Nassau County and New Hyde Park Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) programs provide postnatal nutrition education and other services. The Department of Public Health Education and the Department of Population Health each sponsor programs that include nutrition and are targeted to a variety of age groups.
- The 40-week program will begin mid-September 2011 and end in June 2012. The program allows for eleven holidays. These days are pre-scheduled: Thanksgiving and the Friday after, December 24 through January 1, Martin Luther King Day, Washington's Birthday and Memorial Day.
- Interns are "on duty" 37.5 hours per week, including class time. Additional time is required to complete assignments, readings and projects. Time lost to illness, absence or emergency leave must be rescheduled with the program director. Up to three sick days may be granted, if necessary. One personal day may be selected, but must be pre-approved.