Dietetic Internship Curriculum and Calendar
The internship will begin in late August and graduation will occur in mid-June.
Graduate Coursework - Year 1 & 2
Students are required to complete 45 quarter-based units to complete their MS degree at Cal Poly. The courses required for the MS in Nutrition and Dietetic Internship span year 1 and 2 of the program.
Practicum/Internship Rotations - Year 2
Interns will complete a minimum of the following weeks/hours in supervised practice rotations:
| Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) | ≥10 weeks | 320 hours |
|---|---|---|
| Foodservice Management (FSM) | ≥6 weeks | 192 hours |
| Community Nutrition (COM) | ≥8 weeks | 256 hours |
| Extended Core Rotation (MNT, COM, or FSM) |
≥4 weeks | 128 hours |
| Elective Experience | ≥2 weeks | 64 hours |
| Staff relief Experience | ≥2 weeks | 64 hours |
| Alternative Experiences | - | 90 hours |
| Total Supervised Practice | ≥32 weeks | 1114 hours |
An intern's typical week will begin with a day-long seminar session on Monday, followed by 32 hours/week of supervised practice from Tuesday through Friday. Seminar sessions occur every Monday when Cal Poly is in session, except for observed holidays, and include expert guest lectures and hands-on application of dietetics knowledge and skills, including critical analysis and presentation of current nutrition-related research. Our experiences are also augmented with field trips to additional food and nutrition-related facilities in our region.
Rotation Specifics
Medical Nutrition Therapy Rotations
Interns will complete at least 10 weeks in clinical rotations in a local hospital, with optional extended core rotation weeks completed at a renal care center, in a hospice/home health care setting, and/or at a long-term care facility. Duties will include nutrition screening and assessment of patients and patient education. Interns will become familiar with enteral and parenteral feedings and nutrition-focused physical exams.
Foodservice Management Rotations
A minimum of 6 weeks will be completed in hospital or school district settings. The intern will be involved in menu planning, sustainability initiatives, food preparation and processing, purchasing, storage, distribution systems, sanitation and safety, administration, staff management, and planning special events.
Community Rotations
No less than 8 weeks will be completed in a variety of community nutrition locations such as WIC, County Health Departments, Food Banks, Head Start/Early Head Start, school districts, nutrition research centers, homeless shelters, outpatient clinics, a corporate wellness agency, Cooperative Extension, an eating disorder facility, and a cancer center. Interns prioritize the sites to which they would like to be assigned for 2-3 community rotations. The interns will have the opportunity to work with a variety of clients and provide public nutrition education as well as nutrition counseling.
Extended Core Rotations
Interns may augment any of their core rotations with up to an additional 4 weeks. These weeks may be divided to extend up to two core rotations (MNT, COM, or FSM).
Elective Rotation
During this unique experience, the intern is allowed to find a rotation for 2 weeks or in a dietetic-related field of their particular interest. Interns may also choose to use their elective weeks to further extend a core rotation (MNT, COM, FSM). Elective sites are not required to be located in the Central Coast area. The experience may be within a current rotation site or at an approved site outside of the current internship rotation sites. Examples of electives include: eating disorders, wellness programs, sports/performance nutrition, mental health, research, as well as additional weeks in community, clinical, and food service rotations, as desired.
Professional Staff Experience
During this two-week period, the dietetic intern will be the acting dietitian at a selected facility. This rotation will come at the end of the foodservice management, medical nutrition therapy and community rotations, so that the intern is prepared for the responsibility.
Cal Poly DI Handbook
For more details regarding rotation sites, program policies, internship completion requirements, and other information for Cal Poly interns, please review our current Cal Poly DI Handbook.
