Yale-New Haven Hospital Dietetic Internship
Program overview
Twelve appointments for the new class are made in April of each year. Because this internship is a practice-based training program, not only does it prepare you to successfully meet the ADA Competency Statements for entry-level dietitians, it also provides you with the coping skills to successfully meet personal and professional challenges in the real world of today.Upon graduation, you can expect to have a competitive advantage in obtaining employment in dietetics and/or completing your master’s degree and successfully passing the registration exam.
The internship is a 50-week program that begins each September and is divided into rotations of one to eight weeks in length. For many interns, the program provides a much-needed transition from the academic world into the working world. You will receive hands on training as well as written and/or oral assignments that relate to your experiences. This provides you with the opportunity to apply nutrition concepts into everyday practice.
After completing each rotation, you will give and receive feedback on progress made. Feedback proves useful to both interns and the internship. The structure of the program enables you to learn much about your abilities as well as your interests. The hospital and university offer a wide variety of opportunities in dietetics, but the YNHH program is also flexible enough to allow interns the opportunity to explore professional interests outside of the medical center.
Interns are typically scheduled for both supervised practice experiences and class days. Class days may consist of a special lectures, presentations or field trips to association meetings, seminars, workshops, legislative conferences, or master’s level courses. Lecture topics range from graduate level nutrition courses at UNH to nutrition support, labor relations and resume preparation.
The majority of weeks you will work Monday through Fridays. Similar to other healthcare institutions, Yale-New Haven Hospital provides food and nutrition services 365 days per year. Therefore, like the management, professional and technical staffs, you will be required to work some weekends and holidays with days off during the week. Two weeks of vacation are given, with one week falling during the winter holiday period and the other week typically in the early summer. In addition, you will also have a total of five days to be used as personal and sick days.
If you choose to do the master’s track, you will earn 12 credits towards your graduate degree. Classes are held on either Saturday or Sunday, one weekend a month at UNH. Once you successfully complete the internship, you can continue on in the UNH program to earn your master’s degree in Human Nutrition. If you choose to complete your degree at another institution, you will need to see if the credits are transferable to their program.