Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I do my internship part time?
Can I receive financial aid through the university?
Can I complete my FSSM rotations in the hospital or nursing home where I work now?
Can I work and get paid while I am an intern?
Who should write references for me?
What application form should I use to apply?
Do you have a recency of education policy?
Can I get credit for my past work experience?
Do I need to do all my FSSM or Clinical or Community rotations at the same time? In what order should I schedule the rotations?
How do I go about arranging for facilities and preceptors?
My potential preceptor wants to sign a contract before committing to training me. What should I do?
There aren't any RD's in the school lunch program in my area… Who can be my preceptor?
Is there a stipend for preceptors? Can they get paid for precepting me?
What do you want included in the letter of application?
Can an RD who works part time be my preceptor?
Is student housing provided if I train in Utah?
If I live in Utah, can rotations be scheduled close to where I live?
Can I take time off/schedule breaks during the internship?
Can I receive a master's degree while completing the internship?
Can I complete any of my rotations in the facility in which I currently work?
What if I am accepted into the program and one of my facilities backs out?

Can I do my internship part time? Back
At this point in time, NO. We are accredited to be a fulltime program. A minimum of 36-40 practice hours/week are required during the internship.
Can I receive financial aid through the university? Back
YES. Financial aid is available through USU extension for dietetic interns who are accepted into the program. The application takes about 8 weeks to get approved. Once you are officially matched to the program, the Dietetic Internship Directors will provide you with more information on applying for financial aid. You may also review the payment options for more informtion.
Can I complete my FSSM rotations in the hospital or nursing home where I work now? Back
NO. The mission of the USU Dietetic Internship is to train you to work in FSSM in school lunch programs. You will need to arrange with a school district to complete all your FSSM rotations in the school kitchens or centralized facility if there is one.
Can I work and get paid while I am an intern? Back
Yes and no. Yes you can work after internship hours are over (evening and weekends). No you cannot get paid for the hours you spend as an intern. The rule is that you may not replace a fulltime employee while training as an intern. If you were to be working for your facility while at the same time learning as an intern there would be a conflict of purposes. While you are spending your 36-40 hours per week as an intern you should be learning, working on homework assignments and not functioning as a paid employee.
Who should write references for me? Back
You should request reference letters and recommendation forms from people who know your commitment to dietetics and who can refer to your skills, education and performance in the field. At least one reference should be from an employer from a time when you worked in a dietetics related job (it doesn't have to be a current employer) and a professor who knows your academic work. See Admission Requirements for more information.
What application form should I use to apply? Back
We require a modified version of the 2005 Dietetic Internship Program Application. The front page is the only page that is different. Additional information requested on page 1 for our program includes: location preference - Utah or Distance Education format; preferred start dates (June, August, or January); GRE score; and email address. For further information see the Application Materials.
Do you have a recency of education policy? Back
Yes. We will accept applicants up to 4 years after completion of their DPD program or BS in dietetics. If you have completed your undergraduate work in dietetics more than 5 years in the past you will need to update your education. Please contact any accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics advisor to learn the current requirements before applying to the internship. Updated courses must be completed before starting the internship program. You may apply in February if you are scheduled to finish your update courses prior to beginning internship rotations.
Can I get credit for my past work experience? Back
Yes, Prior Assessed Learning (PAL) will be available to interns after they are officially accepted into the program. Refer to PAL for more information.
Do I need to do all my FSSM or Clinical or Community rotations at the same time? In what order should I schedule the rotations? Back
Scheduling of your rotations will be done after you are selected and matched with USU Dietetic Internship program. It will be coordinated between the facilities and preceptors who have committed to train you.
How do I go about arranging for facilities and preceptors? Back
First, clearly understand which types of facilities will be approved for your internship experience (Preceptor/Facility Option List). Print a copy of the rotation curriculum (Rotations & Curriculum). Second, network with professors, local dietitians and friends to make a list of possible facilities and preceptors. Third, prepare a proposal for the facility administrator and the dietitians you would like to precept you. You should meet with them in person, if possible, to explain the details of their commitment and answer any qu4. Treat it as a job interview; be professional. Make sure you review and follow the suggestions listed under "Finding Preceptors".
My potential preceptor wants to sign a contract before committing to training me. What should I do? Back
Let the preceptor know that an official agreement will be sent to each facility contingent upon the acceptance of the applicant into the USU Dietetic Internship Program. No agreements will be signed or negogiated until that time. However, if your preceptor would like to review the contract, examples of the standard affiliation agreements are available to review. If your training facility has a standard contract for students, USU Contracts and Grant department will review it and make the formal approval.
There are not any RD's in the school lunch program in my area… Who can be my preceptor? Back
There should be a Director of Nutrition Services in your district or local area. That person can be your preceptor for FSSM and SNE. It is not required that your preceptor be a Registered Dietitian.
Is there a stipend for preceptors? Can they get paid for precepting me? Back
Unfortunately, there is no money in the internship budget to pay preceptors. However, the facility where you will train stands to gain in non-monetary ways from your work as an intern. Projects you complete in the course of your rotation should be selected to be timely and useful to the facility as well as a good learning experience for you. You will be able to research answers to questions, do studies for customers or staff, provide inservice education for employees, nutrition education for kids, patients, develop newsletters, pamphlets, patient/customer education materials, etc. You will also function as a FSSM manager for two weeks of staff experience and as an entry level RD for two weeks during your clinical experience.
What do you want included in the letter of application? Back
Tell us about your professional philosophy and goals, why you want to be selected for this program, where you see yourself in five years, how child nutrition and school lunch FSSM fit into your career goals, relate past education and experience to why you believe this program is right for you, and include any explanation about your past work experience, academic work or application that you feel the Selection Committee should know. See the "application materials" page for more information.
Can an RD who works part-time be my preceptor? Back
It's not the ideal situation but it's becoming increasingly more common for dietitians to work part-time or job-share with another dietitian. The goal is that you have preceptor "coverage" for all the time you spend completing a rotation. You should not set up a situation where you are working without a preceptor any days of a rotation. If two part-time dietitians will be your preceptors for a rotation, both must submit preceptor forms and ONE must agree to be the final evaluator (with input from the other) and the internship directors contact person. Discuss the specific situation with the Internship Director before proceeding with your application.
Is student housing provided if I train in Utah? Back
No. If selected, you will be responsible for locating your own housing.
If I do my internship in Utah, can training locations be scheduled near to where I live? Back
Efforts will be made to schedule your training sites as close to where you live as possible. However, training sites in Utah are spread from Logan to Payson, Utah. Depending on the schedule of the preceptors, the number of interns they are willing to take each year, etc., you need to be prepared to commute up to 45 minutes to one hour (each way) per day. A car is required during the internship.
Can I schedule breaks/time off during the Internship? Back
If you are a Distance Intern, when doing the initial planning for your rotations, you can arrange breaks/time off at the convenience of your preceptors. After your schedule is approved by the DID, you may not take breaks/time off unless you have the approval of your preceptor and the DID. YOU must arrange the time off with your preceptor. Utah Interns: If you receive an appointment for an internship in Utah, upon acceptance, you need to notify the Internship Director/Assistant Internship Director of any time you would like off during the internship. The director(s) will try to accomodate requests as much as possible. After the schedule has been established, time off is very difficult and generally not allowed except in emergencies. The schedule is carefully coordinated with Utah facility preceptors. Any subsequent changes are very difficult to make. Utah interns will have all USU recognized holidays off except for fall and spring breaks.
Can I receive a master's degree while completing the internship? Back
No, not while you are in the internship, however once you have completed the dietetic internship you may apply for the USU MDA (Master of Dietetic Administration) Program. The courses completed during your internship will fulfill 26 of the 41 required credits necessary for the MDA program. The remaining 15 credits can be completed within two semesters. See USU MDA Program for more information.
Can I complete any of my rotations in the facility in which I currently work? Back
Yes, but you must be careful that you are not performing yoru regular work duties on internship time. They must be kept separate. You can not be paid for internship work.
What if I am accepted into the program and one of my facilities backs out? Back
You will need to find another facility willing to train you.