Loyola University Chicago

• Application Requirements
• Contact Information
• Faculty Information
• Graduate-Level Coursework
• Information for Preceptors
• Open House Information
• Rotation Sites
• Supervised Practice

Nutrition is a profoundly important aspect of human health and quality of life. The Niehoff School of Nursing offers students the opportunity to gain experience in this important field through the ADA-accredited Dietetic Internship Program.

Established in 1995, the program accepts 20 full-time interns annually and begins on the first day of fall semester. Dietetic interns complete 1,080 hours of supervised practice, 12 credits of graduate coursework and participation in monthly seminars and activities over about 10 months.

Students benefit from the Niehoff School of Nursing's constructive and supportive environment, learning the leadership, communication and management skills they need to pass the registration exam and enter dietetic practice as competent, highly qualified professionals.

Graduates of Loyola’s Dietetic Internship program are highly sought for positions in health care and wellness nutrition programs. Students enter a wide range of dietetic careers, including:

• Clinical dietitian in an acute or long-term care facility
• Community nutritionist
• Food-service manager/director in food operations
• Private practice consultant
• Consultant in food business and industry

Supervised Practice 

Interns complete six rotations during the course of the program and are scheduled at supervised practice sites Monday through Friday.

Clinical Rotation (50 days): Interns learn to complete the tasks of a clinical dietitian and follow the host facility's standards of care and practice guidelines. Interns are initially assigned a low number of assessment, screening, educational and follow-up activities per week on less-complex patients. As the weeks proceed, interns are assigned more complex cases and the volume of patients increases. In addition, interns participate in the quality management program for clinical nutrition care, in-service presentations, patient care conferences and departmental meetings.

Management Rotation (25 days): Interns actively participate in all aspects of food-service management, including production, purchasing, service, inventory systems, human resources, safety and sanitation. Through this experience, interns gain experience in problem solving, quality management and fiscal management.

Community Rotation (30 days): This rotation allows interns to work with diverse age groups, as well as socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Interns are involved in planning and conducting group classes, planning and evaluating menus for group feeding programs, analyzing and developing data-collection systems for monitoring programs, planning and implementing community-based intervention programs, and communicating nutrition information to groups through written and oral measures.

Long-Term Care Rotation (10 days): Interns work collaboratively with site preceptors to provide nutrition care to the elderly, developmentally disabled, psychiatric and rehabilitation residents in long-term care facilities. This rotation includes experiences in both clinical nutrition care of residents and management of food-service operations within long-term care facilities.

Marketing Rotation (10 days): Interns have the opportunity to work on marketing a food product or nutrition service, employing market strategies, evaluating consumer needs and trends, testing products and interacting with the media. Possible sites include food and pharmaceutical companies, public relations firms and wellness programs.

Nutrition Education Rotation (10 days): In this rotation, interns develop a professional-level presentation or publication on a current topic in dietetics. In addition, interns provide assistance to local professional associations in planning and implementing their educational programs.

Graduate-Level Coursework

Once a week, students come to the Lake Shore Campus or Medical Center Campus to participate in a three-hour class covering topics related to their supervised practice. Class time is not calculated in the supervised-practice hours. Classes include lecture, discussion, group problem-solving, critical-thinking activities, exams and additional assignments.

Courses (12 graduate credits as follows)
FONU 400:  Dietetic Internship: Orientation (2 credits)
FONU 401:  Dietetic Internship: Supervised Practice I (5 credits)
FONU 402:  Dietetic Internship: Supervised Practice II (5 credits)

Monthly Seminars and Activities
Interns broaden their perspective on various areas of dietetics through seminars, group tours and other activities. Examples include:

• Participation in the Illinois Dietetic Association Annual Assembly and the Illinois Dietetic Association Lobby Day in Springfield
• Seminars on sports nutrition, ethical issues in dietetic practice and media training
• Ethnic food tours

Participation in these activities is required. This time is not calculated as part of supervised-practice or didactic hours.

Application Requirements

1. completed standard Dietetic Internship application using the ADA form,
2. Three (3) letters of recommendation using the standard ADA form,
3. Original transcripts from all colleges or universities in sealed envelopes,
4. Verification statement of completion of the Didactic Program in Dietetics or the Intent to Complete form completed by the DPD Program Director,
5. Application fee of $40 payable to Loyola University Chicago,
6. The letter of application to the Loyola Dietetic Internship should be one page, single-spaced, and address:

• how your work experiences (paid or volunteer) has prepared you to complete a dietetic internship,
• your strengths and weakness (areas for improvement), and
• your career plans for the next five years.

Applications should be postmarked by February 14 and sent to:

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Minimum requirements for admission to the Dietetic Internship Program in the Niehoff School of Nursing:

• Completion of the Didactic Program in Dietetics from college or university with a CADE (Commission on Accreditation in Dietetics Education) accredited program,
• Completion of Baccalaureate Degree with GPA greater than 2.8,
• Submission of application materials described above.

The Loyola Dietetic Internship participates in the nationwide, computerized matching process which is administered by D&D Digital Company, Ames, IA. It is necessary for you to submit your dietetic internship ranking preferences according to D&D Digital requirements. You can obtain more information about this process and requirements at: http://www.dnddigital.com/ada/index.php. The LDI receives over 100 applications yearly for 20 openings per CADE Accreditation. Not all applicants will be accepted. These are the minimum requirements for consideration.

Additional information about Dietetic Internships and Accreditation can be obtained from CADE, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, Illinois 60606, and 1-800-877-1600 or cade@eatright.org.

APPROXIMATE PROGRAM COST

OPEN HOUSE INFORMATION

There will be another Open House in January 2010. Date, time and venue will be posted in summer 2009.

For more information about the LDI including program goals and student learning outcomes, please request brochure by contacting:

Joanne Kouba, PhD, RD, LDN
Dietetic Internship Director
jkouba@luc.edu
Phone: 708.216.4132
Fax: 708.216.9555 
APPLICATION: http://www.depdpg.org

Information for Preceptors

Competencies:

• Clinical
• Community
• Long Term Care
• Management
• Marketing

Rotation Sites

Loyola has collaborative partnerships in primary, tertiary and non-traditional health care settings. These sites include acute care medical centers, community hospitals, WIC clinics, senior citizen congregate feeding programs, school-based nutrition programs, residential long-term care facilities, wellness programs, private practices, and community organizations. Faculty members design the supervised practice and guide students in placement of appropriate sites to meet individual goals and interests.

Clinical	Christ Hospital Edward Hospital Lake Forest Hospital Loyola University Medical Center Chicago Mercy Hospital Northwestern Memorial Hospital Resurrection Hospital Rush North Shore St. Joseph Hospital Trinity Hospital
Community	DuPage County Senior Citizens Council Chicago Nutrition Education Center; Lake County Health Department) City of Chicago Department on Aging Lake Shore Campus Wellness Center LaRabida Children's Hospital Catholic Charities Proviso High School WIC (Cook County Economic Development Agency)
Management	Alden North Shore ARAMARK Dining Services Lake Forest Hospital LaRabida Children's Hospital Resurrection Hospital St. Paul Home
Marketing	Burson-Marstellar Public Relations Edelman Public Relations Sunset Foods Wilton Industries

Faculty Information