Section Items

Dietetic Internship - Mission and Goals

The program offers a breadth of knowledge and professional skills required for practice of dietetics and for advancement to leadership roles in the nutrition and dietetic profession. The internship provides supervised practice in a variety of settings in the central Ohio area. Based on the interns’ interests and career goals, they will be matched to practice tasks that develop expertise in specialized services.
Note: In 2023-24, the program will change its structure to a distance program with interns self-identifying rotation sites and preceptors.

The program consists of a minimum of 1,050 hours of supervised practice hours. In addition, interns in the full-time and part-time tracks participate in a one-week orientation and weekly seminars with program faculty. ISPP track interns can attend these events or select an asynchronous option. Interns report to supervised practice according to the track. Full-time average 38 hours/week. Part-time average 20 hours a week. ISPP set their schedule but are encouraged to include at least 16 hours/week. Supervised practice takes place in various medical centers, public health agencies, wellness agencies, and private industries, food services, and schools in the Central Ohio area and other locations as arranged. The supervised practice experiences will meet entry level competencies established by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The distribution of time for the rotation are outlined below. Numerous practices sites are available to dietetic interns in all areas.

Mission Statement

The mission of The Ohio State University Human Nutrition Dietetic Internship is to equip graduates to become Registered Dietitian Nutritionists who execute entry-level practice and obtain advancement to positions of impact. Graduates will be prepared to use innovation, diversity and inclusion, and integrity to conduct and manage personalized nutrition care in a variety of environments.

Program Goals and Outcomes

All outcomes data are available upon request

Goal 1

Graduates will advance the quality of life of individuals within diverse communities.

  • Objective 1-A
    Full-time: “At least 80% of interns complete the program requirements within 15 months (150% of planned program length).”

    Part-time: “At least 80% of interns complete the program requirements within 25 months (150% of planned program length).”

    ISPP: “At least 80% of interns complete the program requirements within 3 years (150% of program length).”

  • Objective 1-B
    Eighty (80%) of employers will report the graduate improves the quality of life of individuals through a) creation or modification or continuation of program and/or policy and/or b) dissemination of knowledge via their job in their diverse communities.

Goal 2

Graduates will be professionally competent in the areas of medical nutrition therapy, nutrition/food management, public health nutrition, and personalized nutrition and counseling.

  • Objective 2-A
    At least 85% of program graduates take the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists within 12 months of program completion. The rolling 3-year average for this objective at least 98% for full-time, part-time, and ISPP tracks.
  • Objective 2-B
    The program’s one-year pass rate (graduates who pass the registration exam within one year of first attempt) on the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists is at least 80%. The rolling 3-year average for this objective is at least 98% for full-time and part-time tracks and 75% for the ISPP track.
  • Objective 2-C
    Of graduates who seek employment, at least 90% are employed in nutrition and dietetics or related fields within 12 months of graduation.
  • Objective 2-D
    Eighty (80%) of employers will report graduate’s competent practice (rated as “Good” or “Very Good” performance on a 5-point Likert scale) in medical nutrition therapy, nutrition and food management, public health nutrition, and personalized nutrition and counseling, as applicable to the graduate’s job.