University of Nevada, Reno's Dietetic Internship Program is a post-baccalaureate supervised practice program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), the accrediting agency for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Complete our accredited dietetic internship program after completing a master’s degree to acquire the supervised practice experience necessary to be eligible to sit for the CDR exam for the Registered Dietitian (RDN) or complete the M.S. Nutrition (Dietetics Specialization)/Dietetic Internship Program. There is flexibility in site location for the Dietetics Specialization program. Coursework in both fall semesters can be completed remotely. The supervised practice experience will take place in person during spring/summer semesters.
ACEND
120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190
Chicago, IL, 60606-6995
800-877-1600, ext. 5400
www.eatrightpro.org/acend
The program is administratively housed at the University within the Department of Nutrition in the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Natural Resources (CABNR).
The program has a clinical focus and provides 1,000 hours (25 weeks) of supervised practice experience in each of its full-time (40 hours per week) rotations. The distribution of the 1000 hours of planned experiences is summarized below:
| Rotation Area | Hours In Rotation |
|---|---|
| Clinical | 560 |
| Food Service/Management | 240 |
| Community | 160 |
| Alternative Practice Experiences | |
| Orientation | 24 |
| Weekly Zoom Meetings | 16 |
Individual internship train schedules are developed by the Program Director and supervised training site preceptors.
The program currently accepts sixteen interns per year (eight interns per rotation from fall and spring match cycle).
Reno Clinical and Food Service Management Supervised Training Rotation Sites
Las Vegas and Food Service Management Supervised Training Rotation Sites
Community Rotation Supervised Training Sites
Specialty Clinical/Community Rotation Supervised Training Sites
Interns are assigned to one of the rotation sites by the Program Director after the match is complete.
Supervised Practice Sites/Facilities are selected based on availability of supervised practice sites in northern and southern Nevada and the availability of trained preceptors in the specific sites/facilities to assure the interns’ RDN Core Competencies can be completed.
Clinical training sites, food service/management training sites take place in accredited acute or long-term care facilities in northern and southern Nevada. Community rotations take place in university-based programs or State programs in norther and southern Nevada. The program director assures that the hospital/facility/community site is adequately staffed with licensed Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) and or Certified Food Service Managers and/or other nutrition professionals to mentor interns in a specific rotation.
The program director evaluates adequacy of a specific site by communicating with a site representative to review the needs of the program and the site. A supervised competency checklist is sent to the site representative to review, and the program director follows up with the site to confirm if the site is comfortable serving as a supervised training site. The program director then determines if the supervised practice site can provide the appropriate learning experiences to meet the expected outcomes. Once this is completed, sites requiring affiliation agreements are negotiated with the specific facility under the guidance of UNR’s general counsel’s office. There is a formal process at UNR guiding the affiliation agreement process and the program follows this policy. All affiliation agreements are kept on files and renewed per the expiration date of a specific affiliation agreement.
The adequacy of training facilities is reviewed annually taking into account interns’ evaluations of the training site/experience. The Program Director maintains close communication with the lead preceptor at each site to assure there are no issues impacting the ability to serve as a training site for the program. If significant issues exist with a facility, the review may occur immediately versus annually. Renewal of affiliation agreements also provides an opportunity to review the continued inclusion of a specific supervised training site in the program.
Preceptors’ credentials are updated annually, and new preceptors are provided information on preceptor training and the RDN Core Competencies.
There is close communication between the interns, facility, and the program so that if any issue(s) arise that might impact training, steps are taken to lead to immediate resolution of the problem.
The program has trained and continues to train highly competent dietetic intern graduates.
The graduates of the internship program successfully complete the supervised practice experiences necessary to acquire the ACEND 2022 Core Competencies for the Registered Dietitian, are eligible to sit for the Registered Dietitian (RD) credentialing examination and are prepared to seek employment in the field with sound entry-level skills.
Program outcomes data are available on request.
Run With the Pack
Apply today to join the Wolf Pack. As an intern and member of the Wolf Pack family, you'll receive the knowledge and skills to earn the Registered Dietitian credential and to enter the industry.
Las Vegas Internship Facilities
Reno Community Rotations
Las Vegas Community Rotations
Specialized Rotations
Dietetic Internship Program
Earn the credential, enter the industry
Complete our accredited post-baccalaureate supervised practice program to acquire sound entry-level career skills & the eligibility to sit for the Registered Dietitian credentialing examination.
