The dietetic internship is an 11-month clinically focused program of post-baccalaureate study accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). The address and telephone number of ACEND is 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, 312-899-0040.
12 interns are selected annually with two start dates. Six interns start the first full week of August and the other six start the first full week of October. The BWH dietetic internship provides approximately 1450 hours of supervised practice which allows the DI to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to obtain a Certificate of Completion (Verification Statement) and sit for the national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). Additional information on the educational and professional requirements to become a Registered Dietitian can be found on ACEND’s website. State licensure and state certification are entirely separate and distinct from registration or certification by the Commission of Dietetic Registration.
Effective January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) will require a minimum of a master’s degree to be eligible to take the credentialing exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). In order to be approved for registration examination eligibility with a bachelor’s degree, an individual must meet all eligibility requirements and be submitted into CDR's Registration Eligibility Processing System (REPS) before 12:00 midnight Central Time, December 31, 2023. Beginning with the 2023 spring match, applicants to the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Dietetic Internship will be required to have Master’s Degree before beginning the program.
For more information about this requirement visit CDR's website. In addition, CDR requires that individuals complete coursework and supervised practice in program(s) accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). Graduates who successfully complete the ACEND-accredited dietetic internship program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are eligible to apply to take the CDR credentialing exam to become an RDN.
In most states, graduates also must obtain licensure or certification to practice. For more information about state licensure requirements click here.
For more information about educational pathways to become a RDN click here.
In order to graduate from the BWH internship, all dietetic interns must meet the following program requirements:
If a student is having difficulty achieving any of the program requirements, a remedial course of action will be implemented to support the DI. The maximum amount of time a DI is allowed to complete the program requirements is 16.5 months (150% of the standard program length of 11 months). However, the Intern’s benefits will cease at the end of the usual program length of 11 months.
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