Dietetic Internship Program Overview

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 2190, Chicago, IL, 60606-6995, 800-877-1600, ext. 5400

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, pending number of applicants matched. The BWH dietetic internship provides a minimum of 1440 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).

There are two options for applicants to the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Dietetic Internship.

• Apply if you will have a Master’s Degree completed before the start of our program
• Apply as part of the “Pre-Select” option if you are already enrolled in the Master’s in Nutrition Program at Boston University or Simmons University. Click below to learn more about these affiliations:
  • Boston University (or view a recent virtual information session here)
  • Simmons

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:

• Comply with all the Policies and Procedures of both Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dietetic Internship
• Complete the prescribed number of supervised practice hours (minimum of 1000 per current ACEND requirements/standards)
• Complete all required projects and assignments satisfactorily
• Demonstrate achievement of competence (score of 3.0 or above) in all areas of “benchmarked” competencies based upon the most current Internship Program (IP) Standards per ACEND as determined by the ratings on each Performance Evaluation Form
• Attend all Class Days unless extenuating circumstances (as determined by the Associate Director of the Dietetic Internship) preclude attendance
• All sites including Community and Special rotations are set up by the Director and Associate Director. Interns do not need to set up their own sites or rotations.
• No prior learning credit is offered.

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.

Related Links

• Dietetic Internship Curriculum: Overview of our curriculum broken down to weeks.
• Description of Rotation: Full description of each of our rotations and what you can expect to learn during that rotation.

Sample Schedule Document

• Dietetic Internship Class Days: Information about class days.
• Dietetic Internship Job Description: Full description of what is expected of our dietetic interns.

Calendar

Start Date

• First Monday in August for August class
• First Monday in October for October class

Orientation

• First week in August for August class (Mon- Fri)
• First week in October for October class (Mon- Fri)

Occ Health Visit

• Tuesday of Orientation Week

1st Day of Rotations

• Second Monday in August for August class
• Second Monday in October for October class

Vacation

• The week containing Dec 25 for both classes

Internship Resumes

• January 2

Scheduled End Date

• Last Friday in June for August class
• Last Friday in August for October class

BWH Observed Holidays

• Labor Day
• Indigenous Peoples Day
• Thanksgiving *Note: You have the choice to take the day after Thanksgiving off as a personal day
• Christmas Day
• New Year’s Day
• MLK Day
• Presidents Day
• Memorial Day
• Juneteenth
• Independence Day