Dietetic Internship

Prepare graduates to be highly qualified entry-level Registered Dietitian Nutritionists who can practice in a variety of settings.

• At least 80% of program students complete program/degree requirements within 1.25 years (13.5 months).
• Of graduates who seek employment, 80% percent are employed in nutrition and dietetics or related fields within 12 months of graduation.
• 80% of program graduates take the CDR dietitian credentialing exam within 12 months of program completion.
• 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%.

Prepare competent entry-level dietitians who are well equipped to meet the demand of the profession and contribute to the growing employment of Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.

• Over a five-year period, 90% of responding employers will agree (yes/no) that the graduate exhibited the knowledge and skills to perform as a competent entry-level RDN at the time of employment.
• Over a five-year period, 90% of responding preceptors will agree (yes/no) that the graduate exhibited the knowledge and skills to perform as a competent entry-level RDN by the end of their rotation.

• Completion of a master's degree (at minimum) from a U.S. regionally accredited university or college. UW Stout offers an MS in Nutrition and Dietetics degree program.
• Completion of accredited DPD coursework as approved by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. DPD coursework can be completed through the UW Stout Dietetics Program. Successful completion of our undergraduate program in Dietetics will result in receipt of a verification statement. With the receival of the verification statement, you are eligible to apply for an accredited Dietetic Internship program in pursuit of becoming a RDN.
• Completion of an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program. This is where we come in, UW Stout Dietetic Internship Program!
• Pass the national credentialing exam administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).

Registered Dietitian Nutritionists are required to obtain 75 hours of continuing professional education (CPE) every 5 years to maintain the RDN credential. For more information about becoming credentialed and maintaining credentials, please visit the CDR website.

1.  Complete the student application through Dietetic Internship Centralized Application System (DICAS).
   • For any questions concerning the DICAS application, please email dicasinfo@dicas.org.
2. Pay the $50 DICAS application fee. There is a $25 fee for each additional internship application.
3. Write a personal statement limited to 8,000 characters (approximately 1,000 words). In your personal statement, address a minimum of three of the following items in your statement:
   • Why do you want to enter the dietetics profession?
   • Discuss experiences that have helped prepare you for your career?
   • What are your short-term and long-term goals?
   • What are your strengths and areas needing improvement?
   • What other information do you consider important for the selection process?
4. Submit 3 letters of recommendation from faculty, academic advisors, employers or other individuals who have supervised your academic studies or work experience. At least one recommendation should come from an employer who supervised your volunteer or work experience and one from an instructor of a course you took within nutrition and dietetics.
   • All recommendations will be submitted electronically through DICAS.
   • Include the name and contact information (specifically an email address) for each of your 3 references. This will trigger an email message that requests completion of a reference form. The form will be completed electronically.
   • If you submit more than one application, you'll need to use the same individuals as references for each application.
5. Provide a verification statement: An official statement of Verification of Completion of the Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (DPD) with original signatures, or Declaration of Intent to complete academic requirements, also with original signatures, is required. Once you submit the online DICAS application, the DPD will be notified, and a verification or declaration of intent will be automatically processed.
6. Submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended: When applying online, you will be asked to download and fill out a Transcript Request Form that you'll send to the Registrar of each institution. The Registrar will send the official transcript directly to DICAS. Note, this includes two-year colleges, online colleges and/or any academic institution from which you have received a post-secondary grade.

View Internship Rotations Schedule
View the Site and Preceptor Form

View the Preceptor Qualification Form

Selection Decisions

Ranking decisions are made by majority vote of the Internship Admissions Committee. In the event of a tie vote, input from precepting Registered Dietitians will be sought, and if necessary, after consultation, the vote of the preceptors will be the tie-breaking vote.

March 1, 2025: Applicant notification due date (last date to notify applicant).

March 15, 2025: Applicant decision due date (last date for applicant to accept an offer).

Second-Round Match Requirements

In the event that the program does not fill all openings in the first round match, students applying for the second match must submit all required documents through the DICAS website. Applications will be accepted beginning when 2nd round match opens and will close when all positions have been filled. Qualified applicants will be invited after committee review.

Once a match is accepted to the dietetics internship program, complete the UW-Stout application in order to register for the 15 total credits in FN-865 Supervised Practice in Medical Nutrition Management: 6 credits in the fall, 3 credits in winterm, and 6 credits in the spring. Applications must be completed by August 1, before the start of the internship.

View the Application

Cost of Graduate Credits

Interns enroll as non-degree seeking students and therefore are not eligible to receive financial aid through UW-Stout. Interns are allowed to seek personal loans to pay for tuition costs of the internship. Interns are eligible for loan deferments during the internship program. All tuition and fees noted below are subject to change without notice. Interns will be required to register for 15 credits (6 in Fall, 6 in Spring, and 3 in Summer). You may choose to pay the entire fee for credits at the time of registration or can choose to follow the payment plan set by UW-Stout. For more information go to the Student Business Services website. UW-Stout graduate students who plan on completing our internship program are eligible to apply for up to $4000 in scholarships to help cover internship expenses. See the Foundation Scholarships for more details.

Transportation Costs

Interns are responsible for their own reliable transportation. Costs of maintaining a vehicle and expenses from driving to sites are also the responsibility of the intern. Costs will vary depending on the distance to each site and could be substantial depending on the different rotation sites for each intern. All interns are expected to arrive in a timely manner for all activities associated with the rotations and the internship in general. This includes attendance to professional meetings and required workshops and conferences. Therefore, the cost of transportation should be factored into the total cost of the program.

Housing Costs

Interns are responsible for arranging and paying for their own housing costs. Interns may choose to live where they desire. See the University Housing website for information on current university housing if living in the Menomonie area.

Health Insurance

All interns will need to show proof of health insurance prior to starting the internship. The health insurance must be for the entire internship year (August – May). Cost of health insurance is the intern’s responsibility. As a graduate student at UW-Stout, you would be able to buy health insurance through the university if you are not covered by your parents or spouse.

Professional Liability Insurance

Interns are required to have proof of professional liability insurance prior to starting rotations. Interns are responsible for buying the liability insurance. The insurance needs to cover the entire internship year (August – May). As a member of AND, this insurance is available through Proliability at www.proliability.com, and is endorsed by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

State AND Conference

Interns will attend their state’s Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics annual conference. The conference is typically held in April and is two days long. The cost of registration for the conference will vary. Interns are also responsible for hotel and transportation costs to attend the conference. Interns will register for the conference on their own when registration becomes available.

Background Check

All interns will need to have a background check completed prior to starting the internship. All rotation sites require this to work in their facility. If your preceptor requires a copy of your background check, the DI program will provide it to the preceptor. If the facility requires a drug screening prior to beginning rotation, the intern must comply. If the facility requires fingerprinting prior to beginning rotation, the intern must comply. To complete the background check go to www.castlebranch.com. The cost is ~$33.

Medical Exams, Tests & Immunizations

All interns must have a physical exam conducted within nine months prior to the start of the internship and provide a written statement from the licensed health care professional attesting to the condition of the intern’s health. Interns must also provide proof of the immunizations and tests that fulfill the requirements of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations, the CDC guidelines, and the affiliation agreements between the University of Wisconsin-Stout and the supervised practice sites. Required immunizations and tests include these and may also include others:

• A physician signed health/physical examination within 6 months prior to start of internship with official records and dates of all vaccinations and immunizations, including:
  • 2 doses of the MMR vaccine to prove immunity to measles, mumps and rubella
  • Proof of immunity to chicken pox (a titer is required if you have had chicken pox) or 2 vaccinations
  • 2 Step TB Test which will be valid through the completion of the program (some rotations require additional)
  • Tetanus immunization within the past 10 years.
  • Flu shot for current season
  • Drug Test - 10 panel
  • Hepatitis B - 3 shot series. A titer is recommended to show immunity.
  • COVID-19 vaccine is highly recommended but not mandatory.

Distance Education Components & Technology Requirements

• Virtual Supervised Practice: Interns will participate in supervised practice experiences through virtual platforms, allowing for real-time interaction and feedback from preceptors.
• Online Coursework: Certain didactic components of the program will be delivered through an online learning management system, providing flexibility and accessibility.
• Reliable Internet Connection: A stable and high-speed internet connection is essential for participating in virtual supervised practice and accessing online coursework.
• Computer or Laptop: Interns will need a computer or laptop with up-to-date operating systems and software to support online learning platforms.
• Webcam & Microphone: A functional webcam and microphone are necessary for virtual meetings, supervised practice sessions, and online workshops.
• Software: Interns may need specific software applications as required by the program, such as video conferencing tools (e.g., Zoom) and document management systems.

Prospective interns should ensure they meet these technology requirements to fully engage in the distance education components of the program.

Completion of the Dietetic Internship requirements must be satisfactorily completed before the ACEND verification statement is provided. For successful completion of the DI program, the following must be met:

• Successful completion of all internship rotations. Performance and successful completion are informed through formative and summative evaluation by preceptors, the internship director/coordinator, and the intern.
  • Completion of a minimum of 1,000 hours of supervised practice
  • Completion of all assignments and projects with a satisfactory rating
  • Completed evaluation forms
• Graduate-level performance in seminar activities. The internship seminar is conducted as a classroom course. Evaluation techniques that are common to classroom formats are employed. For example, interns may be evaluated on case study presentations, responses to written questions, ability to articulate site and internship expectations and experiences, papers and examinations.
• A strong e-portfolio rating. Interns develop a formative portfolio during each site experience. The electronic portfolio is planned with preceptor input. Examples of appropriate portfolio items include case studies, chart notes and assessments, handouts or summaries from conferences and continuing education programs attended, nutrition education materials developed or modified, results of evaluations, special projects or tasks (e.g., menu analysis or development), quality improvement activities, reports or contributions to facility reports, and intern-centered goals.
• Successful performance on practice exams. Our internship provides you with access to a credentialling exam preparation course. Minimum score of “proficient” in each practice domain is required prior to taking the RDN exam.
• For those students who do not have a master’s degree awarded at admission, a verification statement will not be granted until all supervised practice requirements are completed, and the graduate degree is awarded. A graduate degree is awarded after successful completion of the 30 course credits of our MS Nutrition and Dietetics program.
• Assessment of Prior Learning or Competence. Credit for prior learning/competence can be granted for individuals who have documentation from a recent (within 2 years) ACEND-accredited Dietetic Internship Program. Please work with your previous internship director to submit all assessment documents from your former experience. Up to 500 experiential learning hours will be accepted based on the Internship Director and Coordinator evaluation of your documents. The evaluation of your submitted documents will inform a plan for successful completion of the UW Stout Dietetic Internship.

The internship director provides five verification statements to the graduating intern and sends documentation to The Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) informing the CDR that internship requirements have been met. A copy of the verification statement, length of rotations documenting a minimum of 1000 hours of supervised practice, and other documentation will be kept in the intern’s file.

During the conclusion of the internship, the intern is given information to assist in the online Registration Eligibility application process.

All candidates approved as examination eligible automatically receive an authorization to test email from Pearson VUE, the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s testing vendor. This email will explain the process to schedule your exam and create login credentials for Pearson VUE’s website. If you have not received your authorization to test email within 48 hours of receiving your CDR eligibility email, please contact Pearson VUE customer service at 888-874-7651. Candidates who established eligibility previously must request reauthorization to test. Candidates must contact the Commission on Dietetic Registration by email (cdrexams@eatright.org) or online at cdrnet.org to request examination reauthorization.

Once eligibility to test has been certified by CDR, candidates will receive an Authorization to Test email from Pearson VUE. The Authorization to Test email contains a personal CDR Candidate ID and dates of initial authorization. It also includes instructions regarding creating an account with Pearson VUE and the web address where the exam may be scheduled. A copy of this email should be kept in a secure location.

After obtaining your RDN credential, you may wish to pursue state licensure/certification. This program is designed to meet the requirements for licensure in the State of Wisconsin. If you reside outside of Wisconsin, please note that UW-Stout cannot confirm whether this program (or course) meets the requirements for professional licensure in your state. Students from other states will need to contact their state regarding licensure requirements. Please refer to the Commission on Dietetic Registration regarding state licensure.

Once the intern has passed the RDN exam, they must complete paperwork to become either licensed or certified in the state in which they plan to pursue employment. Each state requires different forms for this submission. It is best for each individual intern to research their state’s requirements.