Dietetic Internship

2023 Open House Dates: Thursday, October 19th at 7 pm on campus in the X building, room X229. Please RSVP to this event at twessel@harpercollege.edu AND Thursday, November 9th at 7 pm on Webex. No RSVP required.

About:

The Harper College Dietetic Internship is located in Palatine, Illinois, 30 minutes outside of Chicago. This area has convenient access to housing, highways, malls, restaurants, and shopping. Harper College offers a 9-month, Dietetic Internship with a concentration in wellness. Harper College has a state-of-the-art health and recreation facility on campus that the internship utilizes for experiences including one-on-one nutrition counseling, wellness presentations, and experience working with collegiate athletes, students, faculty and community members. In addition, Harper College has a state-of-the-art nutrition lab, used for additional educational experiences.

Lab 1 photo Commercial Kitchen photo

The internship provides 1087 supervised practice hours which may include but is not limited to time in hospitals, long-term care facilities, dialysis centers, food service operations, health clubs, park districts, grocery stores, food science laboratories, and community gardens.

On January 1, 2024, The Commission on Dietetic Registration will require a minimum of a master’s degree to take the credentialing exam for registered dietitians. To assist interns in this process, the Harper College Dietetic Internship provides three tracks interns can choose from:

Track A: Intern earned a master’s degree from an accredited college or university. The master’s degree is in nutrition or a related field.
Track B: Intern has not earned a master’s degree but is enrolled in an accredited college or university master’s program that is 12 months or less.
Track C: Intern has not earned a master’s degree but is enrolled in an accredited college or university master’s program that is 13- 24 months.

The Harper College Dietetic Internship partnered with the following Universities to seamlessly provide our incoming interns with a master’s degree. Interns are not required to attend these three universities; however, they are preferred partners.

Ohio University

Graduation Requirements:

Each class or rotation must be passed with a “B” grade or above.
All ACEND® competencies must be met satisfactorily to receive the verification statement.
Dietetic interns must complete at least 1087 supervised practice hours.
Dietetic interns must provide transcripts of a completed master’s degree.

Once you successfully met the Harper College Dietetic Internship graduation requirements, you will receive a verification statement. This allows you to sit for the Registration Examination for Dietitians. Licensure is dependent on the state you work in. Illinois requires licensure of all registered dietitian nutritionists.

If you live outside of IL, review this licensure map as it provides information on licensure requirements in each state.https://www.cdrnet.org/LicensureMap

Program Completion Timeline:

The length of the internship will depend on the track the intern chooses. The Harper College timeline for completing a certificate is a maximum of 10 years, however, interns in the Dietetic Internship program are expected to complete the program in the following timeframe below:

If the intern is in Track A, the intern is expected to complete the internship in 9 months but may take up to 13.5 months to complete the program.
If the intern is in Track B, the intern is expected to complete the internship in 12 months but may take up to 18 months to complete the program.
If the intern is in Track C, the intern is expected to complete the internship in 24 months but may take up to 36 months to complete the program. The internship does not take place during summer months. This must be considered when extending length of the internship.

All interns will complete their rotations in a consecutive 9 months. The extended length of the internship for tracks B and C is for completion of a master’s degree. The internship rotations do not take place during summer months. This must be considered when extending length of the internship.

Accreditation Status:
Harper College Dietetic Internship has been granted candidate status by Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND)

Located at:
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
120 South Riverside Plaza, Ste 2190
Chicago, IL, 60606-6995
P: 800-877-1600 P: 312-899-0040
https://www.eatrightpro.org/acend

For more information about the Dietetic Internship Program, please contact:
Traci Wessel MS RD LDN
Dietetic Internship Director
Email: twessel@harpercollege.edu

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