WELLNESS EMPHASIS CURRICULUM

The Sodexo Dietetic Internship is a 41-week course of study (September through June) requiring full-time participation by the interns.  After one week of orientation to the program and to the hospital, interns rotate through food service management, clinical practice, community nutrition, specialty electives, and an advanced practice rotation.  Rotations are planned to allow the intern to build skills and reach increasing levels of independence.

Clinical rotations comprise the largest portion of training with 16 weeks of experience.  Clinical rotations include:

• The development of basic assessment and counseling skills

• In-depth management of patients with all major disease states

• Exposure to parenteral nutrition, enteral nutrition and other feeding modalities

• Experience in dietetics specialties such as HIV/AIDS, renal, nutrition support, and others

• Clinical staff relief, which gives the interns the opportunity to function as independently as possible to prepare for initial employment.

Clinical rotations are supplemented with readings, case studies and other activities, which add to the comprehensive learning experience.

Food Service Management rotations consist of 9 weeks of study intended to develop the intern’s skill in overall department operations.  Five of the weeks will be spent at a Sodexo-managed Independent Schools account.  The remaining 4 weeks will be spent at an acute care facility.  Rotations include:

• Procurement, receiving and storage

• Food production and distribution

• Retail operations

• Patient services management

• Financial management

• Current management theory

Community nutrition experiences of 5 weeks allow the intern to become familiar with federal, state, and community resources and programs impacting nutrition of individuals and groups.  Interns are involved in outpatient nutrition education programs, and spend time with nutritionists and other professionals in charitable and for-profit organizations.

The final seven weeks of the internship will be spent at Sodexo’s North American Headquarters in Gaithersburg, MD.  During these weeks, the interns will have to opportunity to work with Sodexo’s Product Development Team. This includes working in the areas of Wellness, Product Development, Marketing, Menu/Recipe Development and Culinary Programs, including the Test Kitchen..

All rotations are pre-planned and are designed to meet the entry-level dietitian competencies established by the American Dietetic Association.  In addition to rotation assignments, each intern completes projects, readings and other activities as a supplement to the “hands-on” practical experience.  Rotations and assignments are provided in a logical sequence, building on previous weeks’ training.

Didactic training is provided each week in a group environment.  Specialists in clinical dietetics, management, community nutrition, and other areas are featured as speakers each Monday during the program.  These classes are coordinated with the interns’ rotations and are provided to supplement the practical experiences.  Presentation skills and analytical abilities are also enhanced during the didactic portion through case studies and journal reviews presented by the interns.