Guidelines for Concentration Proposal

The 200 hours of the individual elective rotation (IER) is intended to give you an opportunity to explore an area of particular interest to you. You may combine it with another rotation (i.e. add 25 days to your clinical rotation) in order to have in depth experience in that area, or you may pursue an area of interest that is unique (i.e. corporate wellness, complementary medicine). However you choose your focus, it must comply with the Standards of Education of the American Dietetic Association and the goals of the program. You must submit a proposal for the IER to your advisor for approval prior to beginning it. You are encouraged to discuss your ideas with your advisor before beginning to develop your proposal. Follow the guidelines below in preparing your proposal.

What is your purpose for choosing this area for your IER? In general terms, describe why you chose this area and what you hope to accomplish in terms of your professional development.

Outline your specific learning objectives for this experience. What do you hope to learn or be able to do at the end of it? Your objectives should be described in measurable terms.

Describe your learning activities. It must be apparent that this will encompass 25 days or 200 hours of your time. If the experience will take place in a number of locations or a number of ways (i.e. work at home, in an agency, doing research) estimate the amount of time required in each area.

Describe how you plan to evaluate whether you have met your learning objectives. Your evaluation should demonstrate your attainment of your overall purpose for undertaking this experience and your achievement of your specific learning objectives. If you are being evaluated by a preceptor you may develop your own form incorporating your learning objectives or you may use the General Evaluation Form (whichever is most appropriate). Make sure your learning objectives and learning activities are all listed on this form.

NOTE: As part of the evaluation process you should plan to send your advisor a summary of your experience, including:

What you did (your major activities)
What you learned
What went well
What could have gone better

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE GUIDELINES:

The intern will submit a proposal including steps 1-4 as outlined above.

Three options for the concentration are available:

Expand the international food service rotation to work on specific projects or expand experience in management

i.	Details of the competencies and activities will be worked out with the internship director and site preceptor in the designated country. Learning activities must meet one or more of the emphasis competencies as outlined above.
ii.	For those interns completing their international experience in the UK, the UK National Dietitian will work out the details of the rotation with the intern and the internship director.

Work with our global STOP Hunger partners (go to http://www.helpstophunger.org/ for more information about this initiative)

i.	The internship director will contact our STOP Hunger manager in the designated country through the US STOP Hunger manager.
ii.	The STOP Hunger manager from the designated country will connect the internship director with a contact for one of our STOP Hunger partners.
iii.	The internship director and intern will work with the contact to develop goals and learning activities for the concentration hours.

Set up an individualized rotation. This would generally be reserved for those interns who already have contacts/resources in a particular country.

i.	If an intern has appropriate contacts in the designated country, s/he will work with the agency to develop learning goals and activities.
ii.	In addition to the IER proposal, a description of the facility or agency, and the resume of the preceptor must be submitted to the internship director, to assure that the location and preceptor are appropriate for the planned learning goals and activities.


3.	Once a site and learning plan is developed, the internship director will send the link to the preceptor website to the practice site along with an agreement to be signed. The Internship Director will conduct a phone conference with one or more of the preceptors at the site to assure that the requirements and expectations are clear. The Preceptor website contains at least the following information
	Philosophy and Goals of the program Explanation of distance education Rotation description Description of leaning activities and assignments (as developed by the intern, preceptor and internship director) Pertinent evaluation forms A copy of the Internship Policy Book Contact information and web site address, including the password protected preceptor site.

4.	Proposal must be approved by the internship director prior to the start of the international experience and prior to the intern leaving the United States.
5.	During the rotation, the Internship Director will contact the preceptor through e-mail and/or phone to answer any questions and assure that program competencies are being met.


QUALITY OUTCOME ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:

	Purpose of the IER is clearly stated and logically supported in written proposal
	Proposal submitted for feedback and approval prior to starting the rotation
	Learning objectives for the experience clearly support the stated purpose
	Learning objectives are based on ADA competencies
	Learning objectives support the Mission and Goals of the internship
	Learning activities support the purpose and objectives
	Evaluation demonstrates attainment of the purpose and objectives
	Summary report includes a description of learning activities, what was learned, what went well, what could have been improved
	Proposal, summary report and any supporting materials submitted by deadline

Send mail to DieteticInternships.USA@sodexo.com with questions or comments about this web site. Last modified: August 10, 2010

Send mail to DieteticInternships.USA@sodexo.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: August 10, 2010