About the Dietetic Internship Program

The program has been continuously accredited by The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) since it began in 1969. Our graduates have compiled an 83 percent first-time pass rate in the last five years and a 90 percent first-time pass rate since the beginning of the program.

(2023-2024 intern class) The internship is a full-time, 10-month program that starts August 2023. It provides approximately 1,520 hours of supervised practice. Clinical experiences will be divided between inpatient and outpatient rotations at the University of Kentucky Hospital (UKH) (18 weeks) and inpatient and outpatient experiences at the Veterans of Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) (16 weeks). Supervised practice experiences are planned to provide a progression from the first week of general orientation and direct supervision to working independently with little supervision based on a program of timely and routine feedback on performance. Our program provides 6 weeks of food service management rotations and 4 weeks of a rural health community rotation. The program is fast-paced and rigorous requiring additional time outside of scheduled work hours to complete projects, homework, etc. Additionally, this internship requires strong time management and organizational skills, excellent study skills, and an elevated level of commitment to the education process.

(2023-2024) The program will aim to accept six interns each year during the spring match.

(2024-2025 intern class): The internship will remain full time but will be reduced to an 8-month program, starting in September 2024. It will provide approximately 1,280 supervised practice hours. We will continue to have a strong clinical focus, providing 24 weeks of clinical rotations (both inpatient and outpatient rotations at UKH in a variety of populations ranging from pediatrics to geriatric), 4 weeks of food service management and 4 weeks of a rural health community rotation. Supervised practice experiences will continue to be designed to provide a progression from the first week general orientation and direct supervision to working independently with little supervision based on a program of timely and routine feedback on performance. The program is fast-paced and rigorous requiring additional time outside of scheduled work hours to complete projects, homework, etc. Additionally, this internship requires strong time management and organizational skills, excellent study skills, and an elevated level of commitment to the education process.

(2024-2025 intern class) The program will aim to accept three interns during the spring match.

Effective for the Spring 2024 Computer Matching (DICAS) date, the University of Kentucky Hospital Dietetic Internship will require current enrollment in a student identified Master’s program, or completion of Master’s degree (granted by a U.S. regionally accredited college/university or foreign equivalent) to be admitted to our program. The University of Kentucky Hospital Dietetic Internship does not provide any Master’s credit.

Program Mission

The University of Kentucky Hospital Dietetic Internship strives to produce entry-level dietitians through the use of research, education and clinical care. In an academic health care setting, the program educates dietetic interns to apply the most recent research in order to provide evidence-based care for the most advanced patient populations in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and surrounding regions.

Program Goals and Objectives

Goal 1: Graduates will be competent entry-level practitioners with a concentration in clinical nutrition who meet the performance standards in areas of clinical nutrition, management, and community nutrition.

Objectives:

  1. At least 80% of program graduates complete program requirements within 15 months (150% of planned program length)”. (RE 2.1.c.1.a)
  2. At least 80 percent of program graduates take the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists within 12 months of program completion”. (RE 2.1.c.1.c.1)
  3. 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%”. (RE 2.1.c.1.c.2) 
  4. At least 90% of graduates from this program who took the exam will exceed the national average of scores in the specific areas on the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists (Nutrition and Food Service). (UKH specific goal)
  5. At least 85 percent of the program graduates from the previous five years who took the exam will achieve a first-time pass rate on the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists. (UKH Specific goal)

Goal 2: Graduates will be prepared to achieve professional goals of having employment in the dietetics profession.

Objectives:

  1. Of graduates who seek employment, at least 70 percent are employed in nutrition and dietetics or related fields within 12 months of graduation”. (RE 2.1.c.1.b)
  2. At least 80 percent of first-time employer responses of graduates (outside of the University of Kentucky Hospital System) will rate his or her performance as a 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 5. (RE 2.1.c.1.d) 

* Bold = ACEND Required Objectives

Program outcomes are available upon request.