Field Experience in Dietetics
Field experience is a directed practical experience for students under the guidance of on-site and KNH faculty supervisors.
Objectives
- Gain insights into possible career requirements and opportunities
- Experience typical, practical work situations
- Provide place-based learning for the application of knowledge gained through coursework
- Encourage relationships that develop professional growth
- Provide evaluation of his/her strengths and weaknesses to enable further development of competencies
- Provide opportunities for critical reflection on professional practices
Enrollment Requirements
- Read and understand the Miami University Internship Policy
- Be in good academic standing with Miami University and have maintained at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average prior to enrolling for an internship. Individual departments/colleges or programs may require a higher GPA
- Have completed at least two full-time semesters with a minimum of 24 GPA hours earned at Miami (for continuing students) or have completed at least 12 GPA hours earned at Miami (for transfer students)
- Be currently enrolled at Miami University
- Be in communication with your Academic Department Internship Coordinator
- In order to meet the Ohio Board of Regents Subsidy deadline, during the academic year, the student must complete registration for the class by the end of the first week of classes. During a summer or winter term, the student must complete registration by the second day of the summer or winter term.
Fields and Companies Miami Students Have Worked With
Business and Nutrition
- Grassroots Nutrition
- Smucker’s
- Nestle
- Abbott
Community
- Children’s Hunger Alliance
- Lincoln Elementary School
- Meijer’s
- The Fraze Pavillion
- Oxford Vitamin Shop
- Sports Nutrition2Go
- Ohio Health
- Oxford Family Resource Center
- Oxford Choice Food Pantry
- De La Salle Chicago Bulls Slam Dunk Basketball Camp
Clinical
- Cleveland Clinic and the Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland
- Penn State Hershey Medical Center
- Knoll’s of Oxford
- Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
- Dayton Children’s Medical Center
- Hillspring of Springboro
Food Administration
- Kellogg’s
- NACUFS: National Association of College and University Food Services
Nutrition and Public Policy
- USDA - Food and Nutrition Program Promotion Internship
- Food Directions, LLC, Washington, D.C.
Additional Responsibilities
Liability Insurance
Personal liability insurance may be a requirement for selected internships and it is suggested that all students secure such insurance in advance of the internship. Professional organizations in the appropriate field can be contacted for more information.
Student Responsibilities and Credit
- Sign into Handshake (requires university single sign on): https://miamioh.joinhandshake.
com/experiences/new - Select your Academic Department - KNH, Internship Coordinator-Matuszak for fall/spring semesters, Parkinson for the summer semester, and the correct internship experience
- Be prepared with the following information:
- Employer/Organization name Location
- Industry
- Phone number
- Email address
- Internship job title
- Department
- Start/end date
- Employment type (seasonal, full-time, or part-time)
- Salary
- Offer date
- Site Supervisor's first and last name
- Site Supervisor title
- Site Supervisor's email address
- Other compensation
- The approximate number of hours you will work each week
- Scheduled hours
- Where the internship will be conducted (on-site, virtually, or both)
- Job description
- At least 3 learning objectives-
- Learning Outcome 1: Students are able to demonstrate how to locate, interpret, evaluate, and use professional literature to make ethical evidence-based practice decisions.
- Learning Outcome 2: Students are able to use current information technologies to locate and apply evidence-based guidelines
- Learning Outcome 3: Students will be able to demonstrate effective and professional oral and written communication and documentation and use of current information technologies when communicating with individuals, groups, and the public.
Credit
1 credit is equal to 64 hours of field experience.
2 credits are required for the dietetic concentration, which equals 128 hours of field experience.
It is recommended that you do 1 credit during the fall or spring semester (equal to approximately 5 hours per week) or 2 credits in the summer semester enrollment.
A maximum of 8 credit hours for an internship may be used in partial fulfillment of the minimal requirements of the degree.
Deadlines
- The deadline to register each semester is set by the Academic Calendar and the Office of the Registrar
- Last add day for Full Term: first Friday of the semester
- Last add day for a Sprint Course: Wednesday, 9th week of the semester
Next Steps
- Once submitted, the approval process will begin with your Internship Coordinator and your Site Supervisor
- Mid-semester and/or end of semester surveys may be sent to you and your Site Supervisor
- Fulfill all assignments, both on-site and course requirements as designated by the faculty supervisor
- Maintain an hourly attendance log
- Maintain professional attitude and behavior throughout the field experience
Faculty Supervisor Responsibilities
- Oversee the registration process
- Plan and confirm field experience assignments
- (e.g., learning journal, reflective writing)
- Communicate with on-site supervisor
- Review hourly attendance log
- Evaluate intern experience
On-Site Supervisor Responsibilities
- Introduce the student to the professional patterns of life in the agency or organization
- Serve as liaison between the professional and academic communities
- Communicate regularly with the student throughout the structured learning experience
- Provide organization orientation, training, supervision, and evaluation of the student
- Review hourly attendance log
Any potential field experience site can be discussed and acceptability determined with the KNH faculty supervisor.
Assignments
- Reflection paper: Write a reflection paper on what you learned from your experience, what are your strengths and your weaknesses, what do you see as the trends in the dietetics profession and how can you address those challenges in the future?
- Position Paper: Read a position paper prepared by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and write a
review of the article, if you need copies of the article see me if you are not a member of the Academy.one page - Bulletin Board: Create a bulletin board display concerning a nutrition topic or current event for the display case in the Dietetics Area in Phillips Hall or at your internship site.
- Internship Requirements: Follow the Internship Guidelines
regarding: attendance log, daily reflection journal, finance or budget sheet of the nutrition department or discuss department budget issues with your preceptor and document in your journal. Job description of health professional you are interested in or who you are working with.- Mock Interview: Schedule a mock interview with the Career Services Department on campus. Write a
critique on your experience.two page - Nutrition Education Lesson: prepare a
nutrition education lesson specific for the population you are working with. Be sure to include a flyer, bulletin, or custom nutrition education tool that you have designed yourself.15 minute - Nutrition Education Materials: obtain nutrition education materials from at least three different companies.
- Research: a topic in nutrition that interests you. Write a 5-6 page research paper explaining the topic, why you are interested in the topic and how, as a professional in dietetics can you address the topic. Cover issues such as background information on the topic, current medical nutrition therapy applications
and nutrition education information for the general public of the topic. If hours are divided into two semesters, only one research paper is due. All other assignments are to be completed each semester if hours are split. - Attend scheduled meetings.
- Police background check.
- Professional Liability Insurance for Students.
- Annual TB Test
- Any HIPPA requirements and/or orientations for the preceptor.
Contact Us
For more information on KNH 420G Dietetic Field Experiences please contact:
Gretchen Brademan, M.S., R.D.N., L.D.
Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics
513-529-5036
matuszg@MiamiOH.edu