The Cornell Dietetic Internship

Introduction

Cornell University, known for its excellence in research, teaching and extension, is proud to partner with the Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY to offer a general emphasis Dietetic Internship which provides in-depth, intensive, community, clinical management, and research experiences to prepare future leaders in evidence-based practice through the integration of knowledge and theory in nutritional science; the development of skills necessary for competent entry-level dietetics practice; and translational research to inform that practice. Strong Memorial Hospital, an 800-bed, tertiary and trauma care facility, is the primary affiliate hospital of the University of Rochester School of medicine and dentistry, one of the nation's top academic health systems. The internship takes place in Ithaca, NY at Cornell University, in the heart of the beautiful Finger Lakesin the fall and then transitions to Rochester, NY, two hours north of Ithaca for the clinical and management rotations at Strong Memorial Hospital. The program is seeking strong candidates to maintain a reputation for producing exceptionally qualified and competent registered practitioners who are successfully employed, appreciate research, can apply their knowledge and enhanced skills, and are committed to the profession and the standards of excellence.

Rotation Schedule

Community Nutrition Rotation

The internship begins in late August with a two-week orientation on the Cornell campus. The interns then engage in coursework on research strategies and techniques and the theoretical basis for community nutrition and in community nutrition rotations in Ithaca , New York , and surrounding areas. Each Monday, interns come to the Cornell campus for two graduate classes, Community Nutrition in Action: Theory to Practice and Community Nutrition Research Methods, and nutrition research seminars. Interns receive six graduate credits for their coursework. Interns also participate in a communications workshop with practitioners and graduate students to enhance their basic counseling skills and in a workshop to strengthen their leadership skills. For their community rotations, interns spend four days per week at one community agency or program, which offers an in‐depth experience in community dietetics. Interns participate in the entire program development process, from assessing needs to planning, implementing and evaluating a program. Each intern conducts a research project to enhance the program development process. Interns, thus, contribute meaningfully to a community nutrition program while they develop the skills needed to be effective community practitioners. WIC, School Lunch, Cornell Cooperative Extension – Tompkins County and Monroe County , Wegmans Markets, Employee Wellness programs – Preferred Care in Rochester and Cornell University , and the Nutrition Program for the Elderly are used for placements.

Management and Clinical Nutrition Rotations

In late December, interns attend an orientation before winter break at Strong Memorial Hospital, which consistently ranks among “America’s Best Hospitals” in a US News and World Report, then begin clinical nutrition and management rotations there in January. Among the specialty rotations available to interns are medicine, surgery, pediatrics, organ transplantation, adult and pediatric endocrinology, pediatrics and specialty outpatient clinics, oncology, renal dialysis, psychiatry and eating disorders, intensive care, burn care, cardiology, outpatient cardiac rehabilitation, diabetes, and a research rotation in the NIH‐funded General Clinical Research Center . The management rotation includes in‐depth experience in state‐of‐the‐art room service food production, retail, purchasing, problem‐solving research and employee nutrition education through the development, management, and production of a one‐day Food Fair. Interns also have a choice for a one week “staff‐relief” rotation.

Excellence Founded in Dietetics Research

Dietetics Research is a key focus of the Cornell Dietetic Internship in the community, clinical and management rotations. The increasing emphasis on accountability for outcomes and evidence‐based decision‐making requires that dietetic professionals be able to evaluate critically nutrition research and to conduct research analyzing processes and demonstrating program impact. Each intern presents the results of his or her community nutrition research project in a poster session at the New York State Dietetic Association Annual Meeting.

Graduate Study Students who wish to continue graduate study after the internship, apply mid internship to the Cornell University Graduate Field of Nutrition by January 15 for admission the following fall. Applicants interested in beginning their graduate studies first apply to the Graduate Field of Nutrition and then to the internship during their graduate study and receive priority for acceptance. Cornell does not offer a combined MS/DI program.

Becoming a Registered Dietitian

The Cornell Dietetic Internship is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetic Education‐American Dietetic Association (120 South Riverside Plaza , Suite 2000, Chicago , IL 60606‐6995; ph 312‐899‐0040 (ext 5400) from 2001‐2011. Completing this internship requires satisfactory performance of the community, clinical and management rotations, attendance and presentation of the research project at the annual New York State Dietetic Association meeting, membership in the American Dietetic Association, and payment of all DI fees/tuition in order to receive a Verification Statement. This statement is required to be certified eligible for the registration exam, which must be passed to become a Registered Dietitian.

Application Information

Deadline

Applications are due by January 23, 2008 and must include:

§         2004 ADA Dietetic Internship Program Application form — http://depdpg.org/index_580.cfm

§         Three recommendations on the Dietetic Internship Recommendation form (at url above)

§         Official transcripts from all schools

§         Personal statement

§         Verification statement or declaration of intent

§         $60 non‐refundable application fee

Note:

§         Cornell University students are eligible for the pre‐select option, Application deadline is 12/20/2007.

§         Applicants who completed dietetics coursework five years ago or more must contact Dr. Patsy Brannon (below) for an assessment of recent coursework.

Computer Matching

All applicants must participate in computer matching; should request instructions and a mark sense card from D&D Digital Systems, 137 Lynn Avenue , Ames IA 50014 ; and must submit their card by the February 15 postmark deadline. Serious candidates should list Cornell as their priority to increase their placement chances.

Selection

Applicants are ranked according to the following, in order of importance:

                        Strong academic record (overall/Science/Dietetics GPA, typically >3.5 of 4.0)

                        Excellence of references

                        Telephone interview

                        Relevancy and quality of paid or volunteer work experience

                Quality of personal statement

Cost and Necessary Resources

Necessary Resources Applicants are expected to have a car and a computer which are necessary for the fall community rotation.

Total $10,051 and includes: Optional Cornell Student Health Insurance ($1434)

Cornell tuition and coursework ($5250)
Program and other fees ($4075)
Strong Memorial required health fee ($277)
Professional liability insurance ($35)
ADA dues ($49)
Miscellaneous costs ($365)

*Subject to change

Estimated Costs* Not included:

Information on Housing For the fall in Ithaca , refer to http://offcampus.campuslife.cornell.edu for housing options. For the spring in Rochester , refer to http://ochousing.reslife.rochester.edu/. Many interns live at “ Rustic Village ” (phone 585‐424‐4380) while in Rochester .

Comments from Internship Graduates

ʺRich and enriching experiences that link research, theory, and self‐reflective learningʺ
ʺA high quality, well‐rounded dietetic internshipʺ
ʺExcellent clinical experiences with great depth, breadth & excellent health care teamʺ
ʺIn‐depth community experiencesʺ
ʺCommunity research experience– greater appreciation of research and why it’s neededʺ
ʺOpportunity to hear internationally known speakersʺ
ʺAutomatic respectʺ
ʺProfessors go above and beyond to help internʺ
ʺGreat preceptors‐allow independence/autonomy/self‐learning/opportunities to contributeʺ
ʺPoster session opportunity at state dietetics meeting‐a strengthʺ
ʺSmaller intern class, more personal with individual attentionʺ

For more information:   See http://www.nutrition.cornell.edu/dns7_dieteticintern.html . To visit the internship program contact the Program Director at dietetics@cornell.edu

Contact           Patsy M. Brannon, Ph.D., R.D.

                        Professor and Director of Cornell DI

                        Cornell University Division of Nutritional Sciences

                        B‐19 Savage Hall Ithaca , NY 14853-6301

                        607‐255‐3770

                        dietetics@cornell.edu

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Nutrition Programs

The Cornell Dietetic Internship