Distance Dietetic Internship

Overview 

Distance interns must accumulate 1000 supervised practice hours. All interns are required to attend a one week, on-campus orientation which is held the summer before Fall Semester 1 start. The date of orientation will be provided during program interviews. Distance interns create individualized rotation schedules that work for them. Rotation sites include, but are not limited to, community hospitals, medical centers, sub-acute/LTACH facilities, skilled nursing facilities, public health departments, senior centers, weight loss programs, schools, farmers markets, WIC, Extension, Head Start, and wellness and education programs in the setting of their choice. Distance interns also have the opportunity to gain experience with telehealth via BGSU's Nutrition Clinic. 

Interns enrolled in the Distance option are required to must choose sites beyond a 50 mile radius from Bowling Green, OH. Interns enrolled at full time status are intended to complete supervised practice 12-months. A part time option is available for distance interns to complete the internship over a maximum of 24-months. 

Here’s what some program graduates have to say about the program - Alumni Quotes

To learn more please check out our Interns in Action page 

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for this program, you must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, meet the DPD requirements of the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics and have relevant work or volunteer experience. You must participate in the DICAS application process and register with D&D Digital to participate in the computer matching process. BGSU Dietetic Internship currently only participates in the Spring Match. 

You must be able to answer yes to the following questions to determine if a distance program is right for you.

• Are you geographically limited in your choice of internship programs and live 50 miles or more from Bowling Green?
• Are you able to locate sites to meet required competencies in clinical, foodservice management, and community practice?
• Are there Registered Dietitians in your area who are willing to serve as your preceptors?
• Do you have daily access to a computer and the Internet?
  
• Are you willing and motivated to assume responsibility for your learning?
• Do you have good time management and organizational skills?
• Are you an independent and self-disciplined learner?
• Are you tech savvy? (word processing, Internet and e-mail skills required)

Please note: We are not prepared to accept applications from Massachusetts at this time. All other states are eligible. 

We also cannot accept International students who hold an F-1 or J-1 Visa.  Per the United States Code of Federal Regulations for international F-1 status students and J-1 Student Category, only one class per semester per academic year may be taken online towards the full-time credit hour requirement.  www.bgsu.edu/iss

Bowling Green State University’s goal is to provide all of our online programs in, all states. Federal regulations (US DOE) requires state authorization of distance education. At this time, we can accept applications from all states except Massachusetts.

• Choosing distance sites and preceptors
• Application process
  
• Projected cost to student
• Frequently Asked Questions

Master's Minimum Requirement for RDN Eligibility

Students in the dietetic internship must be admitted by the graduate college or be enrolled as an approved non-degree seeking guest student. Applicants can choose to separately apply for the 100% online, asynchronous Master of Food and Nutrition degree program at BGSU. Applicants with an existing Master’s Degree or those currently enrolled in a separate program (excluding BGSU's Master of Food and Nutrition program) will be evaluated on an individual basis to determine course requirements and if appropriate they may be enrolled in the internship as a non-degree seeking guest student. Some applicants may be required to complete the graduate certificate in Food and Nutrition which will require a separate application to the graduate college. In most instances, graduate non-degree guest students are NOT eligible for federal financial aid. For more questions about the MFN or Graduate Certificate, contact the Program Graduate Coordinator Dr. Kerri Knippen (kknippe@bgsu.edu) for more information.

Depending on the pathway for completing the internship and graduate degree requirement, the timeline will vary from 12-months for full time interns to a maximum of 24-months for part time interns. The graduate degree must be conferred no later than 6-months from completing the supervised practice requirements.