National Institutes of Health (NIH) Dietetic Internship
Established 1994
The NIH Dietetic Internship provides the core competencies for entry-level dietetics practice and meets the supervised practice experience required to take the Commission on Dietetics Registration Examination for Dietitians.
The NIH Dietetic Internship is committed to preparing you for a successful career in the field of nutrition. The program provides a thorough foundation in the theory and application of medical nutrition therapy (MNT); exposes interns to research design, methodology, analysis, and publication; strengthens professional presentation, communication, and writing skills; and meets individual needs and interests. Planned experiences promote management skills through food systems rotations and projects. Classes and conferences enrich rotations, which are planned to meet the American Dietetic Association (ADA) Core Competencies. Field trips provide opportunities for interns to meet registered dietitians (RDs) involved in nutrition program planning, policy development, and private practice.
The NIH Dietetic Internship is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of the ADA, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, Illinois 60606-6995, 1-(800)-877-1600 extension 5400.
Clinical rotations provide an opportunity to develop skills in nutrition screening and assessment; to implement nutrition care plans; to document nutrition care provided; and to monitor outcomes of the nutrition plan. Interns communicate with other members of the healthcare team during daily rounds, patient care conferences, and routine discussions with nurses, doctors, and therapists.
The Clinical Nutrition Service of the NIH Clinical Center (CC) has implemented the ADA Nutrition Care Process as their standard of practice. All RDs and interns identify nutrition diagnoses for each patient assessed and use standardized language recommended by the ADA. Goals and intervention are also documented for each patient receiving full nutrition assessment.
Research rotations provide experience working with Clinical RDs who support the research needs of Clinical Center patients and serve as co-investigators on a wide variety of research protocols. Nutrition research conducted within the CC represents a cross-section of intramural initiatives. The major areas of nutrition research include:
- Controlled Nutrient Research Diets and Test Meals
Controlled nutrient diets and test meals are provided using controlled preparation techniques and precision weighing. Research diets may be used for the investigation of human metabolism, to control for diet variability, or to determine taste preferences and appetite changes. Calculation of diet composition and actual patient intake can be made available as part of the research service. Examples of current research initiatives in this area are:
- Acute depletion of plasma tryptophan in alcoholics
- Appetite and taste assessments with pediatric obesity interventions.
- A metabolic obesity unit opened in early 2007. Two clinical research dietitians will work on this unit, which houses a metabolic research kitchen. Dietetic interns will have the opportunity to work with the dietitians on nutrition-related research projects on this unit.
- Body Composition Analysis
Defining and bench-marking changes in body composition as related to disease progression, treatment course, or as a predictor of outcome is widely used in studies of child health, obesity, cardiac disease, HIV, and cancer. Techniques include bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), anthropometric measurements, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), computer tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
- Dietary Intake Assessment
Estimation of dietary intake of specific nutrients in subjects is used to evaluate the impact of disease progression and/or interventions. Food records, recalls, and questionnaires are used to assess intakes of energy, protein, calcium, fatty acids, isoflavones and other nutrients in conjunction with studies of pediatric obesity, lipodystrophy, osteoporosis, depression, fibrous dysplasia, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
- Energy Metabolism Assessment
Resting energy expenditure (REE) determinations are undertaken using metabolic carts to assess the effect of various diseases and/or interventions on energy requirements. These studies are routinely done in critical care settings as well as in conjunction with endocrine and other research studies.
Community Rotations and experiences allow interns to educate groups on healthful eating and learn about the nutritional needs of diverse groups and populations. Just as importantly, interns will experience the value of community involvement.
During Food Systems and Management rotations, interns learn about institutional meal delivery systems; menu management and analysis for modified and research diets; recipe development; cost control; and strategies to implement hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) principles to ensure food safety. Food Systems projects will allow interns to collect and interpret data for quality assurance (QA) purposes.
NIH's location near the United States (US) Capitol provides unique opportunities to network with the leaders who determine the government's nutrition policies and agencies that interpret those policies for consumers. Outplacement experiences connect interns with nutrition representatives of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA). While at the NIH, interns will attend lectures and conferences sponsored by leaders in medical and nutrition research fields.
Finally, interns are given ample opportunity to enhance their professional skills. Interns plan and organize creative presentations using the latest computer applications and presentation technology. Experiences planning National Nutrition Month programs, giving presentations at local elementary schools, and participating in NIH research symposiums give interns the confidence to perform in community and professional arenas. Interns have the opportunity to strengthen writing skills by developing patient education materials and writing case studies. The NIH Dietetic Internship provides excellent preparation for a career in dietetics.
Consider the NIH Dietetic Internship. You will complete your program with the confidence that you are well prepared to enter the highly challenging and competitive field of nutrition
