VA San Diego Healthcare System
MISSION
Veterans Health Administration: Honor America's veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.
VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS), Nutrition and Food Service: Nutrition and Food Service provides progressive, patient-centered nutrition services for Veterans and education for facilities, staff and community through a fiscally sound operation that optimizes Patient dignity, recovery, rehabilitation, and wellness. We promote a supportive and challenging learning environment that develops competent entry-level registered dietitians.
VASDHS Dietetic Internship Program: The mission of the VASDHS Dietetic Internship is to offer a supportive learning environment in a challenging and dynamic program witha focus on medical nutrition therapy. Our program is designed to promote progressive, patient-centered nutrition services, which prepares our graduates to be highly functioning, competent entry-level Registered Dietitians.
PROGRAM GOALS & MEASURABLE OUTCOMES *
-
90% of graduates who complete the DI Graduate Survey and are working as a registered dietitian in a clinical setting will rate themselves as proficient in conducting NFPEs.
-
90% of graduates who complete the DI Graduate Survey and are working as a registered dietitian in a clinical setting will rate themselves as proficient in practicing MNT on complex patients.
- 90% of program graduates will take the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists within 12 months of program completion.
- 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%.
- At least 80% of program interns who start the 41-week program will complete program requirements within 62 weeks (150% of program length).
- Of graduates who seek employment, 90% who complete the DI Graduate Survey will report that they are employed in nutrition and dietetics or related fields within 12 months of graduation.
- 90% of graduates who complete the DI Graduate Survey and are working as a registered dietitian will rate themselves as “well prepared to perform the duties of an entry-level registered dietitian."
- 90% of employers who complete the DI Employer Survey will rate program graduates as “well prepared to perform duties on an entry-level registered dietitian.”
*The program is currently meeting or exceeding all outcome measures. Outcomes are available upon request from Robyn Osborn, PhD, RD at robyn.osborn@va.gov
PROGRAM CONCENTRATION: MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY IN INPATIENT AND OUTPATIENT SETTINGS
Graduates will have demonstrated the ability to:
- Apply the Nutrition Care Process and manage nutrition assessment, intervention, and counseling for inpatients with complex needs, complicated health conditions, or multiple nutrition diagnoses.
- Apply the Nutrition Care Process and manage nutrition assessment, intervention, and counseling for patients in a variety of outpatient settings, including the PACT clinics and specialty clinics (diabetes, oncology, bariatric, dialysis).
- Integrate pathophysiology into medical nutrition therapy recommendations.
- Develop and present a cooking demonstration class for outpatients as a part of a PACT rotation and/or ASPIRE Center cooking class.