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Dietetic Internship Program

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VA St. Louis Health Care System

Program Information

The VA St. Louis Health Care System Dietetic Internship (VASTLHCS DI) is a comprehensive program with all administrative tasks handled by the internship director. This allows you to focus on learning. You will have access to all necessary rotations, experiences, projects, and preceptors to meet the requirements for the registration exam for dietitians.

The VA St. Louis Dietetic Internship offers two tracks

Track one is a combined master’s program with dietetic internship (MS-DI).  The VASTLHCS DI has a partnership with the following universities for this combined program:

Each master’s program is online, fully asynchronous, and can be completed in less than two years.  Interns spend the first year of the program focusing on their graduate studies.  Then for the last 10 months of the program, they move to St. Louis to complete the supervised practice portion of the program while finishing their graduate studies.

Track two is supervised practice only (DI-only).  This track is a 10-month program for interns who have already completed a master’s degree.  This supervised practice program is in-person and takes place in St. Louis.

Supervised Practice Schedule

  • The supervised practice portion of the internship is full time, interns spend 40 hours each week at the VA medical center.
  • Most weeks begin with Monday Class Day. These days are reserved for didactic lessons and workshops, guest lecturers, field trips, work/planning sessions for individual and group projects, and intern presentations.
  • Interns are generally in assigned supervised practice rotation Tuesday through Friday each week.
  • Scheduled hours can vary, but generally interns are completed with their day by 5:30 PM CST and are not scheduled more than 8 hours per day.
  • To complete various program requirements including assignments, rotation preparation, and professional meetings, additional personal time outside of working hours may be necessary.
  • Interns are paid a stipend while in supervised practice, however, no additional compensation is provided for time spent working outside of work hours.
  • Interns earn paid annual (vacation) leave and sick leave while in supervised practice. Traditionally interns use the leave earned in the first half of the program to take a week’s break during the winter holidays, however, personal preferences can be discussed with the internship director.
  • Interns do not work federal holidays including:
    • Labor Day
    • Columbus Day
    • Veterans Day
    • Thanksgiving Day
    • Christmas Day
    • New Year’s Day
    • Martin Luther King Jr. Day
    • Washington’s Birthday
    • Memorial Day

VA St. Louis Dietetic Internship Graduation Requirements

  • Successfully complete all supervised practice rotations (for a minimum of 1200 hours).
  • Obtain an overall rating of “competent” at entry level in all ACEND required competencies.
  • If enrolled in the MS-DI track, complete all university program requirements and provide proof of degree conferral. If a student is dismissed from graduate school, they will not be allowed to continue in the dietetic internship program. 
  • Attend program didactic class days and professional meetings, workshops, and seminars as required.
  • Complete all projects per instructions at entry level competency.

Becoming a Registered Dietitian (RD)

The internship is part of the four-step process of becoming a registered dietitian:

  1. Complete a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). The DPD provides all the prerequisite and core dietetics courses needed to prepare for the supervised practice portion of the training.
  2. Complete a master’s degree at a United States Department of Education accredited institution, or foreign equivalent.
  3. Complete the supervised practice work in an ACEND-accredited program. It may be desirable to complete an internship that "matches" your professional interests.
  4. Pass the national Registration Exam for Registered Dietitians, which is administered by the Commision on Dietetic Registration (CDR). The state of Missouri, along with some other states, also require the RD to be licensed to practice. Check with your individual state of residence for details about any licensing process at https://www.cdrnet.org/LicensureMap.

Graduates who successfully complete the ACEND-accredited VA St. Louis Dietetic Internship will be provided with a Verification Statement and will be eligible to take the CDR credentialing exam to become an RDN. 


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Page updated October 2025





 

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