James A. Haley Tampa VA Hospital
The James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital proudly sponsors a 42-week stand-alone Dietetic Internship (DI) program designed to prepare graduates to confidently enter the profession as Registered Dietitians. Our program blends supervised practice with didactic learning, all rooted in evidence-based practice.
Program structure:
- Length & Structure: 42 weeks, full-time (40 hours/week), starting in August and concluding in May. Hours of duty are typically 7:30am-4:00pm, subject to some variability.
- Core Focus: Clinical, administrative, business, and community dietetics
- Small Class Size: With only 6 interns per year, we offer personalized, one-on-one mentorship with award-winning preceptors
- Interdisciplinary Learning: Case study presentations, medical rounds, care plan meetings, and conferences
- Research Training: A dedicated research rotation + comprehensive project with option to present at local, state, or national conferences
- Elective Opportunities: Tailor your experience to your career goals with unique elective choices such as:
- Performance Nutrition
- Pediatrics (NICU)
- Bariatrics
- Focused Clinical Research
- Curriculum Development
- Leadership
- Womens Health
Perks & Support:
- Paid stipend (no tuition!) + access to federal VA benefits like health insurance
- Built-in RD exam prep contributing to our 100% one-year pass rate for over 40 years
- Scheduled breaks: one week in December, two shorter spring breaks, and 10 federal holidays
- Strong job placement record with many graduates hired at the Tampa VA, across Florida, and nationwide
- Access to extensive references and resources through medical library, including AND Nutrition Care Manual® and eNCPT
Requirements for Program Completion
- Completion of 1200 + supervised practice hours
- Successfully complete all supervised practice rotations
- Successfully completes all projects, as assigned
- Achieve a rating of 4 (Performs at Entry Level) for all internship competencies
- A verification statement will be issued upon successful completion of all program requirements.
- Complete a bachelor's degree or a graduate degree and receive a verification statement from an ACEND® accredited program
- Complete an ACEND®-accredited supervised practice Dietetic Internship program or Individual Supervised Practice Pathway is an option. Supervised practice/experiential learning is combined with the Coordinated Program and Graduate Program.
- Pass the Commission on Dietetic Registration's dietetic registration exam.
- Gain licensure in your state of practice, if applicable.
- Maintain continuing education.
**NOTE: Effective January 1, 2024, the CDR will require a minimum of a graduate degree to take the Dietetic Registration Examination. In order to be approved for registration examination elgibility, an individual must complete all eligibility requirements before 12:00 midnight Central Time, December 31, 2023.
For more information, please visit: https://www.eatrightpro.org/acend/students-and-advancing-education/information-for-students
Accreditation
The program is currently granted continued full accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) for a term of eight years ending June 30, 2033.
More information is available on the ACEND website at: https://www.eatrightpro.org/acend
Address:
ACEND
120 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190
Chicago, IL 60606-6995
312-899-0040 or 800-877-1600
Compliance With Equal Opportunity Programs and Student Civil Rights
The Dietetic Internship is in compliance with the institutional equal opportunity policies/programs:
It is the policy of the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital to provide Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) for all qualified persons; to prohibit discrimination in employment because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or handicap; to maintain a work environment that is free of any form of unlawful discrimination, including sexual harassment; to promote a positive, continuing affirmative program designed to eradicate barriers to employment at to achieve a representative work force, with special emphasis on minorities, women, handicapped individuals and disabled Veterans; to recognize the special employment needs and problems of women and Hispanics, making the Federal Women's Program and the Hispanic Employment Program integral parts of the total EEO program; and to provide for the prompt, fair and impartial review and adjudication of complaints involving issues of employment discrimination.
