Dietetic Internship Program

VA Caribbean Healthcare System (San Juan)

Program Rotations

The VA Caribbean Healthcare System Dietetic Internship Program is 38 weeks long, with more than 1,400 supervised practice hours. The program is full-time (40 hours/week) and begins annually in August. The dietetic interns are four days in the rotations (32 hours/week) and one day (8 hours/week) in Learning Activity Days (i.e., planned didactic class activities and projects). The interns take one week (40 hours) of vacation between the Christmas and New Year holidays and are off during federal holidays.

Clinical Rotations 

• Introduction to Dietetic Practice and Nutrition Assessment  (1 week)
• Clinical Dietetic Technician (1 week)
• Medicine (2 weeks)
• Acute Behavioral Health Inpatient Care Unit (ABHICU) (1 week)
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (1 week)
• Oncology (1 weeks) 
• General Surgery, Surgical Intensive Care Unit and Parenteral Nutrition (2 weeks) 
• Spinal Cord Injury and Related Disorders (1 week)
• Intensive Care/Critical Care Unit (2 weeks) 
• Hospice Care (1 week) 
• Community Living Center (1 week)
• Home Based Primary Care (1 week) 
• Hemodialysis (1 weeks) 
• Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) (1 weeks)
• Social Media & Health Promotion in Dietetic Practice (1 week)
• Women's Clinic/Home Telehealth (1 week)
• Cardiology Clinic (1 week) 
• Metabolic Clinic (1 week) 

Food Service and Management (8 weeks)

• Food Service Administration and Purchasing (3 weeks) 
• Menu Planning and Quality Monitoring (3 weeks) 
• Leadership and Clinical Management (2 weeks) 

Community Rotations (Affiliations 3 weeks)

• Pediatric (1 week)
• Sport Nutrition (1 week)
• WIC (1 week) 

Other:

• Research/Evidenced-based practice project week (1 week)
• Orientation (1 week) 
• Vacation (Christmas break) (1 week) 
• Professional Dietetic Experience/Staff Relief (3 weeks)

* In addition to the assignments and daily work from the rotations, there are several projects that must be completed.

Projects and other learning activities:

• Research Study
• In-depth Clinical Case Study
• Clinical Seminars
• International Food Seminar
• Coding and Billing Project
• Articles for magazines, or social media
• Cooking Demonstration and Healthy Teaching Cooking
• National Nutrition Month
• Public Policy Project
• Retail Dietitian (visit)

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Program Length

DIP Only Track

The DIP-only track's program length includes 1,488 planned supervised practice experiences and is typically 1,600 hours long, or approximately 40 weeks in duration.

DI/Master Program Track

The VA Caribbean Healthcare System DI/Master Program Track it is 22 months long, with the first 12 months completing graduate coursework and 10 months (40 weeks) completing the supervised practice portion while also enrolled in graduate coursework during the first academic semester.

DI/Master of Nutrition Science (MHSc):

Students enrolled in the DI/MHSc program are able to complete 36 graduate coursework credits within 22 months. In the DI program, students will receive 12 Prior Learning Assessment credits for the required 36 credits for the master's in nutrition. These 12 credits will be awarded upon verification of completion of the DI. The remaining 24 credits can be completed within a 15-month timeline. Typically, students begin their first fall semester in late August and complete their coursework in early November of the following academic year. In the fall semester of the second year, students will enroll in their final courses while simultaneously participating in the Dietetic Internship Program, which usually runs from August to June (10 months).

DI/Master of Science in Integrative Exercise Science (MSIES):

In the DI/MSIES program, students can complete 36 graduate coursework credits within 22 months. In the DI program, students will receive 12 Prior Learning Assessment credits towards the required 36 credits for the Master’s in Integrative Exercise Science. These 12 credits will be awarded upon verification of completion of the DI. The remaining 24 credits can be completed within a 15-month timeline. Typically, students begin their first fall semester in late August and complete their coursework in early November of the following academic year. In the fall semester of the second year, students will enroll in their final courses while simultaneously participating in the Dietetic Internship Program, which usually runs from August to June (10 months).

DI/Master of Professional Studies (MPS):

In the DI/MPS program (formerly MMS, Modular Master of Science), students are able to complete 30 graduate coursework credits within 22 months. Graduate courses (18 credits) are expected to be finished in 12 months, while PLA credits (12 credits) can be completed in 10 months. Typically, students begin their first fall semester from August to December, followed by the spring semester from January to May, and then take the summer II session in July and August. In the fall semester of the second year, students will enroll in their final courses while simultaneously participating in the Dietetic Internship Program, which usually runs from August to May (10 months).

DI/Master of Business Administration (MBA):

In the DI/MBA program, students are able to complete 36 graduate coursework credits within 22 months. Graduate courses are expected to be finished in 12 months (30 credits), while PLA credits (6 credits) can be completed in 10 months. Typically, students begin their first fall semester from August to December, followed by the spring semester from January to May. They take coursework over the Summer from May to August. In the fall semester of the second year, students will enroll in their final courses while simultaneously participating in the Dietetic Internship Program, which usually runs from August to June (10 months).

DI/Master of Public Health (MPH):

In the DI/MPH program, students are able to complete 42 graduate coursework credits within 18 months. Students enrolled in the DI program will receive 15 credits of Prior Learning Assessment credits towards the required 42 credits in the MPH. These 15 credits will be awarded upon verification of completion of the DI program. The remaining 27 credits can be completed within the 20-month time frame. Typically, students begin their first fall semester in late August and complete the coursework in May of the following academic year. In the fall semester of the second year, students will enroll in their final courses while simultaneously participating in the Dietetic Internship Program, which usually runs from August to May (10 months).

Sample Rotation Schedule

Planned Experience	Length	Example Rotation Schedule
Orientation	1 week	August
Introduction to Dietetic Practice and Nutrition	1 week	August - September
Research Week	1 week	September
Clinical Rotations Inpatient and Outpatient	15 weeks (distributed between September to May)	September - December (first semester)
Food Service and Management	8 weeks (distributed between September to May)	Scheduled individually between September and May
Sport Health and Nutrition	1 week	Scheduled individually between September and May
Vacation	1 week	December
Social Media and Health Promotion in Dietetics	1 week	January
Clinical Rotations Inpatient and Outpatient Specialized/Advanced Rotations:
Intensive Care/Critical Care Unit	2 weeks	January - May
General Surgery, Surgical Intensive Care Unit and Parenteral Nutrition	2 weeks	January - May
Metabolic Clinic	1 week	January - May
Pediatric	1 week	January - May
WIC	1 week	January - May
Professional Dietetic Experience	3 weeks	January - May

 
Program Calendar

Orientation and Beginning of DIP	August
Vacation	December
Midterms	December to January
Final Evaluation, clearance	May
Graduation ceremony	June
Federal Holidays	No rotations are scheduled on U.S. federal holidays. See U.S. Office of Personnel Management federal holiday schedule.