Dietetic Program Overview

The Dietetic Interns at MetroHealth have a hands-on approach in all rotations in which they participate. Since we are a teaching facility, the environment is ideal for interns to learn and participate as equal members of the health care team. The Department of Dining and Nutrition Services welcomes the opportunity to work with the interns and takes a vested interest in assuring they develop into competent practitioners.

We continue to evaluate our program and improve its curriculum based on input from previous graduating classes and current trends in the field of Dietetics.

• Dietetic Internship Policy Handbook

General information regarding our program is outlined below.

Program Calendar
No housing is available on the MetroHealth campus. Cost of housing in the Cleveland area averages $600 to $800 a month.

Insurance
The Intern will be responsible for his/her own medical coverage during the internship year. Interns are considered volunteers by the hospital and do not qualify for medical benefits. Interns are required to carry Student Professional Liability Insurance at a cost of approximately $25 per year. Insurance forms will be provided when acceptance is confirmed.

Financial Aid
Interns may be eligible for deferment of student loans. Check with your lending organization. Apply for scholarships through The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Note that the deadline for scholarship applications are usually the year prior to starting an internship. Students should contact the Academy for this information.

Transportation
While most of the experiences are completed at MetroHealth Medical Center, the Intern is responsible for transportation to and from outside or MetroHealth satellite affiliations and the one-day Student Public Policy Day in Columbus.

Professional Membership
Once accepted into the program, Interns are required to join The Greater Cleveland Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics organization or another local dietetic association.  The interns are required to attend a minimum of three meetings during the Internship year. Membership forms are distributed during orientation. The cost of membership for students is approximately $10. Interns are also encouraged to be a member of The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Stipend
A stipend is not provided; however, parking and some meals will be provided by the department.

Vacation
Each Intern will be given a one-week vacation around the Christmas holiday. In addition, Interns will not be required to work when the following holidays are observed: Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's Day.

Evaluation and Graduation
Objectives and standards of performance have been developed for each division of the program to define performance requirements of the Dietetic Intern. The Dietetic Intern and the supervisory Dietitian each complete an evaluation and verbally discuss them at the end of each rotation. The evaluations are based on the stage of the Intern’s program and the specific objectives and performance standards of the rotation.

If the Intern’s performance is unsatisfactory in a rotation they will be placed on probation. Failure to perform satisfactory or greater in a second rotation would result in termination from the program.

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates are provided a Verification Statement.

Internship Fees
A non-refundable internship fee of $7,500 is due once accepted into the program. This fee is generally due by June 30.

Parking
Parking costs approximately $15 per week. The cost of parking is covered by the department.

Dress Code
Lab coats are required in the clinical and community rotations. Interns should wear professional attire at all times as required by hospital dress code regulations.

Exam Results
The MetroHealth Medical Center Dietetic Internship Program passage rate for the Registration Examination for Dietitian is 89 percent.