Dietetics
Becoming a Dietitian
There are three requirements students must complete in order to become a Registered Dietitian (RD).
•First, students must complete the established education requirements in programs commonly called Didactic Programs in Dietetic (DPD). These programs must be accredited by the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and be at an accredited college or university. Appalachian State University is accredited by ADA to provide a DPD. Our DPD is based upon completing a BS in Foods and Nutrition that includes specific courses and outcomes. Students who graduate from the DPD program at ASU meet all DPD requirements and are eligible to apply for entrance into a dietetic internship.
•Second, students complete a practical or applied education phase. The way to meet the second requirement is through a dietietic internship (often referred to as a supervised practice program). The number of appointments to Supervised Practice programs is limited and competitive nationally. Faculty will guide students through the application process. However, faculty have no control in the final decision of whether a student gets into an internship since it is made by each program.
•Third, students are required to pass the National Registration Examination for Dietitians. This test is administered each April and October by the ADA for those who have successfully completed the first two steps.
Dietetic Internships
The dietetic internship is a formal program that provides for the achievement of performance requirements by providing a minimum of 900 hours of supervised practice experience. Programs are conducted in hospital or community settings, or government, business or university organizations. Internships are available throughout the United States and vary in length from six to twelve months for "traditional" programs. Programs of extended length may offer the opportunity to acquire graduate credit or combine a master's degree program with an internship (18 months average length).
Dietetic internships are accredited for a term of ten years. Beginning January 1999, all internships coming up for re-accreditation and any new internships that are developed will be required to offer an area of emphasis. Emphasis areas will include nutrition therapy, community nutrition, food service systems management, business or general emphasis that combines features of those four areas. Students may apply to as many internship programs as they desire. Applications to internships are accepted in September (for December graduates) and February (for May graduates). Competition is extremely keen for the limited number of internship places.
