Augusta Area Dietetic Internship University Hospital 1350 Walton Way Augusta, GA 30901-2629 Phone: 706/774-8897 Fax: 706/774-8671 E-mail: jlee@uh.org Internship Director: Jeanne Lee, MS, RD, LD
Clinical Experience
The AADI program has a clinical nutrition concentration that offers interns experiences in a variety of acute care inpatient, outpatient, and long term care settings. The clinical rotations are structured to give the intern an eight-week clinical core experience in one of several hospital settings followed by 10 weeks of “specialized” MNT in a variety of settings, plus three weeks of staff relief.
The intern will work under the supervision of clinical staff dietitians in all aspects of nutritional care in a hospital setting. This will include attending rounds, reviewing medical records, taking diet histories, calculating and writing diets, case studies, cost benefit studies and all facets of nutrition assessments and patient education. Medical nutrition therapy can greatly improve the quality of life by preventing, delaying and effectively treating disease. Interns will have many opportunities to provide effective nutrition care to a variety of clients. Rotations in the clinical setting include medicine, burns, surgery/nutrition support, cardiology, renal, diabetes, oncology, neurology, geriatrics, obesity management and pediatrics. Community nutrition experience is gained through the Public Health Nutrition Service working with the WIC program and Lactations Services, Area Agency on Aging, Cooperative Extension and a consultant RD for the media.
Management Experiences
Management rotations are completed in the hospital setting as well as in a school nutrition program. In the hospital setting, interns look at all aspects of food service management. In the storeroom, they examine food specifications, bidding systems, ordering and receiving, inventory and distribution of the raw food. They receive firsthand experience in food production, tray assembly and ware-washing. Projects include recipe standardization, work simplification, developing policies and procedures, scheduling, writing menus and in-service training. The interns participate in all aspects of the managerial section of the department. In the school nutrition rotations, interns experience coordinated efforts of registered dietitians through on-site school visitations, nutrition education and meal accountability procedures.
Calendar
Interns will work 40 hours a week, including class time and rotations. Approximate weeks of rotations in various areas for the program year are : Clinical – 21 weeks, Food Service management and school nutrition – eight weeks and Community nutrition , research and professional development – seven weeks.
Financial Aid
The internship has an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education to administer the Direct Student Loan program. Interns may be eligible for federal loans through the Stafford Loan program and the annual limit for the Subsidized Stafford Loan is $8,500 and up to $12,000 for an Unsubsidized Stafford Loan.
To apply for a student loan, interns must complete a free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is available online. Once selected for the program, interns must also complete a request for a student loan form provided by the internship. Interns will receive more detailed information about financial aid after the April appointment date. Interns should apply in early May if they anticipate needing financial aid for the internship year. Some scholarships are available through state dietetic associations and the American Dietetic Association. Questions regarding financial aid should be addressed to the internship director.
Enrichment/Specialty Week
During the clinical rotations, interns are given the opportunity to select two special one-two week learning experience in one of several settings. Following the successful completion of the scheduled rotations and graduate classes, interns have the final two-three weeks of the program as a self-designed enrichment experience. This is an opportunity to explore an area of personal interest in greater depth at an approved location of their choice. Interns have chosen enrichment experiences in many exciting areas, including corporate wellness programs, national food distribution companies, nutrition research centers and the Public Health Indian Services. Some also select enrichments in areas where they desire additional practice in a specialty area such as a pediatric hospital or eating disorder program. Working with a non-profit health organization such as the American Heart Association or Dairy Council affiliate has also been a rewarding experience for some of the interns during this exciting final three-week period.
Please Note: University Hospital is NOT affiliated with any specific college or university.
Open House
The Augusta Area Dietetic Internship will host an open house on Monday, Nov 22, 2010, and again on Friday, Jan. 7, 2011. The open house is from 1-4 p.m. Interested applicants are encouraged to attend to learn more about the program first hand. E-mail Jeanne Lee to register and for directions.
