DI Preceptor Orientation

Thank you for serving as a preceptor for the WCU Dietetic Internship. Your insights and experience are crucial to guiding the intern toward gaining the skills needed for entry-level practice as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.

Summary of the Internship Experience:

Supervised Experiential Learning/Supervised Practice

The internship at WCU includes three practicum experiences, in clinical dietetics, community nutrition, and food service administration. Interns complete a total of 1,088 contact hours over three semesters.

Interns are well-prepared to complete these supervised practice experiences. All interns have successfully completed an ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics.

For interns in the Master of Health Sciences (MHS) degree program:

A majority of interns are in the MHS, and will start rotations following completion of didactic coursework in advanced Medical Nutrition Therapy, nutritional biochemistry, research methods, and leadership.
Rotations begin in the summer of their second year in the Master of Health Sciences degree program. Rotations continue over the fall and spring of their second year in the 22-month degree program.

For interns with a prior master鈥檚 degree in a related field:

Rotations begin in the summer of their first year, and will continue through the fall and spring of that year.

Summary of Supervised Practice Experiences for all interns:

Internships can occur in any order, depending on the scheduling needs of the intern and their preceptors.

For the clinical rotation, students complete a minimum of 512 contact hours in the field, focusing on gaining competence in Medical Nutrition Therapy for patients in clinical settings.
The community rotation is comprised of 288 hours, and is centered on providing the intern with experiences in areas such as food security and public and community health.
Food service administration centers on 288 contact hours in areas related to management of food service operations.

Keep In Touch:

The DI Director welcomes your comments and questions. We are focused on supporting you as we build effective partnerships, working toward our interns鈥� success in supervised practice.

Are students considered covered under the University's liability policy while at our facility?

Yes, interns are covered under a liability policy through WCU. A Certificate of Insurance can be provided upon request.

What activities will they be performing during their clinical hours?

Interns shadow the staff and perform tasks under staff supervision to provide them with a range of experiences pertinent to the competencies outlined in the course syllabi.

Will we be supervising the intern at all times? How much staff involvement is required?

Your staff will be providing oversight of the intern during their rotations. Generally, minimal staff involvement is needed. Each site manages their engagement with the interns in a way that meets the organization's needs, perhaps by providing the intern with a weekly compilation of activities and experiences to be completed.

Who will the patients of the interns be? How are they selected?

Interns would work with clients only under oversight of staff, and these patients/clients would be selected at the purview of staff.

Educational Philosophy:

Dietetic interns entering the dietetic internship program have demonstrated academic excellence and a commitment to pursue a career as registered dietitian nutritionist.

Faculty, preceptors and dietetic interns practice according to the .

Faculty, preceptors and interns embrace ACEND鈥檚 vision to advance excellence in nutrition and dietetics education and values objectivity, integrity, accountability and respect.

Faculty and preceptors foster an environment that promotes intern acquisition of the required knowledge, skills and professional behaviors to excel as an entry-level dietitian nutritionist.

Dietetic interns are challenged to actively engage in the learning process.

WCU uses the Exxat Data Management System as a centralized platform for managing intern progress. The system offers a single-entry point into your access to intern compliance documents, time logs, and progress reports.

Intern Evaluation and Feedback Process:

To ensure that all interns have comparable experiences when at different practicum site placements, the following plan has been developed:

The Dietetic Internship Program Director and/or Clinical Coordinator will meet with all new preceptors to review DI program materials, including the competencies, learning outcomes, and activities related to the specific practicum.
For each practicum, there will be designated assignments completed by all interns, regardless of site placement, to assess student learning outcome achievement.
Dietetic Interns will submit weekly logs throughout each practicum identifying the competencies they met, activities they observed, and activities they performed.
A living document (e.g., Exxat document) will be maintained for each practicum and updated weekly to reflect the completed competencies and activities for each intern. This document will be reviewed weekly by the instructor of record for the practicum course, allowing for assessment of comparability of intern experiences.
Mid-point evaluations will be incorporated into each practicum and will be completed by both preceptors and interns. Evaluations will provide additional insight into intern achievement of learning outcomes and comparability of experiences between practicum sites.
If, based on assessment of weekly logs and mid-point evaluations, it is determined that an intern鈥檚 educational experiences are not comparable at a specific site, the DI Program Director and/or Clinical Coordinator will contact the lead preceptor for the site to discuss concerns and to develop a plan to provide interns with the necessary learning experiences. The DI Program Director and/or Clinical Coordinator will follow-up weekly with the intern/preceptor to assess follow-through with the established plan. If there continues to be deficiencies in the learning experiences, interns will be reassigned to a new site placement where comparable learning experiences can be provided.
Preceptors from each practicum will be invited and encouraged to provide feedback annually regarding practicum competencies and rotation activities via direct communication, participation in Advisory Board meetings, and/or completion of an anonymous Qualtrics survey.

Roles and Responsibilities of DI Preceptor:

The preceptor is to teach the intern the skills and knowledge required to function as an entry-level dietitian or manager in the preceptor鈥檚 area of specialty.

Orient the intern to the facilities, objectives, learning experiences and due dates.
Complete orientation to the unit on the first day of the rotation with the intern.
Review the schedule and competencies of the rotation with the intern.
Inform other employees of the dates when the intern will be in his/her area.
Meet with the intern at least once each week to discuss projects/concerns.
Correct, return, and review written projects within one week after receiving them from the intern.
Complete appropriate intern evaluation forms by the last day of the rotation. Any deviation from this rule must be pre-approved by the Internship Director.
Provide immediate positive feedback and constructive criticism throughout the rotation to the intern.
Give guidance throughout the rotation and especially with written projects to the intern.
Act as a resource person when the intern has questions.
Refer the intern to appropriate resources when needed.
Be aware of internship policies and procedures.
Enforce policies and procedures when needed.
Discipline the intern as needed.
Act as a mentor and function as a team player.
Serve as a role model at all times.
Empower intern to an interdependent, but autonomous level of function.
Review, in a timely manner, the intern鈥檚 progress with the Internship Director at the midpoint and end of the rotation.
Provide constructive feedback on the Program Evaluation Form.

Forms & Resources

DI Program Handbook

Sample Student Evaluation of WCU DI Preceptor and Rotation

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