Henry Ford Hospital Dietetic Internship Program Information
The Department of Food and Nutrition Services plays a vital role within the facility as one of the largest support service departments. It is managed by ARAMARK with about 150 employees working in a variety of positions to serve patients, visitors and hospital staff. With a conventional, cook-serve operation and centralized patient foodservice, the main kitchen, patient service kitchen, and cafeteria serve approximately 1,200 patient meals and 3,800 customers daily. The Henry Ford Hospital Dietetic Internship is committed to the development of dietetic interns as beginning Registered Dietitian practitioners in the profession and as members of The American Dietetic Association.
The program is designed with a nutrition therapy emphasis. Competency statements specify what every dietitian should be able to do at the beginning of his/her practice career. The core competency statements build on appropriate knowledge and skills necessary for the entry level practitioner to perform reliably.
Communication, collaboration, problem solving and critical thinking skills are developed through both didactic and practice related experiences.
PROGRAM MISSION
The mission of the Henry Ford Hospital Dietetic Internship Program is to provide experiential education in Dietetics for graduates of dietetic education programs approved by The American Dietetic Association.
The Henry Ford Hospital dietetic internship program is a 42-week educational program in dietetics with a nutrition therapy emphasis. The Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE).
CADE has five goals:
To establish and apply market-responsive, rigourous standards through accreditation
To validate the self-analysis process through collaborative peer review
To encourage educational innovation and diversity
To operate an efficient, effective accreditation system
To provide opportunities for professional development and educational leadership
CADE has chosen to be recognized as an accrediting body by two external groups. The Council on High Education Accreditation (CHEA), a nongovernment higher education organization, and the federal government, through the United States Department of Education (USDE).
The address and phone number of CADE are:
120 South Riverside
Plaza Suite 2000
Chicago, IL 60606-6995
(312) 899-0040 Ext. 5400
PROGRAM GOALS
GOAL 1: Prepare competent and caring and motivated dietetics practitioners
Outcome Measures:
Graduates achieve a pass rate of 85% or greater for first-time test takers, over a 5 year period.
Graduates seeking employment will be employed within 6 months of program completion.
80% of students achieve a satisfactory rating from preceptors for all entry level competencies.
The program will maintain a 85% completion rate.
100% of employers returning surveys indicate that graduates are prepared for entry level practice and graduates exhibit competent care and professional motivation.
100% of program graduates indicate they are competent for entry-level practice.
85% of current students evaluate learning experiences as meeting competencies as outlined in the module.
GOAL 2: Develop leaders or contributing members in the profession of dietetics
Outcome Measures:
85% of graduates and current students indicate that staff guidance was satisfactory during the internship.
The Allied Health Interdisciplinary Series is given a satisfactory rating for content, effective teaching methods, and overall importance to professional development.
90% of graduates and current students rate didactic classroom experiences as worthwhile to the curriculum and to professional development.
75% of graduates evaluate learning experiences, field trips and activities as satisfactory for overall helpfulness to their professional development.
GOAL 3: Contribute to the excellent patient care reputation of Henry Ford Hospital
Outcome Measures:
Henry Ford Hospital staff/administrators who employ DI graduates, rate the graduate's knowledge, skills and professional characteristics as important for provision of quality patient care.
The Henry Ford Interdisciplinary Health Care team, rate current intern's knowledge, skills and professional characteristics as important for provision of quality patient care.
Dietetic Internship preceptors rate current intern's knowledge, skills and professional characteristics as important for provision of quality of patient care at Henry Ford Hospital.
Graduates and current students rate their development of critical thinking skills, organizational skills, customer service skills and communication skills as satisfactory and important for the provision of quality patient care at Henry Ford Hospital.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
Each year the program is scheduled to begin the first Monday of October and graduation is planned for the 3rd week of July (42 weeks later).
ORIENTATION - 4 weeks
During the first week of the Program, interns observe and/or participate in all major areas of the Department to become familiar with HFH, the Department of Food and Nutrition Services and its policies and procedures.
Three weeks are specifically devoted to Basic Clinical Skills where interns begin to develop skills in the interpretation of the medical chart, the formulation of nutrition care plans, the documentation of patient care, and patient education.
IN-PATIENT NUTRITION THERAPY - 19 weeks
Experience in special clinical areas allows interns to develop the knowledge and skills needed to: assess diet, nutrient, and education requirements, interpret and use medical terminology, identify food and drug interactions, identify the means of laboratory data and diagnostic tests as they relate to the nutritional needs of patients, and plan, implement and document appropriate medical nutrition therapy. Highlights include: Critical Care, Enteral Nutrition, Oncology, Neurology, Cardiology, Nephrology, Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Pediatrics.
During this period, interns supplement their experiential learning with assigned readings, case studies, classes, field trips, library research and written assignments. Interns may be permitted to observe surgical and/or diagnostic test procedures as available
There are about 3 to 4 class hours each week. They include lectures, reports and presentations.
Assignments are done during off-duty hours.
COMMUNITY NUTRITION / HEALTH PROMOTION - 5 weeks
Nutrition Clinic - 2 weeks Patient / Client education is performed on an outpatient basis in nutrition clinics. Emphasis is on diabetes education.
Dialysis Unit - 1 week
Assess, educate and monitor patients receiving hemodialysis.
Center for Senior Independence - 1 week
Emphasizes participation with an interdisciplinary team approach, to enable elderly people to remain independent in their own homes and communities.
Field Experiences / Elective - 1 week Shadow any department within HFHS or Children's Hospital of Michigan.
Patient Education and Women's Health Issues Emphasized throughout all inpatient nutrition therapy experiences and all community nutrition experiences.
National Nutrition Month
During the month of March Dietetic Interns promote healthful eating by providing practical nutrition guidance and focusing attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound physical activity habits.
ADA Courses: Eating Disorders and Childhood Obesity
W.C. Learning Center Courses
Interns may work in home health care, Heart and Vascular Institute, Substance Abuse and a variety of public health agencies such as WIC, Work Site Community Health Promotion, Expanded Food and Nutrition Program, Expanded Food and Nutrition Environmental Health or School Lunch.
FOOD SERVICE SYSTEMS - 5 weeks (Includes 1 week Food Service Management)
Internal work with the foodservice staff to learn to supervise a patient centered foodservice operation, and a retail foodservice operation. Interns work with the Chef, the production and retail managers and the staff in all areas of the patient kitchen, main kitchen and cafeteria. They have experiences in ordering, receiving, forecasting, planning and processing food for patients, employees and special functions.
They also are involved in planning, costing, merchandising and selling a self-produced menu item in the cafeteria which is an important part of this experience.
School food service and correctional facility food service are covered through on-site field trips.
In all of these experiences, interns participate in activities related to planning, organizing, directing, controlling and evaluating services provided by the Department of Food and Nutrition Services.
MANAGEMENT - 8 weeks
Food Service Management - 1 week as part of the Food Service Systems experience
Clinical Management - 2 weeks
Interns spend two weeks with the Coordinator, Nutr/Ed Services doing quality assustance audits, preparing schedules and planning a management presentation.
Clinical Responsibility - 5 weeks
This period provides the intern an opportunity to assume total responsibility for the medical nutrition therapy of patients on assigned units and for the management of nutrition services personnel.
Long Term Continuing Care - 1 week
Interns are assigned to the two nursing homes in the HFH System. This experience provides interns with the basic knowledge and skills needed to function under the requirements of federal, state and private regulatory agencies.
Weekend / Holiday Management Responsibility
For approximately 4 weekends and one holiday, interns work with one or two RDs to learn to prioritize work, solve problems and manage time and personnel in Food and Nutrition Services. This time helps interns prepare for the independent practice in Clinical Responsibility. Interns who have duty on a weekend or holiday are given compensatory days off. While interns are scheduled for 8 hour days, they are expected to complete assigned experiences before leaving for the day.
VACATION -2 weeks
Interns are given two weeks of vacation: one during the last 2 weeks of December or first week of January, and the other around the midpoint of the Program (March / April).
GRADUATE CREDIT
Students accepted into the Henry Ford Hospital dietetic internship are invited to apply to pursue a Master's program at Wayne State University, Detroit. Applicants admitted to the program may earn up to four (4) credit hours of supervised field experience (NFS 5992) and up to four (4) credit hours of practicum in nutrition (NFS 5260), in association with the dietetic internship experience during their first and second semesters in the program, respectively. Grades for these courses will be deferred until completion of a minimum of 8 credit hours of the general requirement courses with at least a grade of B.
For further information, please contact Dr. Promod Khosla at (313) 577-2500.
The Department of Nutrition and Food Science
Wayne State University
3009 Science Hall
Detroit, MI 48202
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
The criteria for the graduation from the Henry Ford Hospital Dietetic Intership Program follow:
100% of the assignments and evaluations are completed.
At least 80% of the evaluation criteria for performance must be scored as 2 (70-79%) or above. The other 20% must minimally be scored at 1 (60-69%) (exception Renal and Critical Care Experiences which must be scored at 1 (60-69%) or above for all criteria).
An overall performance score of 3 or higher must be received in the Internal Medicine experience which is scheduled after a minimum of 5 weeks of Clinical Experience.
Remedial work, if required, must be successfully completed. (Criteria for successful completion of remedial work is based on the DI's specific needs and required experiences and the specific criteria developed for the remediation.)
Individual criteria for all audits / reviews must be achieved in the Clinical Staff Responsibility experience.
A resume must be completed and on file.
A preliminary copy of "The Individualized Professional Development Portfolio" must be completed and on file.
A "Permission for Reference" form must be signed and on file.
When the program is successfully completed, the DIs graduate, and on the last day of the program receive six copies of the "Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) Verification Statement" signed by the Internship Director. The signed "Verification Statement" attests to the fact that a DI has completed the requirements of a CADE accredited internship program and the specific requirements of the Henry Ford Hospital Dietetic Internship Program.
GENERAL PROGRAM INFORMATION
Dietetic Intern Responsibilities Dietetic Interns must be courteous, respectful, and compassionate toward fellow interns, employees, patients and visitors. Defining statements:
Attitude is everything. Create a lasting impression
"Is there anything else I can do for you? I have the time."
Every interaction is important
Promote and maintain a clean environment
Act as an ambassador of Henry Ford Hospital and Health network by living the values and taking pride in this organization
Dress for respect and success - Interns wear professional business clothing with a white lab coat or a while uniform and white shoes. The departmental dress code must be followed. Jeans and similar casual clothes are not worn in the Hospital at any time.
Respect the need for privacy in all instances
Timing is everything, keep the patient/customer updated on what is going on when there is any delay in service, and when they should expect another update
Be a team player, and know that by helping each other we help our patients.
Transportation Interns should have a car as the availability of public transportation is very limited. Traveling is required, especially when assigned to community experiences.
Employment The Internship Program is demanding and challenging, requiring organization, self discipline and stamina. Because of these demands, the Program faculty strongly recommend that interns not be employed during the Program.
English Fluency
Fluency in written and spoken English is essential to succeed in the program and to ensure patient safety. If English is a second language, you must be able to demonstrate fluency. Satisfactory performance on the Test of English as a Foreign Language examination or the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency must be documented as proof of fluency. Your test results must be less than two years old.
BENEFITS
Health Care
A pre-placement medical evaluation is given. There are on-site employee health services for infection control screening and occupational health for work related injury evaluations.
Medical Insurance
Students must have medical insurance coverage during their program. Medical insurance can be purchased through Health Alliance Plan. To buy HAP solo insurance you need to be appointed to the Dietetic Internship Program. You can also choose to have your medical insurance covered through other, non-HFH plans (i.e., insurance held through a parent or spouse, or an independent commercial plan). Evidence of medical coverage must be provided when your educational program begins.
Liability Insurance
Interns have full professional liability insurance from HFH. Interns must carry their own personal liability insurance.
Library Interns have free use of the Sladen Medical Library. This includes computer searches, internet, interlibrary loans and copy service.
Loans We no longer participate in the Guaranteed Student Loan program.
Meals Interns may receive a meal allowance on scheduled workdays.
Living Accommodations
There are a variety of moderately priced apartments available within easy access to the Hospital. Housing is available for dietetic interns in the hospital owned and operated apartment building located on the hospital campus for $250.00 / month.
Parking Interns are given guarded, assigned parking. From the parking lot, they ride the free shuttle directly to the Hospital.
Security The Hospital is very conscious of the safety of its staff and students. Security personnel, on request, will provide security escorts to staff and students.
EXPENSES
Application Fee An application fee of $75 is nonrefundable. It is sent with the completed application. Applicants are not considered with the accompanying fee.
Tuition and Fees, 2009-2010 Tuition is $4,000. The check for tuition must be postmarked no later than September 1, of the year the Internship begins. Tuition includes Registration at an ADA Registration Exam Review Course, the Henry Ford Hospital annual symposium and all field trips. Tuition is refundable at 50% up to the end of week two (2) and is non-refundable after week two (2) of the program. Travel expenses are usually about $300-500. Other costs vary according to each intern's needs. There may be costs for lab coats and uniforms, as well as textbooks and miscellaneous other supplies that interns might find helpful.
Professional Memberships
Proof of ADA membership is required by the beginning of the Internship. Applications for the South Eastern Michigan Dietetic Association (SEMDA) are sent to each incoming intern. Proof of membership is required by the beginning of the Internship.
AWARDS, GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS AND STIPENDS DEP Scholarship (open to ADA members)
For more information, contact the Education and Accreditation Team at education@eatright.org.
EARNING POTENTIAL
Based on the nationwide American Dietetic Association (ADA) 2005 Dietetics Compensation and Benefits Salary Survey, the median salary for registered dietitians is $50,000. Salary levels vary with geographical location, scope of responsibility, employment settings and supply of registered dietitians. Salary also increases as experience increases and many registered dietitians, particularly those in management, business and consulting, earn incomes above $60,000.
