Dietetic Internship Program
Lexington VA Healthcare System - Program Introduction
|
Dear Applicant,
Thank you for your interest in our Dietetic Internship program! The Lexington VA Healthcare System is a newly developed Dietetic Internship program that has been granted Candidacy Accreditation status by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). We will take our first cohort of master’s prepared dietetic interns in August 2024. Even though we are technically a new dietetic internship program, we have been in affiliation with the University of Kentucky Hospital’s dietetic internship for the past 30+ years. Our preceptors have extensive experience preparing new dietetics professionals.
The Lexington VA Healthcare System offers a post master’s degree Dietetic Internship designed to meet the competencies for entry level dietetics practice and to prepare students for the Registration Examination for Dietitians. Our medical center is a two-division facility providing acute care at our Bowling Division and primary care along with other services at our Sousley Division. We also have 4 community clinic locations in Berea, Somerset, Morehead, and Hazard and our dietitians are also integrated in the Home-Based Primary Care program.
Our internship has a clinical emphasis and is primarily hospital based. We offer three slots for participants who hold a master’s degree. The program duration is 29 weeks and will provide approximately 1,100 supervised practice hours. Most of the rotations will be provided on-site with the exception for a Community Rotation. Our program also provides weekly classes taught by guest lecturers with a variety of subject matter expertise.
The main population we serve is adult males. However, interns will gain experience with other populations when completing the Clinic Rotation which includes time in our Women’s Clinic, and also the Community Rotation which includes time spent with the WIC Program.
Accreditation
The Lexington Kentucky VA Health Care System Dietetic Internship
Program has been granted Candidacy Accreditation status by The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetic of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190
Chicago, IL 60606-6995
(312) 899-0040 ext. 5400.
Http://www.eatrightPRO.org/ACEND
If you have any further questions regarding the Lexington Kentucky VA Health Care System Dietetic Internship Program or are interested in applying, please contact me at:
Cassie Downing, MS, RD, LD
Dietetic Internship Director/Inpatient Manager
Lexington VA Health Care System
cassandra.downing@va.gov
(859) 381-4328
