Dietetic Internship Program

Corporal Michael. J. Crecenz (Philadelphia) VA Medical Center

Philadelphia VA Medical Center Introduction Mission Additional Information Financial Life in Philly Application

Thank you for your interest in the Corporal Michael. J. Crecenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center Dietetic Internship (CMC VAMC DI) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!

The 46-week internship program is made up of supervised practice hours and alternate practice experiences in clinical dietetics, food service management, and community nutrition along with tours, field trips and vacation / federal holidays.

The Corporal Michael. J. Crecenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center Dietetic Internship Program has been granted candidate status by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetic of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Graduates will be prepared to work in a variety of entry level dietetic settings including clinical dietetics, food service management, general nutrition education, long term care, weight management, and a variety of other community positions. Supervised practice experiences for medical nutrition therapy, foodservice systems management, and community nutrition are offered in accordance with practice areas of registered dietitians at the CMC VAMC. This program is not affiliated with any universities. Dietetic interns are eligible to take the Registered Examination for Dietitians upon completion of the CMC VAMC Dietetic Internship Program. The Mission of the CMC VAMC DI Program is to develop entry-level Registered Dietitian Nutritionists who can assume roles in the dietetics field and commit to evidence-based practice to improve the health outcomes of our nation’s growing diverse Veteran and civilian population. Upon successful completion of the program requirements, a VA Certification of Program Completion and the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) Verification Statement will be awarded. 

Admission Requirements and Application Instruction

1. United States Citizen by the application deadline.
2. Applicants must possess a masters degree from a regionally accredited institution earned prior to starting the internship/graduate program.
3. Applicants must possess an official Verification Statement of Completion or Declaration of Intent to Complete from an accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD), with original signatures issued within the last 5 years.
4. Federal law requires that most people assigned male at birth who lived in the US between the ages of 18 and 26 register with the Selective Service System. People required to register but who failed to do so by their 26th birthday, are barred from any position in any Executive Agency. Visit https://www.sss.gov to register, print proof of registration or apply for a Status Information Letter
5. Satisfactory background check (performed by CMC VAMC)
6. Satisfactory physical examination (at the applicant's expense) prior to reporting for duty. This includes COVID-19 and other vaccinations or appropriate medical or religious exemptions.

The CMC VAMC Dietetic Internship Program will accept 4 interns each year to start in August. The VA does not charge an application fee or tuition for the internship program. Applicants to the CMC VAMC Dietetic Internship program must demonstrate completion of a graduate degree prior to the start of the DI Program. Our internship program participates in the Spring on-line centralize internship application process, DICAS, which may be accessed at https://portal.dicas.org. There is not a separate application fee to apply to our dietetic internship program.

Record of Prior Learning

Applicants must have completed the requirements of an ACEND accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) and hold a master’s degree from an accredited college or university.  Official transcripts indicating the date of confirmation of your degree plus a Verification Statement of Program Completion are required prior to the start of the internship. Please note that no credit will be given for previously obtained learning or work experiences prior to entering the internship program. 

Selection Process
Selection of interns will be made without discrimination as to age, gender, race, color, religion, handicap, or national origin. Interviews are conducted for our highest scoring applications. Interviews are conducted with the Dietetic Internship Director and two additional members of the selection committee who may include RD preceptors, Chief of Nutrition, or members of the VA interdisciplinary team. All interested applicants should consider attending an open house. Open house information can be found on our Program Information page.

Criteria for Internship Selection
Academic: writing skills, GPA, certifications, degree(s) earned
Practical: paid/non-paid experiences in clinical, food service, customer service, management
Soft Skills: leadership, teamwork, innovation, adaptability, diverse perspective
Fit for VA: veteran preference, experience with veteran population, alignment of goals

Internship Application Instructions
Following are instructions for applying to our internship only track. The on-line application must be completed on the DICAS website DICAS | Applicant Login Page Section (liaisoncas.com) by January 15. Instructions for DICAS application components specific to the VA Selection Criteria are listed below.

Personal Information: If you are a Veteran, please select that option on the DICAS application Personal Information section. Veterans receive preferential application scoring.

Education History: Completion of a DPD program and master’s degree prior to the beginning of internship start date is required (see “Record of Prior Learning”). Please include all education history. The CMC VAMC DI Program also considers other degrees and certifications in addition to meeting the necessary education requirements. It is highly encouraged for applicants to explain how their additional degrees and/or certifications have prepared them to be successful as a dietetic intern and future RDN.

Experiences and Honors: All honors, academic, work and volunteer experiences will be considered in admission selection. Please include all transferrable skills from dietetics and non-dietetics-related experiences on the DICAS application. It is highly encouraged for applicants to provide detailed information on how the skills have prepared them to be successful as a dietetic intern and future RDN.

Personal Statement: Complete a personal statement in 500 words or less. Please address the following questions in your personal statement:

• Why are you specifically interested in the CMCVAMC Dietetic Internship Program?
• What unique experiences, skills, or perspectives do you bring to the Program?
• How would you apply these to make a positive impact during your internship?

Letters of Recommendation: The CMC VAMC DI Program requires 3 letters of recommendation. It is recommended that at least one letter is written by a current or previous supervisor and at least one letter is written by a current or previous professor. When completing the application, applicants must include the name and contact information (specifically e-mail address) for the three references. This will trigger an e- mail message requesting completion of a reference form. The form will be completed online by your reference.

Application Process
The CMC VAMC Dietetic Internship will participate in the online centralized internship application, DICAS, which may be accessed on August 5th at DICAS | Applicant Login Page Section (liaisoncas.com). The online application must be completed by 11:59 p.m. ET on January 15. The computer matching fee to use DICAS is $50 for the first application and an additional $25 per subsequent application. No paper applications will be accepted.

Selection/Appointment Process

• Open House: All interested applicants should consider attending an open house. CMC VAMC DI will be part of the VA Open House Forums. (Please visit the “Program Information” tab on our website for dates and attendance information) If you are unable to attend any of the open houses, please take time to review our website for program details in addition to reaching out to the DI Director with any questions.
• Application Submission: Completed applications must be received in DICAS by January 15th, 2025, at 11:59pm (ET). 
• Application Review: Completed applications are reviewed and scored by the DI Director and the selection committee on a rolling basis. Members of our selection committee change each year but include the DI Director and program preceptors.
• Interviews: Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis for applicants who meet minimum program requirements. Notification of interview offer will be sent out to the applicants via the email listed on their DICAS application. Interviews will be conducted virtually with the interview committee including DI Director and program preceptors and/or dietitian staff.
• Appointment Notifications: The 2025-2026 selection cycle will include the new pilot procedures for appointment notification and acceptance procedures. For additional information from ACEND regarding the Application Process for Students visit: Application Process for Students (eatrightpro.org). 

Notification and Appointment Procedure

• Offers of admission may be extended to any applications deemed complete by the program at any time during the admission cycle. 
• March 15^th, 2025 (no later than 4PM ET): All applicants offered an appointment must contact the DI Director via either email or telephone (Please see “Program Intro” tab for contact information) to either confirm or decline offer. No commitment to hold acceptance offers will stand after this deadline.
• March 16^th, 2025: Any available appointments will be offered to applicants on waitlisted status as available via email. (*applicants may be notified sooner if positions become available).
• A letter will be sent to appointees confirming the dietetic internship appointment. This letter is considered tentative until the appointee has successfully completed all hiring and onboarding requirements of the VA including but not limited to a background check with fingerprints, physical/mental health examination, and demonstrating satisfactory immunization/vaccination status.

For more information regarding the Dietetics Applicant and Program Code of Conduct and Traffic Rules for the 2024-2025 Pilot Year visit: dietetics-code-of-conduct-and-traffic-rules.pdf (eatrightpro.org)

*Links will take you outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs Website. VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked websites. The link will open in a new window.

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