Dietetic Internship Program

VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System

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If you want to learn more about our program, you can attend either of VA Open House Forums! No registration needed! 

The VA ECHCS DI Program  will be accepting applications for the 2026-2027 academic year. The program offers supervised practice hours in clinical, food service management and community dietetics. The Nutrition and Food Service Department professional staff at VA ECHCS administer the program. Registered Dietitians and Food Service Management participate in curriculum development in their specialty areas along with development of evaluation procedures. Staff of affiliate facilities will be preceptors for those rotations they supervise and assist in curriculum development of those rotations. No credit is given for assessment of prior learning.

All rotations are designed to prepare the intern for entry-level professional practice in dietetics or related fields. All interns will rotate at our  Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center | VA Eastern Colorado Health Care | Veterans Affairs and may be assigned rotations are the following outpatient clinics: Golden VA Clinic | VA Eastern Colorado Health Care | Veterans Affairs, Jewell VA Clinic | VA Eastern Colorado Health Care | Veterans Affairs, PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom Department Of Veterans Affairs Clinic | VA Eastern Colorado Health Care | Veterans Affairs and Union Boulevard VA Clinic | VA Eastern Colorado Health Care | Veterans Affairs. Interns will also rotate through Community affiliation sites.  

Program Schedule

Each intern will have 32 hours of supervised practice experience weekly, generally Monday-Thursday. The VA ECHCS DI Program has two tracks to program completion. Both options begin in August and include identical supervised practice hours and rotations completed at ECHCS and affiliate sites. The first week of the internship will be spent in orientation.  Included in this week will be a general orientation to the Eastern Colorado Healthcare System (ECHCS) along with introduction to computerized charting and utilizing the nutrition care process. Interns will spend 20 weeks in clinical nutrition, 5 weeks in food service management/informatics, 4 weeks in the community nutrition and 2 weeks each in clinical management. At the end of the program, interns will complete a 3-week professional practicum in either inpatient or outpatient (unit of choice with preceptor and Program Director approval). Interns will be scheduled “off” on federal holidays in addition to shorter breaks during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Curriculum

Administrative Dietetics: Interns will gain experience in the roles and responsibilities of food service systems management and administration. The rotations include clinical management, food preparation and evaluation, food service and operational management, informatics, and process management and improvement. Learning is facilitated using project-based rotations. Projects are based on practical needs of the department and intern interest.  

Clinical Dietetics: The clinical component of the program is designed to provide interns experience in the nutrition care process, patient education and active participation in the multidisciplinary health care team. The inpatient clinical rotation includes general medicine, surgical care, critical care and nutrition support, spinal cord injury, and acute behavioral health. The outpatient clinical rotation includes ambulatory care and MOVE! (a national weight management program). Interns will also have a rotation with Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC). VA ECHCS dietetic interns are also responsible for the planning and implementation of the health care system's National Nutrition Month program at ECHCS locations and in the community.

Community Dietetics: The community component of the program is designed to provide interns experience in wellness and health promotion across the lifespan, food insecurity, food distribution and public policy as it pertains to nutrition. Interns will rotate through affiliate sites in the Denver metro area. Our community program affiliates are Food Bank of the Rockies, Nourish Colorado, and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) of Douglas County. 

Internship Program Completion:

• Completion of supervised practice hours
• Completion all assignments and projects by established guidelines
• Satisfactorily completes the requirements for each rotation.
• Attends all workshops and seminars scheduled during the year

MS Degree at UA Requirements:

• The MS in Human Nutrition program consists of 30 credit hours.
• All students must complete a Capstone experience and choose a curriculum track: Generalist, Community, or Clinical.
• Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher

Unique qualities of Internship:

• Preceptors: We have a dedicated staff of highly qualified dietitians and a teaching environment that promotes education and evidenced based practice. Our small class size means that you will get specialized, individualized attention. In most rotations, only one intern is assigned to a preceptor at a time, allowing for maximum attention to your learning experience.
• Jobs Placement: We will assist you in finding employment in the government or private sector. With more than 100 VA Medical Centers across the country, you will have increased opportunities to work for the VA.

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