Memphis VA Medical Center
The Catherine Austin Dietetic Internship at the Memphis VA Medical Center is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). Interns receive a pre‑tax stipend of $24,000 during the 10‑month program and train in a city known for its highly affordable cost of living.
Program Overview
Interns complete 1200-1300 hours of supervised practice across clinical dietetics, food service management, and community nutrition. While offering a robust clinical foundation, the program emphasizes medical nutrition therapy for Veterans through an Ambulatory Care concentration. Interns deliver outpatient nutrition care in Home Based Primary Care (HBPC), Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), and specialty clinics such as diabetes management and renal care. Additional inpatient experiences include the surgical and medical units, intensive care unit, geriatrics and palliative care, hematology-oncology, and the spinal cord injury unit.
Didactic Learning and Unique Training Experiences
The internship includes 80 hours of didactic coursework provided jointly by dietitians from Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Center for Developmental Disabilities. Interns also complete 40 hours of professional training and benefit from unique field experiences at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Home Infusion Therapy Pharmacy, and Memphis Nutrition Group, LLC.
Professional Development & Exam Preparation
Interns become members of local professional organizations such as the Memphis Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and receive a 12‑month paid-subscription to the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s eatrightPREP resource to support their preparation for the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) exam. With a historically consistent 100% RDN exam pass rate, the full‑time internship is committed to developing knowledgeable, confident, and highly engaged entry‑level dietitians.
A Training Site Recognized for Excellence
The Nutrition and Food Services Department at the Memphis VA Medical Center was recently awarded the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Center of Excellence in Nutrition and Dietetics designation for 2026-2031; the first and only VA medical center to receive this national honor. This recognition reflects the department’s dedication to evidence‑based practice, innovative care models, and exceptional service to Veterans. Dietetic interns at the Memphis VA benefit from a learning environment grounded in excellence in clinical care, teaching, and professional development, preparing them to become highly competent Registered Dietitian Nutritionists.
Watch this video for highlights of our program.
Program Tracks:
The Catherine Austin Dietetic Internship has two tracks for program completion. Both include a minimum of 1200 hours of supervised practice. Upon satisfactory completion of the program requirements, a VA Plaque of Program Completion and the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) Verification Statement is awarded to program graduates.
Option 1: Combined Univerisity of Alabama online MS and Memphis VAMC Dietetic Internship Track:
The VA Memphis has a partnership with the University of Alabama for an online Master of Science in Human Nutrition. Read an overview including courses, options, credit hours, contact information and tuition costs at https://ches.ua.edu/nhm/ms-in-human-nutrition/. Applicants interested in applying to this track will need to be admitted to the University of Alabama Graduate School prior to being admitted to the Catherine Austin Dietetic Internship Program. Successful completion of the master's degree is required to receive the verification statement from the Catherine Austin Dietetic Internship in this track. For more information, contact the Human Nutrition program director, Dr. Tiffany Hylton, RD, LD at tmhylton@ches.ua.edu.
Option 2: Dietetic Internship Only Track:
All applicants applying to the internship only track must have a master's degree prior to admission to the Catherine Austin Dietetic Internship at the Memphis VA Medical Center. Degree conferral and submission of updated transcripts must occur prior to the program start date.
Important Dates for Both Tracks:
August 5, 2026: DICAS portal opens
October 21: Virtual Open House at 11am CT
(RSVP to the internship director for the meeting link)
November 20: Virtual Open House at 1pm CT
(RSVP to the internship director for the meeting link)
January 15: Last day to apply through DICAS
February 1: Last day to apply to University of Alabama
March 1: Offer extended to applicants.
March 10: Last day for appointees to accept or reject offers.
Dietetic Internship Director Contact Information:
Jyotsna Sharman, PhD, MS, MBA, RD, FAND
Dietetic Internship Director / 120
1030 Jefferson Ave.
Memphis, TN 38104
Email: Jyotsna.Sharman@va.gov
Phone: (901) 523-8990 ext. 16555
Current Credentialing Process to Become a Registered Dietitian
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Complete a minimum of a bachelor's degree at a U.S. regionally accredited university or college and course work accredited or approved by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND).
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Complete a ACEND-accredited supervised practice program. Successful completion of the Catherine Austin Dietetic Internship at the Memphis VAMC provides the intern with a verification statement issued by ACEND which allows the intern to take the National Registration Exam. Upon successful completion of the exam, the intern is officially designated as a Registered Dietitian. The Dietetic Internship must provide at least 1200 hours of supervised practice experiences to meet the Competencies/Learning Outcomes defined for entry-level practice as a registered dietitian.
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Pass a national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). For more information regarding the examination, refer to CDR's website at www.cdrnet.org.* Graduates who successfully complete the ACEND-accredited Dietetic Internship at the Memphis VA Medical Center are eligible to take the CDR credentialing exam to become a RDN.
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Obtain state licensure if required. Licensure is required in the state of Tennessee. More information about licensure can be found online at the Tennessee Board of Dietitians/Nutritionist Examiners.
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Complete continuing professional educational requirements to maintain registration.
Effective January 1, 2024 the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) will require a minimum of a master's degree to be eligible to take the credentialing exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). In order to be approved for registration examination eligibility with a bachelor's degree, an individual must meet all eligibility requirements and be submitted into CDR's Registration Eligibility Processing System (REPS) before 12pm midnight Central Time, December 31, 2023. For more information about this requirement visit CDR's website.
The Catherine Austin Dietetic Internship Program at the Memphis VAMC has been granted full accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, USA, (312) 8990-0400. For more information visit their website here.
*Link 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.
