Students can apply to enter the Integrated Dietetic Internship program while in their third year of the Foods and Nutrition program. Completion of the degree program in Foods and Nutrition and the dietetic internship can be accomplished in just four-and-a-half years. Interns complete two months of placements in clinical nutrition and foods service settings following their third year in the FN program and seven months of placements in clinical nutrition, food service management and community nutrition settings after their fourth year in the FN program. Our interns participate in a wide variety of placements with registered dietitians across Canada, including in hospital, long term care, public health, community organizations, government and even private practice. Our dedicated full-time professional practice coordinator works closely with each intern throughout the duration of the internship program to develop an individualized training plan that adequately prepares the intern for entry into the dietetic profession.

What are some potential careers for graduates of the Integrated Dietetic Internship program?

Registered dietitians work in many settings, including hospitals, clinics and long-term care facilities where they work with patients and residents to help prevent and treat chronic disease like heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease. Other dietitians in these settings manage the food service, overseeing staff and ensuring that patients and residents are getting the food they need.

Dietitians also work in public health where they design and implement nutrition education programs for different target populations, work to reduce food insecurity and assist in the development of policies to improve the health of their communities.

Some dietitians work in private practice where they may do nutritional assessment and counselling for various groups such as those with chronic diseases or eating disorders or athletes on sports teams.

For more information, check out what does a dietitian do in their job or different work settings?

How to apply to the Integrated Dietetic Internship program

Foods and Nutrition students may apply to the dietetic internship program in the third year of their program. We consider the following criteria when accepting students:

• Academic performance - students applying to the integrated internship program must have an overall GPA of 3.0 (74–76%).
• Personal characteristics - evidence of leadership abilities, ethical behaviour, organizational and communication skills and self-directedness.
• Involvement in community or extracurricular activities and special projects.
• Relevant work or volunteer experience - this does not necessarily have to be nutrition or foodservice experience (although this is good), but you will need to be able to describe the kinds of skills and knowledge that you gained from the experience that are relevant to the program.
• References - faculty will prepare a composite reference for each student applying to the internship program. It is important to attend class regularly, participate in class discussions, and come to class prepared. Students also provide references from their paid or volunteer work.
• Essential skills - read about the essential skills and attributes for students in the dietetic internship program.

Those that meet the criteria are granted an interview (maximum of 14 students) and a maximum of 10 students are accepted into the program. Please refer to the Dietetic Internship Applicant's Handbook, a must-have resource to prepare a successful application to the Integrated Dietetic Internship program.

Visit the Dietetic Internship program page for admissions, scholarships, and related program information.

Accreditation
UPEI Foods and Nutrition Program / Integrated Internship Stream