Nursing and Health Professions

All the nutrition faculty are dietitians, and they’re passionate about what they teach. They know how competitive dietetic internship programs are, and their goal was to make us the best candidates possible with good experiences on our resumes. Two faculty members helped me create a sports nutrition program at IU. Our athletes are now more aware of the food choices they’re making. I also participated in the Body Project, which trained me to help my peers overcome unrealistic body image ideals and avoid eating disorders. These two campus activities were part of what allowed me to be a competitive candidate for Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Dietetic Internship. I am looking forward to being a part of this rigorous program as I am confident that I was well prepared from my time at Immaculata.

Course Preview
Curriculum and Practicum Experiences
Advanced Nutrition I
Principles of human nutrition; factors involved in the availability, digestion, absorption, and utilization of macronutrients; energy balance; techniques for assessing personal nutritional status.
Medical Nutrition Therapy I
Study of the physiological basis for therapeutic diets in disease; dietary modifications for specific disease conditions; role of the dietitian in patient care.
Food Service Experience
During this one-credit course, students will be placed in appropriate facilities that provide approximately 50 hours of appropriate experiences. Medical facilities such as hospitals or long term care centers are preferred. The course instructor places students in facilities and ensures that preceptors are credentialed and experienced, but students may also make suggestions for facility placement. Full details and requirements are available from the course instructor and DPD director. Students have approximately 15 weeks (the length of one semester) to complete the experience.
Experimental Foods
Experimental techniques and procedures used to study the physical and chemical properties of basic food materials and the alterations they undergo during preparation. 2 hours lecture, 2 hours laboratory.
Strategies in Teaching Nutrition Concepts
Application of education in pre-professional experience in clinical and community environments. Combination of classes and off-campus experiences.
Nutrition Practicum
During this three-credit course, students will identify practicum sites in which they will be expected to participate in approximately 30 hours of community experience and approximately 60 hours of clinical experience. Full details of what the experiences should entail and requirements for the practicum experiences are available from the course instructor and DPD Director. Clinical experiences are required to be supervised and precepted by an RD/RDN. Students have approximately 11 months to complete the experiences. With approval from the course instructor, students file the appropriate paperwork and may begin engaging in the practicum experiences during the summer before FNU 370 enrollment (normally summer before senior year of study).
Just the facts
90+
years of Nutrition & Dietetics Programs
95%
dietetic internship match rate, 2018-2022
SDA
Student Dietetics Association supports professional development
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