Dietetic Internship
Program experience
The Nutrition Services department at Children’s Mercy offers dietetic internships to students from universities that have a student affiliation agreement with the hospital. Limited semester internships are offered to students in the University of Kansas dietetic internship program and to some distance programs on an individual basis.
The University of Missouri offers a three-week internship placement at Children’s Mercy. Students are placed by Missouri faculty. Missouri State University facilitates a one week rotation with one student per semester placed at Children’s Mercy. A one week observation may be set up through a distance program on an individual basis.
One-day observations are available on a case-by-case basis to anyone in a university dietetic program.
Nutrition Services does not currently provide internships or observation opportunities for high school students.
Student expectations
Interns will be required to follow all program guidelines set by their individual schools. Required hours will be determined by individual university requirements. Students will be expected to follow all HIPAA rules and all other hospital regulations while at Children's Mercy. During dietetic internships, students will have a primary preceptor that he or she will report to on a daily basis. Students will rotate though inpatient and outpatient areas of nutrition through our Children’s Mercy Nutrition Services department.
Observers for one day will be placed one-on-one with an employee of the nutrition department. The observation will last no more than eight hours.
Eligibility
Semester
Placement is made by the University of Kansas dietetic program director or on an individual basis with distance programs with an affiliation agreement.*
Three-week internship
Placement is made by the University of Missouri dietetic internship director.
Week-long observation
Placed by Missouri State University internship director or on a case-by-case basis with affiliated distance programs.
One-day observation
Any student currently enrolled in a dietetic program.
Affiliations
*There are current affiliation agreements with Iowa State University Distance Program and Northwest Missouri State University. Children’s Mercy also has an affiliation agreement with Kansas State University, but does not do a full semester with Kansas State at this time.
** To have an observation day for a student at a school without an affiliation agreement, there will be required immunization paperwork that will be needed prior to placement.
How to apply
For more information, contact Maria Ahmu.