requirements for preceptors and facilities

• The Preceptor must be a full-time employee at the selected facility. The primary Preceptor may be a part-time employee if a qualified secondary preceptor is available to supervise the intern when the primary Preceptor is not available.
• Each Preceptor must submit a resume or curricula vitae. He/she must have appropriate credentials and work experience to mentor the intern in the specified rotation.
• Preceptors must show evidence of continued competence appropriate to their precepting responsibilities through professional work, graduate education, continuing education, scholarship/research or other activities leading to professional growth in the advancement of their profession.
• A preceptor agreement form will be submitted for each rotation. The following is a list of acceptable types of facilities:
  • Facilities for Clinical Nutrition

    An acute care facility is required for the majority of the clinical rotation. A maximum of 5 weeks may be completed in a long-term care facility. The Preceptor must be a registered dietitian with the Commission on Dietetic Registration with a minimum of one-year of work experience after credentialing. The preceptor must be licensed or credentialed, as appropriate, to meet state and federal regulations.

  • Food Service
    School food service, University Dining Services or a health care facility. The Preceptor must be a food service director or supervisor.
  • Community
    Interns must find a facility to provide community management experience. Examples of types of facilities to complete the community nutrition experiences include: WIC, Meals on Wheels, SNAP-Ed, Cooperative Extension, food banks, Early HeadStart, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), and Child-Adult Care Feeding Programs.
  • Throughout Internship
    Interns are expected to obtain learning experiences with a variety of populations, diverse cultures and in various settings. Interns should plan their rotations to include experiences with:
    • Populations: infants, children, adolescents, adults, pregnant/lactating females, and the older adults
      Settings: acute care, outpatient, long-term care, wellness program and public health/community settings (schools and WIC or WIC equivalents as outlined in the community rotation section)
    • Conditions/Disease States: overweight/obesity, endocrine disorders, cancer, malnutrition, cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal diseases and renal diseases

Preceptor Responsibilities

• Preceptors need to read all preceptor materials provided for the intern. They must have adequate time to supervise, mentor and evaluate the intern.
• The Preceptor must assure that the intern will be able to accomplish all the learning experiences outlined in the rotation materials. The dietetic internship director is available to discuss suitable alternatives if needed.
• The Preceptor is responsible for scheduling all learning experiences for the intern during the specified rotation.
• It is expected that the Preceptor will provide feedback to the intern regarding observed strengths and weaknesses on a regular basis. The Preceptor will conduct the performance evaluation of the intern and act as the point of contact in the facility with the Dietetic Internship faculty. Internship faculty will schedule a time to discuss the performance evaluation via a telephone conference during the last week of the rotation.
• Preceptors must agree to fulfill the curriculum and abide by the policies and procedures of the University of Delaware Dietetic Internship.

Internship Faculty Responsibilities

• Provide curriculum and evaluation materials.
• Review and grade all intern assignments.
• Contact Preceptor and/or intern periodically to discuss rotation experiences.
• Track intern progress
• Be available for consultation as necessary.
• Be available for all evaluations via telephone conferencing.