Application and Appointment Procedures
Directions and Information for Submitting Documents
Dietetic Internship Attachment
Personal Statement
Application Procedures
Application Screening and Review
Appointment Phase/Computer Matching
Acceptance Phase


Application and Appointment Procedures

The Dietetic Internship Program is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Clinical Center (CC) Nutrition Department and is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetic Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association.

The NIH Clinical Center Dietetic Internship requires applicants to submit:

1. The 2005 supervised practice program application form is available on the website of the Dietetics Educators of Practitioners (DEP). This application form can be completed on-line and downloaded from DEP’s website at http://www.depdpg.org.
2. The NIH Dietetic Internship Attachment (Personal Data Section and NIH Grade Grid)
3. Three letters of reference (applicants must use the reference forms on DEP’s website at http://www.depdpg.org).
4. An official transcript of credits from all colleges and universities attended
5. One original American Dietetic Association Verification Statement signed by your Academic Program Director
6. A Personal Statement that addresses required criteria

Scores from the Graduate Records Examination (GRE) are considered if available, but are not required. If provided, the applicant must also provide an official copy with their application package.

There is no application fee. All applications should be postmarked by February 15, 2008 for April 2008 computer matching. All application materials become the property of the NIH Clinical Center. No application materials will be returned.

The application form for the NIH Dietetic Internship can be completed on-line and downloaded from the Dietetics Educators of Practitioners (DEP) website at http://www.depdpg.org. The application MUST be signed by the applicant.

The NIH Dietetic Internship Attachment is available on line here. If the NIH Attachment is not included with your application, it will be considered incomplete and will not be processed.

Three letters of reference should come from persons best qualified to describe your professional strengths and talents. One reference should be from your academic advisor, one from a college faculty member in dietetics who is not your academic advisor, and one from a supervisor in a paid or volunteer work setting. Applicants should ask persons providing references to use the Recommendation Form available on the Dietetics Educators of Practitioners (DEP) website at http://www.depdpg.org.

Your academic advisor and/or Registrar's department can provide instructions on obtaining official transcripts, which must be provided as part of the application packet.

The Verification Statement is documented evidence showing your achievement of academic requirements from a CAADE-approved Didactic Program. The applicant must meet at least the generalist requirements, although evidence of meeting requirements in other areas of emphasis may be presented. If academic work is incomplete at the time of application, include a completed Declaration of Intent to Complete Degree and/or CADE-Approved Minimum Academic Requirements form available from your academic advisor. If your verification statement was issued over five years ago, please note that there is no longer a recency of education requirement. However, you must submit documentation of continuing education or experience in the field of nutrition and dietetics for the past three years.

A typed Personal Statement, signed by the applicant, is required. It should tell us how your experiences have prepared you to successfully complete a dietetic internship. The statement should address each of the following criteria and subcriteria. It should include detailed examples of accomplishments and contributions in the academic and work arena, and in community, group and organizational activities.

1. Self-direction and productivity

Describe (include examples) how your accomplishments and contributions demonstrate your ability to:

a. set goals for yourself

b. work independently

c. manage multiple responsibilities

d. bring projects to closure

2. Conceptual Skills

Describe (include examples) how your accomplishments and contributions demonstrate your ability to:

a. use effective oral communication skills

b. use written communication skills

c. apply theory or knowledge to practice

3. Interpersonal Skills

Describe (include examples) how your accomplishments and contributions demonstrate your ability to:

a. demonstrate sensitivity or adaptation to a variety of people and situations

b. participate in a team effort

c. use constructive criticism for self-improvement

4. Leadership

Describe (include examples) how your accomplishments and contributions demonstrate your ability to:

a. organize and motivate others to accomplish goals

b. play a leadership role in academic, extracurricular or community settings

Please end the letter with a summation that delineates your professional and educational goals for the internship and following the internship, and describe how completing a dietetic internship will help you achieve these goals.

The Personal Statement should not exceed three single-spaced pages and the type should not be less than 11 pt. font. It must be signed by the applicant.

Completed applications and supporting materials should be mailed in one packet and sent by first-class registered mail. If it is not possible to send all required materials in one packet, applicants should indicate which materials are to be sent under separate cover. If all application materials are not postmarked by the designated postmark date, the application will be considered incomplete and will not be processed.

YOUR APPLICATION MUST CONTAIN AN ORIGINAL SIGNATURE. DO NOT FAX THE APPLICATION MATERIALS.

All application materials should be mailed to:

Merel Kozlosky, MS, RD
Program Director, Dietetic Internship
National Institutes of Health
Bldg 10 Room B2-2426
10 Center Drive, MSC 1078
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1078
Telephone: 301-451-5884
FAX: 301-496-0622
EMAIL:kozloskym@cc.nih.gov

Remember: If NIH is your first choice, please rank NIH first on your D&D Digital mark-sense card. The NIH Clinical Center Dietetic Internship matching number is 404.

Financial Aid:

The NIH is fortunate to have the Edith A. Jones Scholarship available only to NIH Interns. In order to qualify for this assistance you must complete the ADA Scholarship packet, available through ADA, and specify the "Edith A. Jones Scholarship" in your application. The scholarship application should be mailed to ADA, not NIH. The scholarship is awarded to qualified intern(s) who are matched to the NIH Dietetic Internship.

The application deadline for scholarships is February 15, 2008.

Application Screening:

All application packets are initially screened by the following criteria:

1. Completeness: You must include an original signature on the application form and letter.
   
   
2. Grade Point Average: A minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 based on a 4.0 system and a mean GPA of 3.5 or greater in professional courses (courses in foods, nutrition, community nutrition, nutrition education, nutrition counseling, nutrition and disease, food service systems, management, computer courses, etc.) is required.
   
   
3. Work/Volunteer Experience: The total hours of nutrition/dietetic-related volunteer and work experience hours must meet or exceed 400 hours over the past 5 years.
   
   

Following initial screening, application packets that are complete and meet minimum requirements are reviewed by the Program Director. Each application is scored according to standardized criteria, and all applications are ranked by these preliminary scores. Top applicants will be contacted for a telephone interview, which will be conducted during the first two weeks of March. The telephone interview will last approximately one-half hour. This interview is an opportunity for applicants to share additional information about their qualifications and demonstrate their critical thinking skills.

Application Review Committee:

The Application Review Committee is composed of staff dietitians who meet as a group to review the application packets of our top applicants. This committee thoroughly discusses each candidate and ranks applicants for the matching process.

All applicants to Dietetic Internships and Professional Practice Programs listed in the instruction booklet from D&D digital systems must participate in computer matching. Applicants should request instructions and a mark/sense card to prioritize their DI or AP4 preferences. Applicants should request this material from any ADA-approved Didactic Program in dietetics or from D&D Digital Systems. This request should be made to allow turn around time for submitting by a February 15, 2008 postmark deadline. There is no charge for this material. However, there is a charge for computer matching (amount specified by D&D Digital) that is due with the applicant's prioritized ranking. Address requests to:

D&D Digital Systems
Suite 301
304 Main Street
Ames, IA 50010

The NIH Clinical Center Dietetic Internship matching number is 404.

All applicants will be notified of their appointment match through D&D Digital Systems.

Applicants who receive a match to the NIH Clinical Center Dietetic Internship must call to accept or decline the match by 5:00pm EST on April 22, 2008. This call should be made to Merel Kozlosky, MS, RD, Program Director, Dietetic Internship at 301-451-5884. In addition, applicants must send a certified letter of acceptance or rejection to Merel Kozlosky. The certified letter must reach Merel Kozlosky on or before April 28, 2008.

THERE IS NO APPLICATION FEE
FOR THE NIH DIETETIC INTERNSHIP

Please remember to sign you application and your
personal statement.