Training & Curriculum
The rotations at Cedars-Sinai, in conjunction with rotations completed through the Sodexo Dietetic Internship at other affiliate sites, are designed to prepare interns for a career in nutrition and dietetics. Upon completing the Cedars-Sinai rotations and all Sodexo Dietetic Internship requirements, graduates are eligible to sit for the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) national credentialing examination, the Registration Examination for Dietitians.
Program Requirements
Dietetic interns may have the option to obtain supervised practice hours over the weekend if certain wellness fairs and/or activities fall on a Saturday or Sunday. Interns attend class days virtually, in most cases. Therefore, each intern must have a computer and internet access to attend class. Computers and internet access are available in the Department of Food and Nutrition Services at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center if the intern does not have a personal computer and/or access to the internet.
Supervised Practice Rotations
Sodexo dietetic interns at Cedars-Sinai may complete a variety of supervised practice rotations on the Cedars-Sinai main campus within the Department of Food and Nutrition Services, Cedars-Sinai Cancer and through the Cedars-Sinai Healthy Habits Program.
All interns accepted to rotate at Cedars-Sinai will complete both their Clinical Nutrition and Food Service Management Rotations at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Interns may also complete part of or their entire Community Rotation, as well as their Specialty Rotation at Cedars-Sinai if they choose and as scheduling allows.
In compliance with the Sodexo Dietetic Internship Rotation Overview, the Clinical Nutrition Rotation is made up of 16 cumulative weeks. This includes one week of Patient Food Services, one week of Clinical Nutrition Management, 12 weeks of inpatient adult clinical nutrition and two weeks of inpatient adult clinical staff relief, all completed at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. During the 12 weeks of inpatient adult clinical nutrition, interns are assigned to rotations that cover a variety of medical and surgical conditions, advancing from basic to intermediate and finally, advanced clinical. Interns perform medical nutrition therapy by utilizing the Nutrition Care Process under the supervision of preceptors who guide and mentor them for assigned patients. Medical conditions include but are not limited to: general medical/surgical, cardiology/cardiothoracic surgery, diabetes, GI/GI surgery, neuro/neurosurgery, oncology, telemetry, transplant, wounds/pressure injuries, hepatic, renal, geriatric, pulmonary, trauma and critical care. Interns lead/present at the Cedars-Sinai Clinical Nutrition Journal Club in addition to completing their professional research presentation and clinical assignments through Sodexo.
Before starting in the inpatient portion of the Clinical Rotation, interns spend one week with the associate director of clinical nutrition and the two clinical nutrition supervisors, participating in management of RDs and DTRs. Activities include chart audits, productivity reports, TJC readiness training, attending clinical management meetings and coding/billing for nutrition services. Time is also spent setting up and learning how to navigate the electronic medical record while practicing charting, triaging and utilizing the Cedars-Sinai RD screening system.
After completion of the 12 weeks in inpatient adult clinical nutrition, interns complete two weeks of adult clinical staff relief. In this rotation, they practice working independently by implementing all they learned during their Clinical Rotation. Interns are assigned a medical-surgical floor, performing medical nutrition therapy care for patients via use of the Nutrition Care Process. Preceptors oversee and cosign all intern notes. In addition, interns attend interdisciplinary care rounds as they gain simulated experience of working as an entry-level clinical dietitian.
Interns are scheduled for five weeks in the Food Service Management Rotation. The rotation covers the following areas: food and materials handling, production, kosher kitchen, human resources, financial management, business administration and retail. Interns spend time with managers, diet technicians, supervisors, dietitians and an executive chef in the Food Service Department. A variety of projects and presentations as assigned by Sodexo are conducted on topics such as staff in-servicing, quality improvement, inventory, food safety and sanitation, tray audits, marketing and recipe development. Interns also attend numerous meetings with food service managers.
If completed at Cedars-Sinai, interns may spend three weeks with Cedars-Sinai Cancer, two weeks with Healthy Habits at Cedars-Sinai or two weeks in outpatient clinics to complete part of the rotation. They may also do a combination of any of these to complete the entire five-week Community Rotation. With Cedars-Sinai Cancer, interns rotate on the main campus and off-site Cedars-Sinai Oncology Enterprise locations with multiple oncology dietitians. The rotation includes patient assignments through Sodexo, including development of a patient education handout. Interns participate in wellness and lifestyle events/activities, and “Nutrition in Your Kitchen” classes for cancer survivors. With Healthy Habits, interns work on curriculum development and teach classes to underprivileged LAUSD elementary schools within a five-mile radius of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The Outpatient Community Rotation may include time spent in the Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) Clinic, the Comprehensive Transplant Center (CTC) Clinics, general nutrition counseling with the Nutrition Counseling Services (NCS) or Primary Adult Clinic (PAC), ALS Clinic and/or the Cardiac Rehabilitation Clinic.
Interns have the option to complete their five-week Specialty Rotation at Cedars-Sinai if they choose one of the following specialties: critical care MNT, diabetes, oncology, pediatrics/NICU or weight management.
- In the Critical Care MNT Specialty Rotation, interns will spend additional time and delve deeper into the different Cedars-Sinai ICUs, assessing critically ill patients utilizing the Nutrition Care Process.
- In the Diabetes Specialty Rotation, interns will spend additional time providing inpatient diabetes education/counseling (adult and pediatric patients), and spend time in the Diabetes Outpatient Treatment and Education Center with Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (CDCES).
- The Oncology Specialty Rotation is completed with Cedars-Sinai Cancer on main campus and off-site Cedars-Sinai Oncology Enterprise locations with multiple oncology dietitians.
- In the Pediatrics/NICU Specialty Rotation, interns spend two weeks in inpatient pediatrics, one week in outpatient pediatrics and two weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s. They perform medical nutrition therapy by utilizing the Nutrition Care Process under the supervision of pediatrics preceptors who guide and mentor them for assigned patients with a variety of medical conditions. This rotation focuses on the neonatal, pediatric (child and adolescent) and maternity patient populations.
- The Weight Management Specialty Rotation may be comprised of time spent in the minimally invasive surgery (MIS) clinic, general weight loss counseling at the Nutrition Counseling Services (NCS) and inpatient weight loss/bariatric diet education, all under the supervision of RDs specializing in weight management.
Sample Rotation Schedule for the Dietetic Internship Calendar Year
Date |
Rotation |
Weeks |
SP Hours* |
|---|---|---|---|
|
September |
Sodexo and Cedars-Sinai Orientations |
2 |
0 |
|
October |
Patient Services |
1 |
32 |
|
October |
Clinical Nutrition Management |
1 |
32 |
|
October-January |
Clinical Rotation |
12 |
384 |
|
November |
Thanksgiving Break |
1 |
0 |
|
December |
Winter Vacation |
2 |
0 |
|
February |
Staff Relief |
2 |
64 |
|
February-March |
Food Service Management |
5 |
160 |
|
March-April |
Specialty (may complete at Cedars-Sinai) |
5 |
160 |
|
April |
Spring Break |
1 |
0 |
|
April-May |
Community (may complete at Cedars-Sinai) |
5 |
160 |
|
June |
Long-Term Care (not at Cedars-Sinai) |
1 |
32 |
|
June |
Exit/Graduation |
½ |
0 |
|
*Supervised Practice Hours |
TOTAL |
38½ |
1024 |
Preceptors
Cedars-Sinai preceptors oversee, mentor/guide and evaluate interns throughout the supervised practice rotations at Cedars-Sinai. They are responsible for completing the formal, written evaluations at the end of each rotation. Preceptors involved in the training of interns include registered dietitians in Clinical, Food Service and Community Rotations. There are also experienced and knowledgeable food service manager-preceptors and educator-preceptors, who are non-RD, but are excellent mentors in the Food Service Management and Community Rotations respectively. Interns also work with registered dietetic technicians in the diet office during the clinical portion of rotations.
The internship coordinator at Cedars-Sinai works closely with the CA Region program director of the Sodexo Dietetic Internship, serving as the direct contact at Cedars-Sinai. The internship coordinator has responsibility and accountability for all aspects of the rotations completed at Cedars-Sinai. The coordinator is a lead, senior-level clinical dietitian who oversees the daily activities of the rotations including intern schedules, evaluations, problem-solving and interacting frequently with interns and preceptors.
Alumni
All alumni of the former Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Dietetic Internship Program (CSMC DIP), have lifelong access to their records and DI Verification Statements. All alumni questions should be directed to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Dietetic Internship Coordinator [email protected].
Have Questions or Need Help?
Call the Nutrition Counseling Services team. You can also have us call you back at your convenience.
Nutrition Counseling Services
Steven Spielberg Building
8700 Beverly Blvd., Suite 290
Los Angeles, CA 90048