Full-Time Track
What Are the Admission Requirements?
- Completion of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university
- Completion of the required academic Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) course work with a verification statement or a verification of intent to complete form
- Cumulative grade point average of 2.8 or greater on a 4.0 scale
Recency of Education Policy
If the signed Verification Statement is dated five years or more from the starting date of the internship, then the applicant must contact the program director. The program director and applicant will review previous course work and professional work experience to assess what (if any) additional advanced classes need to be taken. The following courses may be recommended
- A medical nutrition therapy or diet therapy course.
- Another advanced level DPD nutrition course.
D&D Digital Systems
Maricopa County's full time track Dietetic Internship program participates in computer matching through D&D Digital Systems. Internship candidates must submit a prioritized list of selected Dietetic Internships and a computer matching fee of $55.
What Are the Applicant Responsibilities Involved in the Application Process?
Please refer to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health Dietetic Internships (MCDPH DI) Full Time Track Application Checklist (PDF): This checklist is provided to ensure all required components of the application are included and must be completed and submitted through DICAS.
DICAS Application
- Maricopa County's Dietetic Internship uses the online Dietetic Internship Centralized Application Service (DICAS).
- The online application must be completed for our program by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on February 15. The fee to use DICAS is $50 for the first application submitted and $20 for each additional application.
- The DICAS application must be submitted by the deadline stated on the DICAS website.
Personal Statement
In addition to the five questions asked to be included in the personal statement on the online application through DICAS, please answer the following four questions in your personal statement that is submitted through DICAS for the Maricopa County program. These questions include:
- The reason for applying to an internship that is public health focused
- Your expectations of our program
- A description of a project completed through your own initiative and with minimal supervision
- A notation if you speak, read or write a language other than English and your level of fluency
MCDPH DI Application Fee
Pay your $55 non-refundable program application fee.
D&D Digital Systems
Maricopa County's full time track Dietetic Internship program participates in computer matching through D&D Digital Systems. Internship candidates must submit a prioritized list of selected Dietetic Internships and a computer matching fee of $55.
What is the Timeline for Applying to the Full-Time Track Dietetic Internship?
| Important Dates (Please note that most dates are TENTATIVE) |
Task |
|---|---|
| February 15 at 11:59 p.m. (Central time) | DICAS application due. Program application fee due. D&D Digital registration, fee, and prioritized list due. |
| February 16 - 28 | Maricopa County Department of Public Health Dietetic Internship (MCDPH DI) selection committee will review and score applications submitted. |
| First Week of March (tentative) | MCDPH DI selection committee will conduct applicant interviews. |
| First Monday of April (tentative) | Notification Day: applicants will find their matching result on D&D Digital website. |
| June-August | Interns will complete pre-internship requirements. |
| First week of September | First day of the Dietetic Internship. |
Candidate application packets will be reviewed by a selection committee and scores assigned for Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) professional grade point average, DPD science grade point average, work and volunteer experience, letters of recommendation, applicant's responses in the personal statement, and second language proficiency. The selection committee will ask the top 20% of applicants to participate in an interview.
Ranking of importance for acceptance:
The ability to speak a language in addition to English is beneficial to working within the local community. It is not a program requirement in the selection process. Applicants claiming proficiency in a second language may be asked to participate in that language over the course of the interview.
The selection committee will rank applicants in order of preference and send the ranking to D&D Digital System for computer matching.
Ranking of importance for acceptance:
- Work & Volunteer experience (emphasis on public health and community nutrition)
- Interview (top 20% of applicants scored will be invited for a virtual interview)
- Personal Statement
- GPA
- Letters of recommendations
- Proficiency in a second language
- Resume
The ability to speak a language in addition to English is beneficial to working within the local community. It is not a program requirement in the selection process. Applicants claiming proficiency in a second language may be asked to participate in that language over the course of the interview.
The selection committee will rank applicants in order of preference and send the ranking to D&D Digital System for computer matching.
Our dietetic internship is a full time, 31-week program approved for an annual class of 7 interns. Interns participating in the program will be exposed to a wide variety of nutrition services from metropolitan and rural areas of Maricopa County. Opportunities are provided to interact with individuals and groups from multi-ethnic backgrounds representing all ages and levels of education. Clinical, food and nutrition management, community and specialty experiences offered will challenge interns to integrate knowledge gained from dedicated study with opportunities for practice and application.
What is the Program Schedule?
The Dietetic Internship program begins in early September and is completed at the end of May. Two days of vacation are scheduled for the week of Thanksgiving. Two weeks of vacation are scheduled near the end of December, which includes Christmas and New Year's Day. Other holidays honored include Martin Luther King Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Veterans Day.
Internship rotations will typically be in Maricopa County. However, some travel is necessary. Cost for lodging will be the intern's responsibility.
Internship rotations vary from year to year and are listed in no specific order:
| Practice Area |
Rotation Sites | Weeks | Total Weeks | ||||||||||||||||
| Community/ Public Health |
|
12 | |||||||||||||||||
| Clinical |
|
12 | |||||||||||||||||
| Food and Nutrition Management | Alhambra Elementary School District, Chandler Unified School District, Creighton Elementary School District, Madison School District, Scottsdale Unified School District, Tucson Unified School District |
5 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| Specialty |
|
4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Didactic Practice | Orientation/Clinical Boot Camp |
1.5 |
1.5 | ||||||||||||||||
| Vacation |
In December/January (no rotation site scheduled) |
2 |
2 | ||||||||||||||||
What Does the Program Cost?
Total program costs will vary according to the needs and lifestyles of each individual. Food, housing, and transportation expenses are variable and the responsibility of the student. Interns must provide their own health and professional liability insurance in order to participate in the program. Arizona law does require drivers to carry automobile insurance and Arizona residents to have annual emission inspection completed on their vehicle.
Program costs that are applicable if the applicant is accepted to the internship; proof required first day of internship:
| Expenses |
Fee | |
|---|---|---|
| Maricopa County Dietetic Internship Application Fee |
$55 | |
|
Tuition
|
$4,500
|
|
|
Automobile Registration & Insurance
|
Variable
|
|
|
Gas (at 40 Miles per Work Day)
|
$150-$200 / Month (estimate)
|
|
|
Vehicle Emissions Inspection
|
$17
|
|
|
Housing / Rent (1-Bedroom Apartment)
|
$750-1200 / Month (variable)
|
|
|
Hotel in Wickenburg (Rosewood Rotation)
|
$100-250 (variable)
|
|
|
Study Material for RD Exam
|
$200-350 (variable)
|
|
|
Office and Miscellaneous Supplies
|
$100 (estimate)
|
|
|
Textbooks, Journals, Subscriptions
|
$75
|
|
|
Student or NDTR Professional Liability Insurance
|
$35-$75
|
|
|
Academy of Nutrition Dietetics (AND) Student Membership
|
$50
|
|
|
Central Arizona Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (C-AZAND) Student Membership
|
$15
|
|
|
ServSafe Certification
|
Variable
|
|
|
CPR Certification
|
$45
|
|
|
Fingerprint Clearance Card
|
$69
|
|
|
Health Insurance
|
Variable
|
|
|
Hepatitis B Vaccination Series
|
Variable; check with health insurance plan
|
|
|
MMR Vaccination Series
|
Variable; check with health insurance plan
|
|
|
Varicella Vaccination Series or Positive Immunity Titer
|
Variable; check with health insurance plan
|
|
| TB (PPD) Skin Test or Chest X-Ray |
Variable; check with health insurance plan |
|
| Tetanus Shot |
Variable; check with health insurance plan |
|
| Flu Shot |
Variable; check with health insurance plan |
|
| Covid-19 Vaccination | Variable; check with health insurance plan |
|
| Urine Drug Screen (Within 30 Days Prior to Specified Rotations) |
Variable; check with health insurance plan |
|
| Statement of Good Health |
Variable; check with health insurance plan |
|
- Scholarship information is available through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation Eat Right Pro.
- Loan deferment letter available upon intern request.
What Are Entrance Requirements for Matched Applicants?
Candidates matched with the program will need to be up-to-date on all immunizations before the start of the internship program. Missing vaccination series (i.e. hepatitis B, MMR, varicella) should be initiated by May to allow adequate time to complete the immunizations prior to program initiation in August.
Required Documentation
Additional documentation required at the start of the Dietetic Internship:
- Automobile registration & insurance
- Driver license
- Signed verification statement of the Didactic Program in Dietetics
- Official transcripts showing completion of degree
- Student membership in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND)
- Student membership in the Central Arizona Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics District (C-AZAND)
- Student or NDTR Professional Liability Insurance - $1,000,000 per occurrence/$3,000,000 aggregate
- ServSafe certification
- CPR certification
- Completed criminal background check and a fingerprint clearance card
- Health insurance
- Statement of good health to participate in the program from a medical provider
- Urine drug screen (within 30 days prior to starting hospital clinical inpatient rotation)
- TB (PPD) skin test or chest x-ray
- MMR vaccination series
- Hepatitis B vaccination series
- Varicella vaccination series or positive varicella immunity titer
- Tetanus toxoid (within the past ten years)
- Seasonal flu shot (at the beginning of flu season)
- Covid-19 vaccination