Centura Health Internship Program

Penrose-St. Francis Health Services has conducted a dietetic internship program since 1981. The dietetic internship is a nine-month program offering clinical and foodservice management and community experiences. The internship provides a concentration in Medical Nutrition Therapy in both the inpatient and outpatient settings, but continues to offer community and foodservice experiences to achieve general competency (see Rotations for a complete description). The internship is supervised and administered by experienced, onsite registered dietitians within the Nutrition Services Department at Penrose-St. Francis Health Services.

The internship program participates in the April computer match through D&D Digital Systems. One class of four to six interns is accepted annually. The dietetic internship program runs for 40 weeks inclusive which includes 35 weeks of supervised practice, 3 weeks of scheduled vacation, and 2 weeks of orientation. The class starts in late August and graduates mid-May. The goal of the internship program is to provide the student with the experience and qualifications to become a competent, entry-level registered dietitian and an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.