Dietetic Internship Program
Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System
Dear Internship Applicant:
Thank you for your interest in our Dietetic Internship Program. This Medical Center offers three different tracks:
- The Combined VA Dietetic Internship - Master of Public Health track. Starts in September, 22 months in length.
- The Combined VA Dietetic Internship - Optional Master of Science track with 2 university options:
- California State University, Long Beach. Starts in August, 24 months in length.
- California State University, Northridge. Starts in August, 22 months in length. **The Family and Consumer Sciences M.S. is currently closed for admission so this probgram track will not be available for the Spring 2016 application cycle**
- The Non-Degree Dietetic Internship track. Starts in June, 11 months in length.
The Master of Public Health program at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) provides additional experience for practice in public health nutrition. In addition there is the option to apply for the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Nutrition Leadership Program, a mentoring program designed to encourage and support leadership in the field of maternal and child nutrition. As funding is available, this program offers a stipend to help with tuition costs for the fourth quarter of study at UCLA.
The Master of Science program at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) provides additional experience to specialize in nutrition therapy and increase competence in food and nutrition subject matter in preparation for college teaching, research, graduate study beyond the master's degree and administrative positions in public and private agencies. With the planned sequence of courses integrated into the program, 32 of the required 34 units are completed during the internship. Upon graduation of the dietetic internship program, interns need an additional 2 units to complete their thesis or directed project to earn the MS degree.
The graduate program at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) in Family & Consumer Sciences leads to a Master of Science degree. The Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science programs emphasize the application of physical, biological, and social sciences to the study of foods and nutrition. The nutrition and dietetics area educates students in the knowledge of food and nutrition to health-related issues. This program track prepares graduates to work in the field of nutritional science as registered dietitians and nutritionists for private businesses, hospitals and nursing homes, pharmaceutical companies, public health agencies, and government agencies.
The supervised practice curriculum for all 3 tracks is the same. Interns in the combined program tracks tailor their internship program to be congruent with their chosen degree option using the special interest rotation. The VAGLA DI offers a nutrition therapy concentration, and the curriculum provides experiences in administrative, clinical and community dietetics designed to prepare the intern for entry-level professional practice in dietetics in health care institutions, agencies, or community programs.
We have up to 4 slots total for the combined program tracks (MS or MPH), and we have up to 7 slots for our non-degree internship track.
We have an open house for the Combined MPH track scheduled for October 24, 2016 at 1:00 p.m., and for the Combined MS track scheduled for January 9, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. Both sessions will provide information on the non-degree granting track as well. If you are interested in attending, please contact me for instructions.
Application materials to be sent to UCLA for admission to the MPH program must be submitted by December 1. Application materials sent to CSUN must be submitted in by January 1. Application materials sent to CSULB must be submitted by February 15. Dietetic Internship Application materials submitted through DICAS must be received by February 15.
The internship start date for the non-degree granting track is typically the 2nd or 3rd Monday in June and is subject to change. All DPD requirements must be met prior to the internship start date.
I will be happy to answer any questions or provide additional information if needed. I look forward to receiving your application.
Colleen Ross, M.S., R.D.
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
Director, Dietetic Internship
(310) 268-3120
colleen.ross@va.gov
