Bluffton University

Scheduling rotations

Interns will be provided with Rotation Information Sheets with basic information about each site, including address, preceptor contact information and usual work hours. For planning purposes and consideration of each supervised practice site, communications between the intern and preceptor should begin prior to his/her arriving at the site. This can be done with a simple phone call or e-mail.

While the site rotation schedule is usually established before the beginning of the internship year, there are frequently intern seminar opportunities that arise, special events or staff trainings at the rotation site or personnel schedule changes that may need to be addressed when planning for each intern's time at a particular supervised practice site. For this reason, it is suggested that the intern complete a rotation schedule form after consulting with his/her preceptor and the internship experience coordinator. This will help the intern and preceptor to plan ahead for alterations in the basic daily schedule, and allow the intern to estimate the number of hours he/she will be getting ahead of time at the particular rotation, and plan ahead for hours that may be more or less than expected. This will also prompt the intern and/or preceptor to notify the internship experience coordinator/director of registration fees or other added costs that may be incurred by the facility during an intern's rotation on site.

Prompt attendance is required for rotations, and is a demonstration of intern professionalism.

Adjustments in schedule may be possible for exceptional and valid reasons, such as a scheduled doctor appointment or internship responsibility. The intern should discuss these with the rotation preceptor well in advance of the anticipated date to arrange for a schedule adjustment.

Attendance policy during scheduled on rotation site:

Because many of the rotation lengths are short, absence during a scheduled rotation means valuable information and experiences are missed. Absence is discouraged and hours missed must be made up within a timeline set by the internship experience coordinator and preceptor.

In the event of an illness, injury or personal emergency, it is the intern's responsibility to notify the agency preceptor and the internship experience coordinator of the necessary absence prior to their scheduled start time.

Due to the fragile health of clients the intern will be encountering at many rotation sites, interns should not report to site locations with a suspected significant contagious illness or infection, and should seek medical attention as appropriate. Supervised practice facilities maintain the right to prohibit an intern from being on site whose health may be a detriment to patient well-being.

One or two day successive absences for injury/illness or personal emergency will be excused if appropriate notification is given to preceptor and experience coordinator. Absences greater than two days will require a note from a healthcare provider, with copies given to facility and experience coordinator.

Days missed should be reflected in intern's Hours Verification Form. In such cases, arrangements will be made for the make up of missed supervised practice hours and/or activities whenever possible. Other requests for leave from scheduled rotation time due to a necessary appointment or responsibility will be handled on a case-by-case basis and arrangements for make-up hours and/or activities at the convenience of the preceptor and within a timeline set by the experience coordinator and preceptor.

ABUSE OF THE ATTENDANCE POLICY IS GROUNDS FOR DISMISSAL FROM THE INTERNSHIP.

 

Supervised hours

Required supervised practice hours

In order to complete the necessary supervised practice requirements of the dietetic internship, interns must complete 1,200 supervised practice hours under a qualified preceptor and demonstrate appropriate level of competence in related areas of practice to receive the program verification statement and completion certificate to become eligible for the Dietetics Registration Exam.

The intended purpose of this requirement is to allow interns to gain valuable hands-on dietetics practice under the supervision of a qualified professional. Such activities usually mirror activities that an entry-level dietitian, food service manager or nutrition educator would be doing within a particular rotation setting. Some such activities are assigned or suggested as a part of each rotation's Activity Checklist.

OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT MAY COUNT AS SUPERVISED PRACTICE: 
Hours that an intern puts in that are normal entry-level professional work-related duties, such as program planning, continuing education activities, staff or professional meetings and required on-line training may be included in intern supervised practice hours, if they are assigned and/or approved by the preceptor and initialed on the Rotation Hours Verification Form, with adequate proof of attendance and application of knowledge gained at the training/seminar and/or proof of completed project work.

INTERN SEMINAR DAYS/CLASSROOM EDUCATION ACTIVITIES and intern educational projects completed as a group, may count towards total supervised practice hours if the interns are actively engaged and if the activity provides necessary knowledge or skills for the intern to perform entry-level dietitian duties or to otherwise prepare interns to play an active role in dietetics professional development.

Such group activity hours done outside of scheduled rotation hours or locations will be verified by the internship experience coordinator/director and maintained for each intern on a separate individual Rotation Hours Verification Form. Travel time to and from educational programs or projects MAY NOT be included in supervised practice hours. CEU hours are an appropriate guidance for hours allowed.

MAKE-UP HOURS/ACTIVITIES: 
Because extra hours have been figured into the overall intern schedule for illness or unexpected absence due to personal issues, excused absences up to five days during the intern year do not have to be made up in verified hours.

However, if the intern had inadequate hours or is absent during a rotation experience that the preceptor and/or experience coordinator/director feels is vital to his/her gaining competency in that area of practice, the hours and/or particular activities will be required to be made up by the intern at the preceptor's/facility's discretion. This may be done in projects assigned as "homework" which might have been done as a part of a dietitian's work duties, as after hours activities, including night or weekend events that are sponsored by the facility, or as training events/modules in the specific area of practice done online or on-site outside of regular work hours.

Make up activities and hours should be discussed or communicated to internship experience coordinator/director and should not interfere with subsequent rotation hour or activity requirements. Proof of such make up time, in the form or certificate of completion of a training module or CEU certificate, or completed project should be provided before the preceptor verifies the intern make up hours on the Rotation Hours Verification Form.

Make-up hours may be verified on a separate Rotation Hours Verification Form by the internship experience coordinator/director if completed after the intern has left a the rotation affected by his/her absence and/or if the original preceptor for that area of supervised practice is unavailable. FAILURE TO OBTAIN VERIFICATION OF 1,200 REQUIRED SUPERVISED PRACTICE HOURS WILL RESULT IN INTERN BEING INELIGIBLE FOR DIETETIC REGISTRATION.

TRAVEL TO AND FROM SUPERVISED PRACTICE ROTATION SITES: 
Interns are required to provide their own transportation to and from all supervised practice facilities, with the exception of Mennonite Disaster Services sites outside of Ohio, the cost of which will be paid for by the university internship. All interns are responsible to provide their own automobile insurance and maintain proof of insurance on their person or in their vehicle while traveling to and from supervised practice facilities or other sites associated with their internship obligations. Travel time to rotation sites and or seminars IS NOT counted as supervised practice hours.

USE OF INTERNS TO REPLACE FACILITY STAFF: 
The purpose of the intern's time at supervised practice facilities is for educational purposes. While dietetic interns may assume some of the tasks and responsibilities of the preceptor or other practice site employees to gain valuable hands-on experience, the dietetic intern is not to be used to replace facility staff who are absent.