Description of Program Rotations

Ambulatory Care & Community Nutrition (7 weeks)

Dietetic Interns work with Registered Dietitians in the Ambulatory Nutrition Services at MGH and in the MGH Neighborhood Health Centers. Nutrition education and counseling to individuals and groups are emphasized, with time devoted to developing and refining interviewing and counseling skills. Dietetic Interns work with the healthcare team in group practice settings, and in specialty service units such as oncology, diabetes, pediatrics, and cystic fibrosis.

Community outreach includes working with a large client base in a Women, Infant & Children (WIC) Supplemental Foods program.  Interns work with clients from many cultural and ethnic backgrounds.  Interns give classes to community groups, participate in the MGH wellness “BeFit” program, write newsletter articles, provide nutrition services promotion activities, and compare MGH WIC data to the state database.


Inpatient Clinical & Acute Care Nutrition (14 weeks)

Dietetic Interns complete rotations in the acute care setting emphasizing medical nutrition therapy.  General medicine, general surgery, pediatric, and intensive care units are focal points of the acute care setting and are areas where interns are able to complete in-depth focused looks into the relationship between illness and nutrition. Other rotations include psychiatry & long-term care, oncology & bone marrow transplantation, and dialysis & organ transplantation.

Dietetic Interns practice with physicians, nurses and other professionals who are leaders in their fields. Writing electronic notes and being able to access electronic medical records is an advantage of working at MGH, allowing multiple care providers to access patient information simultaneously.  All medical nutrition therapy experiences focus on comprehensive assessment and evaluation of patient nutritional needs, and on the development, implementation and evaluation of the nutrition care process.


Food Service Systems Management (14 Weeks)
The MGH's foodservice systems management rotations are second to none! Dietetic Interns work in purchasing, ingredient assembly and control, production and service. Quality and cost control measures are studied and applied in purchasing, receiving, storage, recipe ingredient assembly and distribution of foods.  Food production and food service principles are applied in conventional production and in a cook-chill system.

Twenty thousand meals are prepared and served daily in this operation.  Menu merchandising and patient/customer satisfaction are the focus of the food service and patient service rotations.  During the patient food service rotation emphasis is placed on human resources management including interviewing, payroll, scheduling, and the corrective process.

Dietetic Interns are involved in planning, implementing and managing one of eight MGH retail operations. Interns gain an understanding of the business of managing this large and complex organization and of its multimillion-dollar budget through a variety of projects including an in-depth financial analysis. Underlying all experiences is emphasis on cost controls, personnel supervision and the development of an individual management style.

Culinary skills are fostered through tutorials given by MGH chefs.  Interns are also involved in a “market basket” competition, where they are challenged to develop a new “Be Fit” recipe with the winner’s plate making it to full scale production in the MGH retail operations.  Emphasis is placed on cooking technique, cost & budget, sound nutrition, and quality of product.

MGH will be adding approximately 150 beds in a new building scheduled to open in 2011.  This addition of new beds is leading the department of Nutrition & Food Services to pursue a new patient food service system.

Research (1 Week)

The MGH Clinical Research Center is the setting for the Internship's research rotation and affords exposure to a variety of research protocols & studies. Dietetic Interns utilize anthropometric measurement tools, perform indirect calorimetry using a metabolic cart, learn how to use a DEXA machine, and work with several nutrient analysis software programs.


Business Plan (3 Weeks)

Interns work in teams to develop a complete business plan for a proposed business venture with the real possibility of implementation within the nutrition department at MGH. The plan results in a comprehensive proposal that is presented to the Director of the Department of Nutrition & Food Services, RD's, managers and fellow interns.


Specialty Rotation (4 Weeks)

Dietetic Interns utilize the vast resources of MGH and the Boston medical community to select a four-week experience of their individual interest. This affords the opportunity to focus on a specialty area of dietetic practice.


Staff Relief (4 Weeks)

During the internship year each Intern spends four weeks functioning as an entry-level dietitian in one or two units of the Department of Nutrition & Food Services. This experience affirms the intern's self-confidence and ability to practice in dietetics.


Class Days

Class days provide interaction with Dietetic Interns from other programs in the Boston area and exposure to outstanding speakers in a variety of specializations including, community nutrition, clinical nutrition, nutrition support, eating disorders, sports nutrition and other various
topics.  Classes are usually scheduled on Mondays.


Holidays & Time Off

Interns are scheduled to work a 40-hour work week.  Interns rarely work weekends.  Monday through Friday the intern is expected to work eight hour shifts beginning as early as 6:00 AM and starting as late as 12:30 PM.  Interns are scheduled off on the nine MGH recognized holidays, as well as 2 weeks vacation.  One week of vacation is scheduled during the Christmas holiday and one is scheduled in the spring.  While interns are scheduled to work a 40-hour week, assignments, projects, and readings often require additional time.