The Intern-Centered Distance Dietetic Internship
The Be Well Solutions Dietetic Internship (BWS DI) is a fully accredited distance dietetic internship program with a corporate wellness and disease prevention concentration, led by Be Well Solutions, a physician-owned worksite wellness company. BWS DI takes an intern-centered approach by allowing interns to create a personalized dietetic internship experience unique to their career goals as well as through continuous program improvement efforts driven by intern and alumni feedback.
By choosing the Be Well Solutions Dietetic Internship Program, interns are provided with full-circle support. From rotation schedule assistance to getting started in a nutrition career, we have program faculty here to help applicants and interns every step of the way.
This internship program has allowed for incredible opportunities for growth. The constant support, kindness, and flexibility made it a stress-free learning environment despite being a distance program. BWS has set me on the right path to achieve great things with confidence in the future.
I cannot imagine completing my DI with any other program! The support from the Be Well staff was incredible. They truly were willing to help me in any way I needed throughout my entire program.
BWS DI was phenomenal! I have been awarded many opportunities to be a successful dietitian. The faculty advisors were very hands on and supportive. I would recommend BWS DI to any future dietitian!!
BWS has an amazingly knowledgeable and supportive staff that helps make a DI manageable even for the busiest of interns. They are extremely thoughtful, organized, and responsive. I would be willing to bet that they are among the best if one was to compare across internships!
BWS DI has been one of the best experiences! This program allows you to pursue your passions while providing excellent support along the way. I am so thankful I was able to be a part of this program.
BWSDI provided a supportive and engaging internship experience. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to learn alongside an incredible group of interns as well as receive direct support and guidance from all of the faculty members of BWSDI. Any bumps in the road along the way were taken care of with minimal stress and that was so helpful to me! I am so pleased with my experience as a BWSDI intern.
Despite being a distance program, I found BWS to be super communicative and supportive throughout my journey. I loved being able to connect with interns all over the country, while also making meaningful connections in my own community. This experience has challenged me to advocate for myself and has thoroughly prepared me to go into the field with confidence.
Dietetic Internship Program Concentration
Our corporate wellness and disease prevention concentration provides exposure to an industry (worksite wellness) that is expected to experience robust growth as more organizations adopt wellness programs to help lower healthcare costs and improve employee morale. Wellness and disease prevention is also an area that can be applied to any dietetics specialty, so our graduates are well-equipped to work in a variety of areas upon completion of the dietetic internship.
Through BWS DI’s didactic learning, interns become proficient in the assessment of an organization’s population health risks and needs as well as the development of a comprehensive worksite wellness program. Supervised practice during the Wellness Rotation allows interns to practice effective health communications through the design and presentation of nutrition and health-related seminars, handouts, newsletters, and other communication tools.
Halfway through the program, our interns attend a day-long Wellness Workshop where they participate in a variety of activities to gain hands-on experience in this area. The workshop prepares interns for their Wellness Capstone project, through which interns develop their own wellness program for a company of their choice based on what they have learned during the dietetic internship.
Pathways, Tracks, and Rotations
The Be Well Solutions Dietetic Internship Program has two pathways: the MS/DI Pathway and DI-Only Pathway. The DI-Only Pathway can be completed in 8 months (full-time) or 12 months (part-time). In the event of extenuating circumstances, interns have up to 150% of the time allotted to complete the program requirements. Those pursuing the MS/DI Pathway may complete the internship and master’s degree within 17-28 months, depending on the MS program chosen.
DI-Only vs MS/DI Pathways
Applicants can choose to complete only the dietetic internship or choose one of our MS/DI partners depending on where they are in their RD2Be journey. You can learn about all of our MS/DI Partners here.
For those applying to the MS/DI pathway, applicants must align their rotation schedule dates with the MS/DI curriculum timeline for the graduate program that they are applying for. Each curriculum timeline may be found on the graduate program pages, and other important dates for the MS/DI pathway may be found here.
DI-Only Pathway
Great for applicants who…
- already have a master’s degree
- are currently pursuing a master’s degree
- plan to apply to a master’s program that is not a BWS DI MS program partner
Program Length: 8 months or 12 months
MS/DI Pathway
Great for applicants who…
- are just graduating from their undergrad
- are interested in applying to one of our MS/DI partners
- want to complete their MS and DI together to sit for the RD Exam sooner
Program Length: 17-28 months (varies depending on chosen MS/DI partner)
Full-Time vs Part-Time Tracks
While working hours may vary depending on the intern’s preceptor, all interns must be available to work at least 20 hours a week (Monday-Friday) during standard business hours. To assist in your decision, here is what to consider when choosing between the full-time and part-time tracks:
| Full-Time | Part-Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Internship Duration | 8 months | 12 months |
| Curriculum Duration* | 8 months | 8 months |
| Minimum Rotation Hours Per Week | Interns typically work 40 hours/week | 20 hours |
*All interns, regardless of part-time or full-time status, will follow the same didactic curriculum timeline, but part-time interns will have additional time to complete their rotations.
Required Rotations
As a distance dietetic internship, we require interns to secure their own supervised practice rotations using sites and preceptors of their choice. Interns are expected to find qualified Registered Dietitian Nutritionists as preceptors, and must complete a minimum of 1,040 supervised practice hours. To provide interns with maximum flexibility to meet their learning goals, we offer a 5-rotation option and a 4-rotation option.
Be Well Solutions Dietetic Internship Faculty will approve each intern’s proposed plan and schedule prior to the start of their program.
The 5-rotation option is configured as follows:
The 4-rotation option is configured as follows:
The 5-rotation option is designed for interns who wish to gain experience in a specialty area of nutrition & dietetics that may not satisfy the requirements of a core program discipline.
The elective rotation allows interns to select a focus area of interest to them, allowing for a more individualized dietetic internship; popular choices include sports nutrition, eating disorders, and private practice.
The 4-rotation option is designed for interns who wish to deepen their expertise in one of our four core program disciplines.
Each intern is allotted 160 flex hours during their dietetic internship, which are used to expand the rotation(s) of greatest interest to them. For example, an intern wishing to gain more clinical experience may elect a 480-hour clinical rotation. An intern who wants to explore both foodservice and community in more depth may elect a 160-hour foodservice rotation and a 240-hour community rotation.
Interns are required to utilize all 160 of their flex hours; they may do so in whatever manner they choose, as long as the overall number of supervised practice hours totals or exceeds 1,040.
Didactic Curriculum
In addition to supervised practice rotations, BWS DI also has a didactic curriculum component, which includes assignments, conference meetings, professional development workshops, self-assessments, and a practice exam. Didactic curriculum activities are completed outside of rotation hours. The curriculum is essential for interns to meet ACEND required competencies. It also gives them extra experience and practice in certain skills, allowing them to collaborate with others, and also forms the foundation of our wellness concentration.
An overview of the didactic curriculum can be found below. If you have questions about our didactic curriculum, please send an email to bwsdi@bewellsolutions.com.
Assignments & Wellness Capstone
- Policy and Advocacy Assignment: Along with a team, prepare a policy brief and take action.
- Mentoring Assignment: Develop and practice your mentoring skills.
- MNT Case Study: Optional assignment to be completed with clinical rotation.
- Dietary Trends: Research a hot topic in nutrition and present your findings to your advisory group.
- Wellness Capstone: Design a wellness program for a company of your choice.
Conference Meetings & Journal Club
Once a month, interns will come together with their advisory groups for a conference meeting. During these meetings, interns have the opportunity to check in with their peers and faculty advisor, and talk about how things are going in their rotations. Each intern will lead one journal club discussion on a scientific article throughout the year. Additionally, interns will present their projects, including their wellness capstone and dietary trends assignment.
Conference meetings typically take place in the late afternoon/evening (depending on the intern’s time zone) and are approximately 1 hour long.
Workshops
Interns are required to attend a couple of workshops during the program, including a Policy and Advocacy Workshop and a Wellness Workshop. Some of the workshops are a part of Orientation and Exit Class, and there are a few that will be scheduled in the evenings, outside of rotation hours. The exception to that is the Wellness Workshop, which is a day-long event where interns participate in a variety of activities to gain hands-on experience in the area of wellness and disease prevention. To help applicants plan their rotation schedule, we listed each cohort’s Wellness Workshop date on the Important Dates website.
Self Assessments
Interns will complete self-assessments at the beginning, middle, and end of their internship. These assessments are an opportunity for interns to reflect on their strengths, areas of improvement, and goals. The self-assessments are then reviewed by faculty advisors who provide support and guidance to interns as needed.
Practice Exam
Interns will complete a practice exam as part of the BWS DI curriculum to kickstart their RD Exam preparation and help establish a baseline of readiness for taking the exam. The practice exam is graded for completion and will not affect an intern’s ability to graduate from the internship.
Dietetic Internship Program Requirements
To graduate from the program, interns must successfully complete the minimum supervised practice hours, didactic curriculum, and fulfill learning objectives to demonstrate competencies laid forth by ACEND and BWS DI. Interns are also required to attend a virtual orientation and exit class, plus any virtual conferences throughout the internship. Access to reliable transportation (car, public transportation, etc.) for on-site rotations and a high-speed internet connection for scheduled online conference meetings and virtual internship rotations are also required.
BWS DI will provide a Verification Statement to interns upon completion of the program and a master’s degree. The program director will submit names to the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) as evidence that the interns are eligible to sit for the Registered Dietitian (RD) credentialing exam.
BWS DI is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), the accrediting agency for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the dietetic Registration Exam.
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190
Chicago, IL 60606-6995
Phone: (312) 899-0040 ext. 5400
www.eatright.org/ACEND
Why Choose the Be Well Solutions Dietetic Internship Program
BWS DI Alumni Community
We are proud to have over 200 nutrition professionals in our BWS DI Alumni Community! Even though our alumni are spread out all over the country, they can still remain connected to the Be Well Solutions Dietetic Internship Program through the Alumni Quarterly Newsletter, Alumni Facebook Group, or by following the BWS DI LinkedIn for ongoing career support.
Class of Fall 2017
Class of Spring 2018
Class of Fall 2018
Class of Spring 2019
Class of Fall 2019
Class of Spring 2020
Class of Fall 2020
Class of Spring 2021
Class of Fall 2021
Class of Spring 2022
Class of Fall 2022
Class of Spring 2023 (Accelerated)
Class of Spring 2023
The RD Exam & BWS DI Alumni
Did you know… 95% of BWS DI alumni have passed the RD exam! (based on those confirmed to have taken the exam)
Alumni Employment
As a result of graduating from BWS DI, our interns are poised for a variety of entry-level dietitian roles. This includes, but is not limited to, positions in the following areas: clinical, wellness, community nutrition, foodservice, private practice, school nutrition, sports dietetics, and nutrition communications.
Check out some of the job titles our alumni currently hold: