dietitian works with patient using checklist and food samples - Dietetic Internship - 9.5-month program providing clinical experience necessary for licensure
Overview Program Concentration Admissions Job Placement

Dietetic Internship - Program Concentration

Our Dietetic Internship program has a primary concentration in urban issues. As a Dietetic Intern, the majority of your clinical experience will take place at Hartford Hospital, an 867-bed acute care facility in downtown Hartford that includes a level-1 trauma center. Hartford Hospital offers a diverse array of clinical experience opportunities including:

  • Medical Nutrition Therapy rotations in medicine, surgery, critical care, endocrinology, nephrology, cardiology, neurology, pulmonary, trauma, geriatrics, orthopedics, oncology, organ transplant (interns will also engage in 2+ weeks of staff relief)
  • Numerous outpatient clinics addressing a variety of health issues (HIV/AIDS, the Brownstone, Diabetes Life Care, Women's Health, Cancer Center, Bariatric Center, Institute of Living)
  • Hospital food service menu feeding a diverse population of patients including experience in food production, patient trayline, catering, purchasing, and a theme meal
  • SNAP-Ed community nutrition education
  • Working with hospital staff and employees

Why Hartford?

Hartford is an ideal location for interns to gain experience addressing nutrition issues facing diverse urban communities. Though Connecticut is the third richest state in the US, the state has significant income inequality and large pockets of poverty including Hartford. Some key economic and demographic data about Hartford include (see more at DataUSA):

  • Connecticut's capital and third largest city (population: 124,320)
  • Median household income: $32,095
  • Poverty Rate: 31.9%
  • Median Age: 27.2 (native-born) / 40 (foreign-born)
  • Ethnic Diversity
    • 44% Hispanic
    • 35% Black
    • 15.5% White
    • 2.77% Asian
    • 1.94% 2+ ethnicities
  • The most common non-English language is Spanish (35% of the overall population), but the city also has large populations of French, Portuguese, and Serbo-Croatian speakers.
  • Hartford has the second largest concentration of Puerto Ricans in the Northeast

Other Urban Practice Experiences

In addition to your clinical experiences at Hartford Hospital working with diverse urban patients, you will complete a three-week community rotation rich in urban experiences. Highlights of these experiences include:

  • Women, Infants & Children (WIC) program
  • Urban food pantries
  • Community health center experience
  • School nutrition programs
  • Food Corps
  • Grow Windham
  • Cooking Matters

What will I be able to do after completing the program?

Upon completion of the program, graduates are able to:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the challenges facing the dietitian in an urban setting
    • 100% of students will satisfactorily present an overview addressing the challenges facing the dietitian in an urban setting in a panel format speaking to six top issues identified by the interns
  • Assess and identify the food and nutrition resources available in the greater Hartford Area addressing cultural diversity, income, and locally grown food sources
    • 100% of students will participate in developing a brochure to aid patients and assist the interdisciplinary team