Additional Information

Entrance Date of Dietetic Internship and ISPP
Program Calendar
Hours
Transportation
Location of Facilities
Insurance
Laptop and Technology
Policy on Equal Opportunity/Non-Discrimination/Disabilities
Immunizations
Housing
Graduate Thesis Option
Doctoral Students
Financial Aid
Policy on drug testing and criminal background checks
Requirements for completion of the program…

Entrance Date of Dietetic Internship and ISPP

• New classes of interns begin in the fall of the year. Programs are designed to be completed in a two-year time period for students in the non-thesis master’s program. Students completing theses may take longer to complete their program, since time varies depending on the student’s project. Once students are accepted to the graduate program, they are encouraged to contact their advisors to consider the possibility of starting graduate school in the summer preceding fall semester.

Program Calendar

• The UMaine Calendar distributed by the Office of Student Records will be used for scheduling the supervised practice. When in supervised practice, students will observe holidays as designated by the assigned facility. Dietetic Internship interns have one week and three days of vacation incorporated during supervised practice based on scheduling requirements of the facilities. ISPP interns have one week vacation based on schedule requirements of the facilities.

Hours

• Interns will attend classes as scheduled. Supervised practice experiences will generally be scheduled during the day between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.; however, some may require evening work. Interns should expect to be in supervised practice sites for 40 hours per week. Completing assignments will occur outside the 40 hours.

Weekends and Holidays

• Interns may be expected to work weekends and holidays while in supervised experiences. Religious holidays can be scheduled with the program director.

Transportation

• It is necessary for students to provide their own transportation while in the Internship Program. It is essential that students have cars and carry automobile insurance.  Sites are located throughout the state; therefore extensive travel may be required. The State of Maine requires liability insurance on all vehicles driven in the state. The University and the Program assume no liability for the student’s safety in travel.

Location of Facilities

• Supervised practice experiences are located throughout the state. Intern placement will be made based on availability of sites and scheduling decisions made by the Director in consultation with the intern. Interns are responsible for housing and traveling provisions, including relocating near supervised practice sites, as needed.

Students have the option of: *
• 6 Medical Centers
• 11 Community Hospitals/Facilities
• Renal Dialysis Centers
• Specialized Nutrition Care at Home

Community Agency Sites:
• Athletic and Wellness
• Diabetes and Nutrition Centers
• Maine Dairy and Nutrition Council
• Native American Indian Health Services
• Public Health
• School Nutrition
• WIC (local and state offices)
• University of Maine Cooperative Extension

*Not every preference can be met, but effort is made to accommodate each intern based on individual career and educational goals, family needs, and previous experiences.

The following are driving distances from the University of Maine to various selected supervised practice sites:

Insurance

• The Voluntary Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) plan is for graduate students who do not have an assistantship. An annual health insurance charge of $4,648 will be payable to Gallagher Health upon enrollment. When students have university assistantships, Graduate Assistant Health Insurance is mandatory for all graduate assistants and fellows working 20 hours a week and earning a minimum of $1,777.77, unless proof of comparable insurance is provided. The annual cost is $3,157, but half of that cost is usually paid by the university. For more information, go to: https://umaine.edu/bursar/insurance/.

Interns are responsible for their own safety during supervised practice and travel time. Personal professional liability insurance will be provided by the University of Maine.

Technology

• Interns are required to have their own laptops, which should include a camera (for virtual presentations). Interns will be accessing the University of Maine learning management system (Brightspace) with their username and password. During supervised practice, interns will be accessing their evaluation forms and recording their time on the password-protected, online evaluation portal (Trajecsys). 

Policy on Equal Opportunity/Non-Discrimination/Disabilities

• In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities.  The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, University of Maine, Orono, ME  04469-5713, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).

Please see the following links for additional information on accommodations for disabilities, policies on discrimination complaints and retaliation as well as nondiscrimination and non-sexist language policy.

Immunizations

• Maine State Law requires that all students born after December 31, 1956 who are enrolled full-time or part-time in a degree program or any non-degree student enrolled full-time (12 or more credit hours) show proof of immunity to the following infectious diseases:  measles (rubeola), rubella (German measles), mumps, tetanus and diphtheria. Prior to registering for classes, see the following link for immunization compliance.

• Proof of immunization is also needed for clinical sites during supervised practice rotations. In addition, proof of immune status to varicella is needed. All interns are required to take the Hepatitis B and Influenza vaccines.  A TB test is to be taken just prior to starting supervised practice. COVID-19 vaccination is required by supervised practice sites. Contact the Internship Director for more information.

Provide proof of immunization to:

Mona Therrien-Genest, DCN, RD, LD
Hitchner Hall, Rm 120
University of Maine
Orono, ME 04469-5735

Housing

• Interns are responsible for their own housing.

• Accommodations may be made through the Office of Housing Services
University of Maine
103 Hilltop Commons
Orono, ME 04469
(207) 581-4580

• When in supervised practice, it is necessary for most students to move near training sites.

On-Campus Room and Board

• The estimated cost for room and board is approximately $13,410 annually (per academic year). The graduate dormitory is open during breaks.

• The University also provides assistance in finding housing outside the campus by contacting: Off-Campus Housing

• During the supervised practices, interns may be placed in sites at some distance from the university, so interns may elect to find housing in the assigned area. This expense is the responsibility of the intern. Living on campus the first year may facilitate relocating during the 7-month supervised practice.

Graduate Thesis Option

• Students interested in research are encouraged to pursue the thesis option. Questions about research projects should be directed to the student’s advisor. Please contact faculty directly if interested in particular research opportunities.

Doctoral Students

• Students interested in the Internship Program in combination with a doctoral program should contact the Internship Director for further details, as the programs of study for doctoral students are variable and individualized.

Financial Aid

• A variety of financial aid opportunities are available to students (see Office of Student Financial Aid for further details). Within the School of Food and Agriculture, there are opportunities for teaching and research assistantship (TA/RA) awards. The standard stipend for a graduate teaching assistantship is $17,000 for nine months with 9 credits of paid tuition during the regular semesters and three credits of paid tuition during the summer. In addition, 50% of the cost of university health insurance is covered. There is a 20 hr/week work commitment. Research assistantship funding is similar but varies according to individual grant funding received by faculty. Persons interested in a TA/RA should indicate this on the Application for Admission to the Graduate School.

Policy on drug testing and criminal background checks:

All students are required to have a background check completed upon matching to the internship.  If there is a discrepancy in the background check, this may affect your ability to be accepted in and placed in supervised practice.

Drug testing is done as mandated by the facility.

Requirements for completion of the program and how the program fits into the credentialing process for dietetic practitioners

For completion of the program, students must meet the following requirements:

• Obtain an average overall rating of at least “competent” in each supervised practice rotation for progression from one rotation to the other. Effort will be made to counsel with the student and to make recommendations for remediation at the earliest possible time to prevent student failure in the program.

• Completion of 1072 hours of supervised practice.

• Obtain an average overall rating of “competent” on all rotations with at least a Grade of B- in Supervised Practice FSN 681.

• Complete the Program Director required paperwork.

• Complete all academic requirements for the master’s degree (thesis or non-thesis) or doctoral degree.
Verification that the student’s program of study has been completed will be made within the School of Food and Agriculture, and a Completion of Degree Requirements will be submitted to the Graduate School. Student Records will forward the official transcript to the Internship Director. This process can take up to two months following graduation.

• Following completion of the above requirements, the Director will start a class submission report to the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).

• Program graduates will receive an email with a link to complete their contact and demographic information as part of the class submission process.

• When graduates complete their part of the application process, the Director will be able to finish the submission process. This should take one to two weeks. When the submission to CDR has been approved, the graduate will receive an email confirming registration eligibility from CDR, which can take 3 to 5 business days. CDR forwards the information to Pearson VUE (testing center for RDN exam) for further processing. Graduates usually receive their Authorization to Test from Pearson VUE within 48 hours of receiving their eligibility confirmation from CDR.

• The Director will mail the graduate five (5) signed verification statements. If an exception to this policy occurs, the Program Director will inform the graduate verbally and in writing.