Internship and Health Professional Classification

The curriculum provides for the following:

• Medical rotation:

During the medical rotation interns will experience performing the Nutrition Care Process for individuals of differing ages and health status in a variety of settings. Interns should be familiar with medical nutrition therapy for General Medicine, Neurology, Weight Management/Obesity, Endocrinology, Ear, Nose and Throat, Cardiovascular disease, Gastrointestinal disease, Renal disease, CVA/Stroke, Enteral Nutrition and Parenteral Nutrition. The intern will be expected to:

• Develop knowledge of medical terminology, nutrition principles of various disease states and medical procedures.

• Collect and assess the nutritional stats of patients.

• Interpret laboratory values.

• Work as a member of a health care team.

• Develop and deliver nutrition interventions, including nutrition education  and counseling.

• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions.

• Document using ADIME note.

• Develop a nutrition care plan using the Nutrition Care Process. 

• Present one clinical case study to RDs at the facility.

• Review recent research on medical nutrition therapy.

• Surgical rotation:

The Intern will become familiar with major surgical techniques and their nutritional implications. The Interns will use the nutrition care process to provide medical nutrition therapy. Interns will be completing comprehensive nutrition interventions including how to interpret results, calculate enteral/parenteral nutrition support.

• ICUs rotation:

The Intern will become familiar with critical care patients, which require the use of medical technology such as ventilator, continuous veno-venous hemodialysis, sedation, metabolic cart, and enteral/parenteral nutrition support.

• Pediatrics rotation:

Interns will manage the nutrition care for hospitalized infants, children, and adolescents on the pediatric floors. Critically ill pediatric patients can also be assessed in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Interns will also participate in counseling pediatric patients and families in the outpatient clinics.

• Oncology rotation:

The Intern will learn about all types of cancers, treatment options, and nutrition implications. The interns will manage the nutrition care for hospitalized patients with acute and chronic issues related to cancer. The Intern will continue to develop and work with enteral and parenteral nutrition during this rotation.

• OB/GYN rotation:

Interns in this rotation may have the opportunity to observe a high risk delivery or surgery.

• Foodservicerotation:

The interns will be able to experience the production and delivery of meals for patients in the hospital, and all related activities to menu planning, processing, and meals service. Also, dietetic interns will receive an orientation on how to store and deliver enteral cans to patients.

• Outpatients rotation:

Outpatient nutrition therapy is four weeks and covers many of the aforementioned disease states. The interns will gain skills in assessing educational nutrition needs for outpatients and planning and providing education to meet those needs. The Interns will be able to enhance their listening, interviewing, and communication skills as well as improve the ability to translate nutrition information into the patient education and counseling.

• Community Nutrition rotation:

During this rotation, interns will have the opportunity to experience the role of a dietitian within a local community program or centers that need nutrition counseling, education, and group education in Jeddah City. The intern will experience the following:

1. Apply the Nutrition Care Process in the community setting by assessing clients’ nutrition status, identify nutrition diagnoses, developing nutrition interventions, including nutrition counseling and educational workshop sessions.

2. Develop community project for disease prevention and intervention by preparing a grant to assess the need for a community education program including budget, staff, facility requirements, equipment and supplies.

3. Evaluate and develop menus that is acceptable, affordable, and considering the cultural diversity and health needs of individuals, groups, and populations.

• Electives rotation:

The interns are allowed to choose a rotation for 4 weeks in the dietetic related field of their particular interest. The experience may take place within a current rotation site or some other facility that is not one of the regular rotation sites.