Admission to Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences is open to U.S. workers in the four categories below. Therefore, visa sponsorship is not available.

1. U.S. citizens
2. U.S. nationals
3. Lawful permanent residents
4. Asylees and refugees

Applicants whose primary language is not English must submit results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based test (TOEFL iBT). Scores from the speaking portion of the exam are given particular consideration in admission decisions. Learn more about the exam and register online at the Educational Testing Service.

The Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences code for the TOEFL iBT is 5784.

Educational transcripts from schools outside the U.S. must be translated (if they are not already in English) and evaluated for U.S. equivalence by an accredited credential evaluation service company prior to submission. Please refer to the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services for a list of qualified companies. The applicant pays for the examination and credential-evaluation services.

Estimated first-year student expenses (11 months) for the 2024-2025 academic year of the Dietetic Internship program:

Direct expenses (paid to Mayo Clinic)
Items	Cost
Tuition* (28 credits, $347/credit)	$9,716
Estimated Mayo Clinic Scholarship	-$9,716
Total estimated cost for direct expenses	$0

Indirect expenses (not paid to Mayo Clinic)
Items	Cost
Housing and food ($2,020/month)	$23,230
Home internet ($55/month, plus $50 one-time install fee)	$683
Personal and miscellaneous ($565/month)	$6,498
Transportation ($350/month)	$4,025
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics student membership dues	$58
Total estimated cost for indirect expenses	$34,494

Total net cost of attendance
Total estimated single student budget (direct + indirect expenses)	$34,494

*Note: Tuition, the only budget item directly billed to you, is paid automatically by Mayo Clinic Scholarship. Adjust remaining budget items accordingly to align with your individual household budget needs. Exact tuition bill amounts are subject to change and are dependent on program curriculum.

Outside work

Although outside employment is discouraged, you may be employed on a supplemental basis as long as it doesn't interfere with the training program and your academic and clinical performance is satisfactory.

The Dietetic Internship prepares you for professional practice in hospitals, clinics, public health agencies, and food service management.

Learning experiences

During this program, learning experiences allow you to:

• Assess the nutritional status of patients with complex medical conditions; diagnose nutrition problems; plan and implement nutrition interventions; and monitor and evaluate problems, etiologies, signs and symptoms, and the impact of nutrition interventions
• Establish collaborative relationships with patients, caregivers, and health professionals
• Use effective education and counseling skills to facilitate behavior change
• Develop time management and critical thinking skills
• Function as the clinical staff dietitian in various areas to assess nutritional status and to develop and implement an appropriate care plan for each client
• Provide nutritional care for individuals and groups in community-based settings
• Develop and provide food and nutrition services in a healthcare setting
• Perform management functions related to safety, security, and sanitation that affect employees, customers, patients, and food
• Demonstrate and promote responsible use of resources, including employees, money, time, food, and disposable goods
• Select and design a learning experience in a special interest area of dietetics
• Complete a research project with Mayo Clinic staff

Rotations

Each week, you'll spend 32 hours in supervised practice rotations (the exception is during orientation and staffing, when you will report for 40 hours per week).

Didactic classes are held the week prior to module one clinical rotations and the week prior to module 2 clinical rotations.

The rotation schedule includes:

Rotation	Duration
General orientation	2 weeks
Classes prior to module 1 clinical rotations	1 week
Module 1: Medical nutrition therapy core experience Consists of two to three week rotations in four of the following areas: medical, neurology, general surgery, cardiac, oncology, colorectal surgery, outpatient weight management, and medical gastroenterology	10 weeks
Classes prior to module 2 clinical rotations	1 week
Module 2: Medical nutrition therapy advanced experience Consists of all of these areas: diabetes, ICU, nutrition support, renal, pediatrics, and research	14 weeks
Clinical staffing experience	5 weeks
Clinical management	1 week
Self-selected experience	1 week
Community Consists of a selection from these areas: WIC, school lunch, skilled nursing home, and community hospital	6 weeks
Food service management	5 weeks
Vacation	4 weeks
Total (learning experiences + vacation)	50 weeks

2023-2024 MS DI curriculum schedule

Rotations to other sites

Through the community service rotations, you have the opportunity to work with people of different ages and socioeconomic conditions. There are placements in public schools; skilled nursing facilities; Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and area community hospitals and clinics.

Schedule

For the majority of the internship, your learning schedule includes eight-hour days, four days a week. While the regular schedule is usually 32 hours per week, additional projects and homework are assigned. The program is a full-time commitment for class and supervised experience. You report primarily weekdays. However, you may be required to report for three to four weekends and one to two holidays throughout the year as established for learning experiences. Hours vary depending on the work experience. No credit is given for previous work experience.

Classes cover current nutrition and dietetics-related knowledge and principles to supplement the supervised practice learning experiences. Lectures, workshops, in-service training, case studies, field trips, and informal discussions will help you pass the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) Registration Examination.

As a learner, you also present nutrition programs to community audiences, which increases your skills in public speaking and working with community groups.

During your internship, you are granted two weeks of vacation around the Christmas and New Year holidays as well as two weeks of vacation in the spring. You may report for up to two holidays a year.

Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minnesota, includes an extensive outpatient complex, Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester, and substantial research and education facilities. This Mayo Clinic site is among the largest, most advanced medical centers in the world.

Primarily, education for this internship is conducted at Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus, a 1,265-bed facility that was founded in 1889. Within the Saint Marys Campus is the 148-bed Mayo Eugenio Litta Children's Hospital. Learners also have rotations at Mayo Clinic outpatient facilities and Mayo Clinic Hospital, Methodist Campus.

The Dietetic Internship is coordinated and taught by the medical and dietetic staff of Mayo Clinic with assistance from community-based dietitians. Faculty members are chosen for their commitment to teaching, as well as their clinical practice and research. Many have published and lectured extensively and are highly regarded in their fields. You have direct access to these individuals throughout your training, giving you the opportunity to learn from some of today's best dietetics practitioners.

Brenda Sanderson, M.S., RDN, LD
Program Director

Brenda graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and completed her dietetic internship at Virginia Tech, Roanoke campus. She received her master's degree in Human Nutrition in 2006 from the University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, Connecticut. She has been the program director for the Dietetic Internship in Rochester since December 2020.

In addition to overseeing the Dietetic Internship, Brenda provides medical nutrition therapy to adult patients at Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester, Saint Marys Campus. She also enjoys precepting and holds the academic rank of assistant professor of nutrition.

Visiting professors and lecturers

A hallmark of higher education excellence is the breadth and depth of information and experience provided to you by faculty and visiting experts. Each year, many prominent professors visit Mayo Clinic to lecture in their areas of medical and scientific expertise.

As a student at Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences, you are encouraged to learn from these valuable resources by attending all relevant conferences, lectures, and seminars prepared for students, interns, residents, fellows, and consulting staff.

The Dietetic Internship Program is committed to diversity and educating learners who will make the population of healthcare professionals a true representation of our diverse community.

The following technical standards are not intended to deter any candidate for whom reasonable accommodation will allow the fulfillment of the curriculum. Program applicants and admitted learners with disabilities are confidentially reviewed to determine whether there are any reasonable accommodations that would permit the individual to satisfy the program standards. The following technical standards are required of all learners enrolled in the Dietetic Internship Program.

Theme	Essential functions	Example of required activities (Not all-inclusive)
Observation	Candidates must be able to observe demonstrations and participate in hands-on learning in the classroom and clinical settings. Candidates must be able to acquire information from written documents and computer systems.	Recognize and assess patient changes in mood, activity, cognition, verbal, and non-verbal communication Be able to review EMR
Communication	Candidates must be able to communicate effectively, sensitively, and efficiently with patients, families, healthcare professionals, and faculty. Candidates must be able to acquire the patient's medical history in a timely manner, interpret non-verbal information, and establish rapport with patients. Candidates are also required to record information accurately and clearly and communicate efficiently in English with other healthcare professionals.	Communicate effectively and efficiently with patients, students, staff, faculty, and all members of the healthcare team during all learning experiences Interact with health care faculty, patients, and families in person and via the telephone
Motor skill and mobility	Candidates must have sufficient motor functions that they are able to execute movements required to provide general care and treatment to patients in all healthcare settings within a specified amount of time.	Full range motion allowing for gross movements such as bending and lifting up to 10 pounds Fine motor skills, steady hand function, and hand-eye coordination
Interpersonal behavior and social skills	Candidates must exhibit the emotional stability required for full utilization of their intellectual abilities, which includes, but is not limited to, the exercise of good judgment, and the prompt completion of responsibilities associated with the care of patients. Candidates are expected to exhibit integrity, honesty, professionalism, compassion, and display a spirit of cooperation and teamwork.	Tolerate physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding workloads, function effectively under stress, adapt to changing environments, display flexibility, and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of patients Express compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest, and motivation when working with patients, staff, and faculty Manage apprehensive patients with a range of moods and behaviors in a tactful, culturally sensitive, congenial, personal matter so as not to alienate or antagonize them Accept feedback and respond by appropriate modification of behavior Show genuine empathy, interest, and professionalism while interacting with patients
Cognitive and intellectual	Candidates must be able to assimilate detailed and complex information presented in both didactic and clinical coursework. Candidates are expected to possess the ability to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, synthesize, and transmit information. Candidate must also command the ability to think critically and possess problem-solving and organizational skills.	Ability to learn through a variety of methods including, but not limited to, classroom instruction, small group, problem-based learning groups, team and collaborative activities, individual study, preparation, and presentation of reports simulations, and through the use of technology Ability to organize time and manage multi-faceted demands and schedules
Computer and technological skills	Candidate must be able to utilize electronic technology in didactic and clinical environments.	Demonstrate basic computer functions such as data entry, printing, and ability to function in multiple screens simultaneously Ability to learn how to use the EMR
Problem-solving	Candidates must think critically and demonstrate problem-solving and organizational skills necessary in providing quality patient care	Effectively troubleshoot/adapt when necessary Understand additional resources available, where to locate them, and how to use them
Ethics	Candidates must adhere to Mayo Clinic's mission, vision, and value statement regarding patient care	Recognize the importance of performing duties in accordance with policies and standard operating procedures Accept the expectation of maintaining patient confidentiality, both from a legal standpoint and a humanitarian perspective Understand the Patient Bill of Rights and perform care in a manner that exhibits respect, dignity, and empathy for the patient and family members

Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
120 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190
Chicago, IL 60606-6995
Phone: 800-877-1600, ext. 5400 (toll-free) or 312-899-0040, ext. 5400

See accreditation information for Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.

Mission of the Dietetic Internship program

Provide a high-quality training program which prepares graduates to enter the field as competent entry-level registered dietitian nutritionists who participate in professional activities and have expertise in medical nutrition therapy.

Program goals

Goal 1: Prepare graduates to be competent entry-level dietitian nutritionists who can practice in a variety of settings.

• At least 80% of program students complete the program requirements within 16.5 months if completing the internship; 22.5 months if completing the M.S./DI
• 85% of program graduates take the CDR exam for dietitian nutritionists within 12 months of program completion
• The program's one year pass rate (graduates who pass the registration exam within one year of first attempt) on the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists is at least 80%
• Of graduates who seek employment, 70% are employed in nutrition and dietetics or related field within 12 months of graduation
• 80% of graduates rate themselves as prepared for entry-level practice on one-year post-graduate surveys

Goal 2: Prepare dietitian nutritionists with knowledge and skills in medical nutrition therapy.

• 80% of graduates in entry-level clinical dietitian nutrition positions rate themselves as competent on one-year post-graduate surveys

Goal 3: Prepare graduates who recognize the need for lifelong learning and participate in professional and community organizations. 

• 80% of graduates will continue their education (CEU's and/or plan for specialty certification in the future) and be involved in nutrition-related professional or community organizations within 1 years of graduation (assessed on post-graduate surveys)

Annual program evaluation and outcome data are available on request by contacting the internship director.