Locations and Schedules

Apply to one of the following locations

Nationwide Students: Facility Requirements to Plan Your Rotation Schedule

Students complete at least 1000 hours in experiential learning in didactic and on-site placements. 900 practice hours are completed in supervised experiential learning at various sites. Nationwide students, please use these facility requirements to look for experiential learning sites. Use the Iowa State University's Facility Search to find facilities that are organized by State.  Additionally, you can also search the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics preceptor database, if you are an Academy member:

• Community Nutrition Rotations (Fall) 250 hours (1+ sites needed)
  • WIC facility (minimum 48 hours-approximately 2 weeks)
  • Other community nutrition settings such as Extension, school nutrition sites, university nutrition sites, sports nutrition programs, food banks, wellness programs, department of health, etc. or you could complete entire rotation at the WIC facility
  • Starting week 5 of your schedule ~24 hours/week on-site
  • Preceptors do not need to be an RDN
• Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) (Spring) 400 hours (1+ sites needed) 
  • The minimum needs for your supervised practice facility for MNT rotations are:
    • Your facility should be accredited by the appropriate agency—such as JCAHO, DNV, or the state.
    • Each facility should be licensed for at least a 50-bed inpatient census.
    • Each facility should have at least 2 RDNs who provide MNT.
    • You should aim to get experience working with as many different populations as possible. This would include different ages, different stages of the lifecycle, different disease states and developmental abilities, etc.  If one site cannot offer a lot of variety, you can opt for more than one facility.  It is not uncommon to complete most of the MNT rotations in one facility, then spend time at other facilities to complete the advanced topic areas such as Pediatrics, Renal, Diabetes, Oncology, and Nutrition Support.
    • Starting week 1 of schedule ~24 hours/week on-site
    • Preceptors have to be an RDN
• Food Systems Management (Summer) 250 hours (2 sites needed)
  • Public school site (participates in the National School Lunch or Breakfast Programs) (minimum 48 hours - approximately 2 weeks)
  • A facility that provides therapeutic diets (may be completed at your MNT site, long-term care facility, skilled facility, etc.)
  • The MGMT facility may be the same as the MNT facility.
  • Starting week 1 of your schedule ~24 hours/week on-site
  • Preceptors do not need to be an RDN

Supervised Experiential Learning

Supervised experiential learning is planned in coordination with your preceptors. Although you are expected to complete ~24 hours/week onsite, most students may typically work three 8-hour days. The start and end times may vary considerably based on the rotation, type of facility, and availability of learning opportunities. For example, you may be assigned to work with your preceptor or their assignee on an early morning shift some days, whereas on other days, you may be required to work a later shift. You may even be asked to work on the weekend to learn about the differences in operations between weekdays and the weekend.

Applicants, Please Note

• Medical Nutrition Therapy sites are difficult to secure, so we recommend contacting potential preceptors early.
• Commitment letters for first-semester supervised experiential learning sites are required with your application, but if you can include commitment letters from preceptors for all supervised experiential learning sites for all three semesters, it will strengthen your application.
• Click here for the Rotation Schedule Worksheet 
• Use the Facility/Preceptor search tips and worksheet to contact future preceptors. A sample email has also been provided in the Facility/Preceptor search tips and worksheet document for you. 

Once you have decided which preceptors to contact, call their offices and make an appointment to talk with them. 

• Even if these individuals cannot serve as your preceptors, they may be able to refer you to someone else.
• The RDNs who have agreed to serve as your preceptors should be able to guide you in approaching hospital administrators and agency directors if needed.

Contact Potential Preceptors

Start with contacts that you may already have.

• Have you worked or volunteered in a facility with one or more RDNs? Typically, the people for whom you have worked have a favorable impression of your ability and commitment to succeeding in a graduate supervised practice program. 
• Have you attended any meetings with RDNs? Network with these individuals in your quest to find qualified RDN preceptors.
• Have there been RDN guest speakers in any of your classes?

Obtain Preceptor Commitment Letters

Your preceptors must provide you with a commitment letter stating their willingness to precept you and the dates of your rotations with them. These letters provide assurance that appropriate professionals have been identified and are willing to supervise you during your supervised experiential learning. Preceptor commitment letters may be in whatever format the preceptor prefers (email, letter, etc.), and PDF copies of the letters must be submitted with your application. Sample preceptor commitment letter.

Affiliation Agreements

Affiliation agreements will be required between ISU and the practice site/facility before your supervised experiential learning may begin.  

These agreements will be completed between ISU legal counsel and the practice site/facility. ISU cannot guarantee that all affiliation agreements will be successfully negotiated. If we cannot negotiate an affiliation agreement, you will be responsible for finding another site and preceptor to complete your supervised experiential learning.

Colorado residents – Colorado laws can make it difficult, perhaps impossible, to reach a legal agreement with facilities there. We will still review applications for Colorado, but we want you to be aware that alternative plans may need to be made.

Academic Calendar

The MPPD program follows the academic calendar established by the Office of the Registrar at Iowa State University for fall, spring, and summer terms. 

Program Calendar

The RD2B-track program starts in the fall each year with a "live" virtual program orientation the week before classes start in the fall semester. The program continues in the spring and summer semesters (12 consecutive months). You are expected to complete supervised experiential learning in each of the three semesters: Community Nutrition in the fall, Medical Nutrition Therapy in the spring, and Food Systems Management rotation during the summer semester. You will be on-site for your supervised experiential learning three days a week, and your schedule will be planned by your preceptors within the program guidelines. If you lose a site after being admitted to the program, program faculty will guide you in searching for replacement sites and/or provide some alternative experiences to ensure timely program completion.

Students who have met the graduation and program completion requirements graduate at the end of the summer semester. Virtual live program orientation occurs the week before classes start in the fall semester. 

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