BWH Dietetic Internship

Overview

Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) is world renowned for offering innovative, comprehensive care for complex medical problems and carrying out cutting-edge research. We are also well-known for the training of future dietitians. Each year we accept 12 interns into our program. In 2013, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of our dietetic internship, as our first dietetic pupil arrived in 1913. We have since graduated more than 1,000 dietetic interns who have contributed to the dietetics profession.

The dietetic internship is an 11-month clinically focused program of post-baccalaureate study accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). The address and telephone number of ACEND is 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL, 60606-6995, 800-877-1600, ext. 5400.

The program provides a minimum of 1465 hours of supervised practice, is designed to provide a strong theoretical knowledge base with exceptional practical experiences in acute-care clinical nutrition, outpatient nutrition services, community nutrition, food service management, and research in the field of nutrition. The Registered Dietitians in the Department of Nutrition are known for providing the highest-quality, evidence-based clinical nutrition management of patients and serve as preceptors to the dietetic interns. After completing the internship, our graduates feel well prepared for a career in dietetics. Currently, our five year average pass rate for the RD exam is 100%.

The geographic location of BWH, across the street from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, adjoining Boston Children's Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, provides interns with opportunities to attend lectures, rounds, clinics, and conferences conducted by leaders in their fields. Harvard University's Francis S. Countway Library of Medicine also borders the hospital and is available to dietetic interns for study and reference work.

U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks Brigham and Women’s Hospital among the best hospitals in many specialty areas.

Mission and Goals

The Brigham and Women's Hospital Dietetic Internship is committed to providing the highest quality training to prepare entry-level registered dietitian nutritionists who will function competently, creatively, compassionately, and collaboratively in a dynamic health care environment and contribute to professional/community organization(s).

To further define the BWH internship's mission, goals have been established based on the new 2022 standards that reflect the ends toward which the Program's resources will be directed.

Goal 1: The program will prepare graduates to be entry-level registered dietitian nutritionists.

• Outcome measure- 1 At least 80% of interns complete program requirements within 16.5 months (150% of planned program length).
• Outcome measure- 2 Of graduates who seek employment, at least 70% are employed in nutrition and dietetics or related fields within 12 months of graduation.
• Outcome measure- 3 At least 90% of program graduates take the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists within 12 months of program completion.
• Outcome measure- 4 “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%”.
• Outcome measure- 5 At least 90% of employers of program graduates in entry-level positions who respond to a survey will rate the graduates job performance as satisfactory (3.0) or higher.

Goal 2: Graduates will function competently, creatively, compassionately, and collaboratively as registered dietitian nutritionists.

• Outcome measure- 1 At one-year post-program completion, at least 90% of program graduates surveyed will rate their preparation for an entry-level position as satisfactory (3.0) or higher.
• Outcome measure- 2 At least 90% of employers of program graduates in entry-level positions who respond to a survey will rate the graduates ability to display creativity as satisfactory (3.0) or higher.
• Outcome measure- 3 At least 90% of employers of program graduates in entry-level positions who respond to a survey will rate the graduates ability to work within a team (collaborate) as satisfactory (3.0) or higher.
• Outcome measure- 4 At least 90% of employers of program graduates in entry-level positions who respond to a survey will rate the graduates ability to display compassion as satisfactory (3.0) or higher.

Program outcome data is available upon request.

Curriculum

The dietetic internship is an 11-month clinically focused program of post-baccalaureate study accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). The address and telephone number of ACEND is 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL, 60606-6995, 800-877-1600, ext. 5400

12 interns are selected annually with two start dates. Six interns start the first full week of August and the other six start the first full week of October, pending number of applicants matched. The BWH dietetic internship provides a minimum of 1465 hours of supervised practice which allows the DI to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to obtain a Certificate of Completion (Verification Statement) and sit for the national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). Additional information on the educational and professional requirements to become a Registered Dietitian can be found at hereand here. State certification is entirely separate and distinct from registration or certification by the Commission of Dietetic Registration.

Effective January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) requires a minimum of a master’s degree to be eligible to take the credentialing exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN).

There are two options for applicants to the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Dietetic Internship.

• Apply if you will have a Master's Degree in Nutrition or a related field and an ACEND®-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) verification statement completed before the start of our program.

• Apply through our affiliated graduate programs:

  • Boston University (or view a recent virtual information session here)
  • Simmons University(or view a recent virtual information session here)

Learn more about educational pathways to become a RDN

In order to graduate from the BWH internship, all dietetic interns must meet the following program requirements:

• Comply with all the Policies and Procedures of both Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dietetic Internship
• Complete the prescribed number of supervised practice hours (program minimum of 1465 hours)
• Complete all required projects and assignments satisfactorily
• Demonstrate achievement of competence (score of 3.0 or above) in all areas of “benchmarked” competencies based upon the most current Internship Program (IP) Standards per ACEND as determined by the ratings on each Performance Evaluation Form
• Attend all Class Days unless extenuating circumstances (as determined by the Associate Director of the Dietetic Internship) preclude attendance

If a student is having difficulty achieving any of the program requirements, a remedial course of action will be implemented to support the DI. The maximum amount of time a DI is allowed to complete the program requirements is 16.5 months (150% of the standard program length of 11 months). However, the Intern’s benefits will cease at the end of the usual program length of 11 months.

Rotation Schedule:

• Clinical Rotations in the Inpatient Setting (Total of 19 weeks)
  • General Medicine (3), General Surgery (3), Hematology/Oncology (3), Renal/Dialysis/Transplant (2), Medical or Surgical Intensive Care (3), Senior Staff Experience/Staff Relief (5)
• Clinical Nutrition Concentration (Total of 3 weeks)
• Specialty Rotations (Total of 11 weeks)
  • Dana Farber Cancer Institute (5), Pediatrics (2), Research (1), Bariatric Surgery (2), Special Rotation of Your Choice (1)
• Food Service Management (Total of 4 weeks)
• Ambulatory Service / Community Rotation (Total of 7 weeks)
  • BWH Nutrition and Wellness Service (including Obstetrics) (5), Community (2)
• Business Plan (1 week)
• Vacation (1 week)

Calendar

BWH Observed Holidays

• Labor Day
• Indigenous Peoples Day
• Thanksgiving *Note: You have the choice to take the day after Thanksgiving off as a personal day
• Christmas Day
• New Year’s Day
• MLK Day
• Presidents Day
• Memorial Day
• Juneteenth
• Independence Day

Financial Costs

Tuition fee: $8,000.00 payable upon acceptance.

Housing: Costs vary by area of the city, but an estimate for a 4 bedroom apartment is between $3,000-$3,500/month or $750-$875 per person per month. The Internship Associate Director will connect interns with each other to make their own housing arrangements. Sometimes current interns are able to “transfer” their housing to incoming interns.

Public transportation: Utilizing public transit is highly recommended as parking is limited in the city of Boston. The hospital and all scheduled rotations are accessible by public transportation. The average transportation cost is approximately $90/month for travel using the public transit (MBTA) system within Boston. Commuter rail trains headed into Boston from outside the city will be more expensive depending upon the zone. For exact fare information, please visit www.mbta.com.

Health insurance: Is required in the state of Massachusetts. The cost can vary from $80-200/month, depending upon the plan you choose. If you are under 25 you can be covered by your parents' insurance. If you are over 25, you can either choose the MA state’s health plan via MassHealth Connector or select a private insurer.

Lab Coats: DIs need to purchase two lab coats for the year which cost approximately $50-80.

Technology: All interns are required to have a computer with a camera and microphone as camera must be on at all times during distance learning.

Benefits

Meals: A $200 per month meal allowance can be used in the hospital cafeteria.

Paid by BWH: Boston Children’s Hospital annual conference, MA Dietetic Association annual conference, professional liability insurance, reference books, RD exam preparatory materials

Time Off: One week vacation, ten hospital holidays, and five days to use for illness, vacation, or personal time that does not need to be made up

Loan Deferment: We are able to provide documentation of economic hardship to defer student loans.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) Scholarship links for financial assistance can be found here.

How to Apply

Boston area independent dietetic internships and universities have collaborated to coordinate application and acceptance notification due dates. Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Delicious Living Nutrition, the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center, Simmons University, Boston University, Tufts University and the University of Massachusetts, together, agreed to align dates for Fall and Spring application cycles. They are as follows:

Fall

• October 8, applications will be due no later than October 8.
• November 1, applicants will be notified of the program’s decision by the end of the business day on November 1
• November 10, applicants must notify the program either accepting or declining the offer by 5:00pm EST on November 10.

Spring

• January 10, applications will be due no later than January 10.
• March 1, applicants will be notified of the program’s decision by the end of the business day on March 1.
• March 10, applicants must notify the program either accepting or declining the offer by 5:00pm EST on March 10.

Minimum Admission Requirements

• Master's Degree from a regionally accredited school and Verification Statement from an accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) within three years of applying.
• overall GPA of 3.2 or above
• DPD GPA of 3.2 or above
• Science GPA of 3.0 or above
• Correctly completed on-line DICAS application

Application Procedure

Complete online application using the Dietetic Internship Centralized Application Service (DICAS). The fee to use DICAS is $50 for the first application submitted and $25 for each additional application.

• Personal statement should be as concise as possible and address strengths, weakness, short and long-term nutrition career goals, as well as why you think BWH would be a “good fit” for you.
• Only three references should be included. Ideally, one should be from a work supervisor, the other two can be from academic advisors, volunteer supervisors, and/or supervisors of nutrition related experiences.

Submit the one page supplemental application and a $70 application fee (make check or money order payable to Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Nutrition) postmarked by October 8, 2026 for fall applications and by January 15, 2027 for Spring applications and mail to:

Kristin Fu, MS RD-AP, LDN CNSC
Associate Director of the Dietetic Internship
Department of Nutrition
Brigham and Women's Hospital
75 Francis Street
Boston, MA 02115

Dietetic Intern Tours

We strongly recommend you participate in a tour of Brigham and Women’s Hospital. This will give you an opportunity to meet and talk with our staff and interns to help determine if our program is right for you. Tours for the 2026-2027 application season will be held both in person and virtually. All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time zone.

Ahead of the October application period, the following on site and virtual tours will be offered:

• August 19, 11 to 11:30 am, on Microsoft Teams
• August 24, 12 to 1:30 pm, onsite
• September 9, 9 to 9:30 am, on Microsoft Teams
• September 17, 11 to 12:30pm, onsite
• September 23, 2 to 2:30pm, on Microsoft Teams
• October 1, 2:30 to 4pm, onsite

Please email Kristin Fu at kafu@mgb.orgto sign up for a tour.