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Supervised Practice

Supervised Practice

Supervised Practice Hours: 

Hours

                                                    180hours

                                    180hours

     180hours

     270hours

CourseRotationHours
NSP 6123 Practicum I                                I Food Service   Service 180
NSP 6223 Practicum II                               II Food Service                   Service 180
NSP 6323 Practicum III                             III Community                                                       180
NSP 6424 Practicum IV                             IV Clinical                                                                270
NSP 6524 Practicum V                              V Clinical270

                                                               Total:      1,080 270 hourshours*

TOTAL:    1080 hours*

* These are minimum hour requirements; totals could be slightly higher for some rotations, depending on the calendar dates and schedule.schedules.

Successful

completionCompletion of each practicum, as noted in the syllabi, requires the student to:

Standards
  • Attain 75% average on all graded activities.
  • Achieve all competency requirements, including academic and professional behavior standards, with acceptable score of 3 or above on rating scale of each rotation evaluation tooltool.
  • Fulfill all designated hour requirements. All hours will be recorded and tracked using the Typhon management system (Required element 8.1c).

  • If you fail to complete the required hours,hours youare willnot receivecompleted: an
    • Grade of “I” until the hours are fulfilled in a timely manner, which would be before the next practicum begins.
    • If youhours doremain notincomplete, fulfillgrade the hours, you would receive anof “F.”F” Youis assigned. Student cannot proceed in the program, meaning you would have to drop out, apply for admission to the program again and resumemust reapply, resuming at the beginning of the practicum in question,question provided there is (space availablepermitting).
      • in
    the
    • program.

  • Professional activities (promoted by the dietetics program) which you attend count toward supervised practice hours for the semester in which they occur. There will not always be professional activities available. These activities will be recorded in the conference log within the Typhon management system (Required element 8.1c).

    Other class activities as determined to be appropriate by the program may count toward supervised practice hours. ForThese example,are case studies or simulations utilizedrecorded in the classroomconference settinglog within Typhon.

  • Other class activities (e.g., case studies, simulations) may becount allowedtoward supervised practice hours at the discretion of the practicum instructor. Alternate activities will beare noted on the evaluation and time sheet withinin theTyphon.
    • semester they
    occur using the Typhon management system (Required element 8.1c).

    Preceptor Selection Criteria:Criteria

    Students are responsible for securing their own sites and preceptors. For students located in the areas surroundingnear Arkansas State University andor in areas where the faculty have connections, potential preceptors and sites have been identified. Students are not required to choose thesethese, preceptors or sites. However, the number ofbut local studentsstudent accepted into the programacceptance may be limited based on local preceptor and site availability and at the discretion of the program director.    

    The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has created Findprovides a Preceptor Database. The Find-a-Preceptor Database search feature allowsfor program directors and potentialstudents or current students, who are (members of the Academy,Academy) to search for and contact preceptors willing to teach students within their practice area.

    Preceptors may include:

    • Registered Dietitians (RD / RDN) (Required– required for clinical rotations)rotations
    • Licensed Dietitians (LD), Certified Dietitians (CDN)
    • Nutritionists
    • Registered Nurses (RN), Nurse Practitioners (NP), Clinical Nurse SpecialistSpecialists (CNS)
    • Physicians’ Assistants
    • Food Service Directors (Schools,schools, Hospitals,hospitals, Nursingnursing Homes,homes, etc.)
    • Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialists
    • Administrators (such as in ae.g., nursing home or assisted living)
    • Others will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

    PleaseNote: note that regardless of the discipline, all credentials and experience will be evaluated for appropriateness and relevance to the rotation andSome experiences the student will be completing. There are some experiences that you are required to complete, that must be supervised by RegisteredRDs, Dietitians,while but in other cases the preceptorothers may be asupervised member of aby team that ismembers involved in nutrition and dietetics issues with patients or clients.issues.

    A-State does not require you to have preceptors identified asat a part of the application process,application, but a list of preceptors must be provided to the program director before you begin yourthe first program course. Faculty will evaluate potential preceptors within 1-1–2 weeks to determine if they are appropriate.weeks. Upon approval, the program director will initiateinitiates the affiliation agreement process with the preceptor and site and obtainobtains resumes.  

    General Selection Criteria for SupervisedPreceptors Practice Preceptors:

      • Preceptors mustMust have the education and experience needed to provide appropriate guidanceguidance.
        • for supervised practice experiences. Preceptors must
      • Must be licensed,licensed or credentialed as appropriaterequired toby meet state and state/federal regulations, or credentialed, as needed, for the area in which they are supervising students.
          regulations.
        1. Clinical preceptors,preceptors for (Practicum IV (in-patient& acute,V) subacute, long-term care, outpatient) and Practicum V (in-patient acute, subacute, long-term care, outpatient) are required tomust be RDs. Community preceptorpreceptors may be either an RDRDs or hold a nutrition-related position.
          2. positions.
        2. The foodFood service preceptors may be extension personnel, a food service manager or supervisor, amanagers, Certified Dietary Manager,Managers, extension personnel, or a professionalprofessionals with a health promotion background.backgrounds The (RD credential is not required.required).
        3. ForPreceptor all rotations: The preceptor and/or another RD on staff must be available the
          entire time offor the entire rotation.
      • A prospective preceptor mustMust demonstrate the desirewillingness to take on the extra responsibility offor students including (assignments, teaching, mentoring, evaluations andevaluations, time management skills.management).
      • A prospective preceptor mustMust demonstrate communication skills (orally and written) and
        collaborate with the program director and faculty on a continual basis.director/faculty.
      • A prospective preceptor mustMust demonstrate good people skills and the desire,skills, patience, and understanding to teach students the required knowledge and skills.
      • A prospective preceptor mustMust support the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics practice standards and changes and preferably isbe a member of the Academy,Academy if an RD.

    A prospective preceptor must

  • Must be willing to use the Typhon system for tracking hours and completing studentevaluations.
    • evaluations.

     

    Rotation Site Guidelines:Guidelines

    Students complete 1,080 supervised practice hours: 360 in foodservice settings,foodservice, 180 in community settings,community, and 540 in clinical settings. All rotations/hours should be in person. Telehealth positions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.case.

    Potential Sites for Food Service:Service

    The food service management (FSM) rotation will be a facility that will provide the student with exposure to multiple aspects of food service management.

    FSM rotations may be completed at a hospital,hospitals, long-term care facility,facilities, school nutrition services program,programs, or university dining service.services. Other food service sites canmay provide food service hours but checkqualify with the program director if you are unsure.approval.

    Potential Sites for Community Nutrition:Nutrition

    The

    Community community rotationrotations should be completed at afacilities facility with a primary focusfocused on nutrition and community/public health. Recommended community sites include, but are not limited to:include SNAP, National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Summer Food Service Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Food Distribution Program (food bank),banks, WIC, Commodity Supplemental Food program,Program, Congregate and Congregate/Home-Delivered Meal Programs, and grocery stores with dietitians on staff.dietitians. Other community nutrition sites canmay provide community nutrition hours but checkqualify with the program director if you are unsure.approval.

    Potential Sites for Clinical Nutrition:Nutrition

    Clinical rotations willshould beexpose at a facility that exposes the studentstudents to a variety of experiences with differentvaried disease states. Recommended facilitiessites include:include hospitals (large hospitals,or small community hospitals, orsmall), long-term care facilities, outpatient center,centers, or dialysis center.centers. At the end of the rotation, the student will be able to function as staff relief with minimal supervision. The studentStudents should be able to spend aat minimum ofleast two weeks at any clinical site.  Other clinical nutrition sites can provide clinical nutrition hours but check with the program director if you are unsure. The clinical facility or facilitiesFacilities must be able to provide the student with access to all theactivities activitiesneeded to meet the clinical competencies.

    Vaccination & Health Requirements:Requirements

    Many sites require proof of vaccinations and an annual TB skin test. The program must have proof of vaccination for MMR, Tetanus, Hepatitis B, and an annual TB skin test.

    **COVID-19: While Arkansas State University encourages students to get the vaccination for COVID-19, Arkansas State University does not require proof of vaccination for COVID-19 for students to receive educational services.  However,services, many studentoff-campus activities may involve travel to other non-campus locations or participation in programs governed by rules that are not imposed by Arkansas State University. For example, these may include participating in(e.g., clinical rotations at off campus health care sites or participation inrotations, athletic events governed by conference rules. Students need to be aware that in addition to other requirements that may be imposed on them, these activitiesevents) may require that students present proof thatof theyvaccination. areStudents vaccinatedmust againstcomply COVID-19with insite-specific order to participate. **requirements.

    **Failure to comply with any site requirementrequirements may result in delay of program progression or graduation.  The program is not obligated to find alternative placement sites due to a student’s failure to follow site requirements.

    **

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