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Maricopa County Department of Public Health
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What is Maricopa County Department of Public Health?
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health serves 3.8 million residents in the largest county in Arizona. We strive to support and improve the lives of the citizens through provision of public health services that focus on the well being and health of the community at large. Vision Statement: Recognized in Maricopa County as the most valued source of nutrition services to build a healthy community. Mission Statement: Provide quality customer focused nutrition education, supplemental foods, and breastfeeding services to promote optimal health. We promote optimal nutrition for all residents regardless of income or age, with special attention to those who are under served, economically disadvantaged, or at nutritional risk.
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What Nutrition Services are Provided to the Residents of Maricopa County?
· Nutritional education and counseling for high-risk WIC participants. · Community nutrition education programs. · Women Together for Health class series · Nutrition programs for K - 8th grade through the Arizona Nutrition Network · A consumer nutrition answer line. · A breastfeeding support program.
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What are the mission and goals of the Maricopa County Dietetic Internship with Community Emphasis?
The mission of the dietetic internship is "to provide a quality community nutrition education program through which interns develop the skills to translate nutrition theory and knowledge into effective application and practice." Planned experience and educational opportunities of the internship will prepare program graduates to sit for the national registration exam and enter the profession as entry-level dietetic practitioners. Goals of the dietetic internship 1. Prepare graduates who have met the core competencies and community emphasis competencies as defined by CADE and are eligible to take the RD exam. Outcome Measurement: - At least 80% or interns will successfully complete the dietetic internship - At least 80% of interns will pass the registration exam on their first attempt 2. Prepare graduates to meet employer expectations as entry-level practitioners. Outcome Measurement: - 80% or more of employers will evaluate graduates as good or excellent in the overall preparedness for entry-level work, professionalism, communication, collaboration/compatibility, critical thinking, and problem solving. 3. Increase diversity in the dietetics profession by increasing the number of bicultural and bilingual graduates. Outcome Measurement: - No less than 20% of interns will be ethnically and culturally diverse - No less than 20% of interns will be bilingual
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What are the Student Learning Outcomes for the Program?
1. Interns will demonstrate professional behaviors, including ethical practice, participation in professional activities, and a commitment to lifelong learning. 2. Interns will demonstrate effective communication skills and the ability to use a variety of communication tools in disseminating nutrition information 3. Interns will demonstrate their ability to use efficiently and effectively the techniques and tools for managing foodservice systems. 4. Interns will demonstrate their ability to apply knowledge and skills in medical nutrition therapy in a variety of settings. 5. Interns will be able to utilize a broad knowledge of community nutrition to enhance health and promote wellness in a variety of settings.
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What Type of Practicum Experiences are offered by the Internship Program?
Our dietetic internship is a full time, 38-week program approved for an annual class of 5 interns. Interns participating in the office's program will be exposed to a wide variety of nutrition services from metropolitan and rural areas of Maricopa County. Opportunities are provided to interact with individuals and groups from multi-ethnic backgrounds representing all ages and levels of education. Community, clinical, and food service experiences offered will challenge interns to integrate knowledge gained from dedicated study with opportunities for practice and application. Our practice sites include: · Scottsdale Healthcare · St Joseph's Hospital · John C. Lincoln Hospitals · Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center · Maricopa and Pinal County WIC clinics · Washington, Chandler, Madison and Creighton School Districts · Paradise Valley Community College Fitness Center · Arizona Department of Health Services · Arizona Deparmtent of Education · City of Phoenix Head Start and Senior Services; Maricopa County Head Start · Southwest Kidney Institute · Desert Mission Food Bank · Maricopa Community Nutrition Programs · Crandall and Associates · Nutrition Alliance · St. Vincent de Paul's Family Diabetes Program · Southwest Center for HIV/AIDs · Athletes Performance · Arizona Culinary Institute · Diversity Specialty Institute Because of the great diversity among the residents in Maricopa County, interns able to speak Spanish are highly valued by the rotation sites. However, the ability to speak Spanish is not a requirement for admission into the internship program.
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What are the Admission Requirements?
Completion of a baccalaureate or Master's degree in foods, nutrition, or dietetics from an accredited college of university Completion of the required academic Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) course work or verification of intent to complete.* Cumulative grade point average of 2.8 or greater on a 4.0 scale is preferred. *Additional course work is needed to update degrees completed 5 or more years prior to application to this Dietetic Internship.
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Who has Accredited Maricopa County's Dietetic Internship?
The Dietetic Internship at Maricopa County is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association: 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 200, Chicago, Illinois 60606-6995
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What are the Applicant Responsibilities Involved in the Application Process?
A completed application packet must be mailed to the Office of Nutrition Services by the annual postmark deadline. Photocopies of materials will not be accepted. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. Application materials will not be returned to the applicant. All neccessary forms are available on the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, Office of Nutrition Services website at: http://www.maricopa.gov/Public_Health/Community/WIC/internship.aspx The application packet includes: 1. Signed Application Checklist-Maricopa County 2. Completed Standard ADA Dietetic Internship Application 3. Official college transcripts from all colleges and universities attended 4. DPD course requirement list from your institution. If your institution does not have a formal document you may include a photocopy form the course catalogue in this one instance. 5. Signed Verification of Completion of Dietetics Programs in Dietetics or a signed Declaration of Intent to Complete 6. Three letters of recommendation with at least one academic and one work/professional 7. Hand written essay on white or ivory stationery (no more than two pages) which addresses the reason for applying to a public health program, short and long term goals, expectations, personal strengths and areas of improvement, and a project completed without supervision. Please note if you speak, read or write a language other than English and your level of fluency. 8. Completed Full-Time Work Experience Calculation Form 9. Completed Full-Time Volunteer Experience Calculation Form 10. Non-refundable application fee of $52.00 made payable to Maricopa County. Send all materials by the postmark deadline and by receipted mail for proof of mailing date and delivery. You may also choose to enclose a self-addressed stamped postcard if you want to be notified that your application has been processed. The postmark deadline for 2010-2011 applications is February 16th, 2010 In addition, applicants must register with D&D Digital online at www.dnddigital.com, pay the $50.00 computer matching fee by credit card, enter their contact information and DI priority choices by 11:59 PM CST on February 16th, 2010. This is separate from the application packet sent to Maricopa County, but also required in order to be matched.
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What are the selection criteria?
Candidates application packets will be reviewed by a selection committee and scores assigned for grade point average, DPD grade point average, work experience, letters of recommendation, honors and activities, and applicant's letter. Grade point averages and quality and quantity of dietetic related work experience are given significant consideration. The selection committee may ask applicants to particiate in an interview. The ability to speak a language in addition to English is beneficial to working within the local community. It is not a program requirement in the selection process. The selection committee will rank applicants in order of preference and send the ranking to D&D Digital System for computer matching.
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2010-2011 Dates for computer Matching for Maricopa County
Postmark deadline for applications: February 16, 2010 Notification Day: April 5, 2010 Appointment Day: April 7, 2010 Matched applicants must telephone (602) 506-9325,fax (602) 506-9330 or e-mail (shirleystrembel@mail.maricopa.gov)the DI Program Director to confim their acceptance or rejection of the match by 5:00 pm Mountain Standard Time on April 7, 2010.
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What does the Program Cost?
Total program costs will vary according to the needs and lifestyles of each individual. Food, housing, and transportation expenses are variable and the responsibility of the student. Interns must provide their own health and professional liability insurance in order to participate in the program. Arizona law does require drivers to carry automobile insurance and Arizona residents to have annual emission inspection completed on their vehicle. Tuition $2500.00 Application Fee $52.00 Gasoline/month $100.00 - $150.00 per month estimate Housing: 1 bedroom apt./month (varies) $650.00 - $750.00 Criminal Background Check $50.00 Vehicle Emissions Inspection Fee $15.00 Student Professional Liability Insurance $35.00 ADA Associate Membership $43.00 Arizona District Dietetic Association - Central Membership $25.00 Text book/journals $130.00 Fingerprint Clearance Card and Criminal Background Check $65.00 Urine Drug Screen Panel $50.00 CPR Certification $45.00 Health Insurance (varies) Flu Shot (varies per insurance coverage) Hepatitis B Series (varies per insurance coverage) MMR and TB Skin Test (varies per insurance coverage) *** Scholarship applications are available though the ADA Education and Accreditation staff at: 1-800-877-1600, ext 5400 Scholarship applications are available at: http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/career_394_ENU_HTML.htm
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What is the program schedule?
The dietetic internship program typically begins in mid August and is completed by the first week in June. Two weeks of vacation are scheduled near the end of December which includes Christmas and New Year's Day. Other holidays honored are Martin Luther King Day, President's Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veteran's Day. Affiliate Rotations (subject to change): Program Orientation - 1.5 weeks Az Dept of Health Services - 2 weeks, community Athletes' Performance - 1 week, sports nutrition Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS - 1 week, clinical Crandall and Associates or Nutrition Alliance - 1 week, clinical (long term care) City of Phoenix Head Start and Senior Services - 1 week, community St. Joseph's Hospital, Scottsdale Healthcare, Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center, or John C. Lincoln Hospitals - 10 weeks, clinical Maricopa County and Pinal County WIC - 2 weeks, community Maricopa County Community Nutrition - 2 weeks, community Arizona Culinary Institute - 1 week, community Chandler, Washington, Madison or Creighton School Districts - 7 weeks, food service Southwest Kidney Institute - 1 week, clinical (outpatient renal) Diversity Specialty Institute - 1 week, clinical (outpatient renal) St. Vincent de Paul's Family Diabetes Clinic - 1 week, clincial Paradise Valley Community College Fitness Center - 1 week, community Enrichment Experience - 2 weeks
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What are entrance requirement for matched applicants?
Applicants matched to a dietetic internship must accept or reject the match within 24 hours of Notification Day. Candidates matched with the program will need to complete the Hepatitis B series to participate. The series should be initiated in May to allow adequate time to complete the immunizations prior to program initiation in August. Additional documentation required at the start of the dietetic internship: * Statement of good health to participate in the program from a medical provider * Documentation of TB (PPD)Skin Test * Documentation of two rubeola and one rubella vaccinations, or positive rubeola and rubella titers * Documentation of varicella exposure or positive varicella immune titer * Evidence of current tetanus toxoid (within the past ten years) * Evidence of a seasonal flu shot (at the beginning of flu season) *Completed criminal background check and a state sex offender search * Membership in ADA * Membership in the Arizona Dietetic Association - Central * Professional Student Liability Insurance - $1,000,000 per occurrence/$3,000,000 aggregate * Health Insurance * Automobile Insurance * Driver's License * Signed verification statement of the Didactic Program in Dietetics * Official transcripts showing completion of degree
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What are the graduation requirements?
Graduates of the Maricopa County Dietetic Internship will complete all program requirements. They will demonstrate achievement of the 41 core competencies and 10 community competencies set forth by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education. Upon program completion, graduates will be competent to function as entry-level dietetic professionals and will receive a verification statement.
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Organization Information
Shirley Strembel, MS, RD: Maricopa County Department of Public Health Office of Nutrition Services 4041 N. Central Avenue, Suite 700 Phoenix, AZ 85012 (602) 506 9325 (Phone) (602) 506 9330 (FAX) shirleystrembel@mail.maricopa.gov
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