Prior Assessed Learning Credit

NutraCo Dietetic Internship participates in the Prior Assessed Learning Policy (PAL) process recognized by ACEND. After acceptance into our program, interns who have relevant nutrition and dietetics experience may apply for PAL that may count as hours towards their supervised practice experience hours and assignments.

Credit is granted based on what was learned during the experience rather than how many hours were worked.

To qualify, an intern must have completed work or volunteer experience that meets the following criteria:

• Learning that is part of an educational program may be considered (i.e. practicum completed for graduate degree credit)
• All previous coursework or experiences required by the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) are excluded from consideration for PAL credit.
• Related practice areas include:
  1. Food Service Management
  2. Community Nutrition (WIC, Public Health Nutritionist, etc.)
  3. Long Term Care
  4. Wellness Promotion
  5. Credit will not be given for any acute care clinical experiences

Examples of prior experiences may include:

• Public Health Nutritionist
• WIC Nutritionist
• Food Service Director/Manager or Supervisor
• Dietetic Technician, Registered (DTR)

Assignments will not be waived unless hours are granted for a specific rotation as part of the PAL credit.

Procedure:

• Upon acceptance into the program, intern will contact the Program Director regarding their interest in PAL credit. The intern must indicate which rotation(s) they are applying for PAL.
  1. Food Service Management
  2. Community Nutrition
  3. Long Term Care Concentration
  4. Wellness Promotion (Concentration)
• Intern must complete and submit all required documentation via email to the Program Director by:
  • Fall Match: December 1st
  • Spring Match: June 1st
• Prior Assessed Learning will only be evaluated after the intern has been accepted to the program.

Documentation submission is to include, but not limited to, the following:

• Resume, including all relevant job titles and total hours worked in each position
• Job Descriptions
• Samples of projects, reports, presentations, audits (safety, sanitation, HACCP), lesson plans, meeting notes, nutrition education materials, menus, newsletters, marketing content, in-service training sessions, theme meals, budgeting, inventory, nutrition counseling notes, etc.
• Job Performance Evaluation (if applicable)
• Written summary of work performed, hours worked, responsibilities and skills achieved; to be countersigned by supervisor. Must include the supervisor’s name, title and contact information
• Completed NutraCo Dietetic Internship rotation evaluation(s) for related PAL assignments by a direct supervisor – please reach out to the DI Director at dhershey@nutraco.com to obtain these evaluations
• Completed rotation Log – reach out to DI Director to obtain the appropriate log

All PAL applications are reviewed, and approvals are granted on a case-by-case basis. NutraCo DI may award up to 320 hours of PAL credit per intern for qualified experience(s). Once the intern receives confirmation that PAL credit has been granted, the details of the PAL credit will be provided in writing and the hours will be applied towards the program’s total required supervised practice hours. Tuition will not be reduced if approval for PAL is granted. The final decision to approve PAL will be made by the Internship Director.