Students enrolled in the MSHN/DI or MSFSS/DI programs participate in supervised practice during the first year of the program. Supervised practice rotations provide students with experience in community, food service, clinical, and specialty practice settings. Students practice and apply principles and skills in dietetics and nutrition to real situations under the guidance of professionals in the field. Supervised practice generally occurs Tuesdays through Fridays each week throughout the Dietetic Internship part of the program. 

Supervised practice experiences begin in the fall for students in the MSHN/DI program and end in June. Students in the MSFSS/DI program begin rotations in winter term and then finish their rotations over the summer, ending in September. Didactic course topics provide reinforcement of concepts encountered during rotations. The Associate DI Program Director makes supervised practice rotation schedules for each individual student.  

Students will be primarily placed at the VA Portland Health Care System, OHSU Hospital, or other Portland area facilities. Primary placement sites may also be available in Medford, Klamath Falls, and Bend. Primary placement sites are determined by the Program Director and Associate DI Program Director. Students are assigned to a primary placement site for the majority of their supervised practice; however, several external rotations give students the opportunity to experience working in a variety of other settings, which may include rural locations. Students may complete one rural rotation during their supervised practice rotations in locations such as Klamath Falls, Warm Springs, Madras/Bend, Redmond, and Pendleton. Distance between the students' primary placement and practice sites may vary and extended distances may occur. 

Example of Combined MSHN/DI Rotation Schedule 

Sample of Supervised Practice Sites 

HIV Day Center
KinderCare Education
Oregon Food Bank
Oregon Health Authority (Oregon State WIC)
Oregon Health & Science University
OSU Ext. Portland SNAP-Ed
Our House of Portland
Shriners Hospital
SPOON Foundation
VA Portland Health Care System