Preceptor Hub

Share logistical information and facility expectations with the intern  

• Welcome Email Checklist  

• Dress code  

• Time to meet 

• Directions to facility and meeting location 

• Parking 

• Meals if provided or near-by availability 

• Break schedule 

• Pre-rotation assignments or readings 

• Confirm dates and number of hours to be completed at the facility 

• Resources the intern might need to bring (e.g., laptop, books, etc.), and  

• Forms or clearances they need to have completed as part of their onboarding process.    

The intern will send you the MDI Intern and Preceptor Rotation Planning Sheet in their introduction email.  

• Review the proposed activities and consider the ACEND identified competencies. Plan potential learning activities, tasks or projects that could be completed during the rotation for the intern to meet competency and fulfill program assignments. 

(If there are multiple preceptors working with the intern during this rotation, choose a preceptor who has the most interest in orienting the intern): 

Meet with intern to review 

• Previous experience and rotations already completed. 

• Clarify the intern’s goals for the rotation and potential challenges. 

• Review the expectations of the intern from the preceptor, department and facility. 

• Outline scheduled preceptor-student interaction for observation and feedback (e.g., weekly meetings on Friday to review progress). 

• Review a “typical day” at the rotation. 

• Review the intern’s schedule for the entire rotation including each preceptor assigned to the intern. 

• Discuss with the intern expectations regarding professionalism, punctuality, illness, inclement weather, and any personal issues such as religious observances, personal obligations, and pre-planned personal events. 

• Specific trainings or learning modules to be completed. 

Your Facility Policy and Procedure Manual review 

• Location of the manual & when to refer to it. 

• Print or highlight pertinent policies for use during rotation (e.g., assessment policy for clinical nutrition, foodservice delivery & nourishment). 

 Tour 

• Provide a tour of the facility (if applicable). 

• Introduce the intern by name to key employees, administrators and/or support staff. 

• Resources: Electronic Health Record (EHR), Software (i.e., CBORD), communication tools (i.e., Email platform, Intranet).   

• Tools such as clinical documentation forms (i.e., MDS, malnutrition screening tool, intake forms). 

• Procedures such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), HIPPA, Safety, HACCP, Emergency & Disaster Plans. 

Planning: Review the MDI Supervised Practice Planning & Competency Activities “rotation planning tool” with the intern to plan activities that meet ACEND competencies during their rotation 

First day: Meet with the intern to plan project outlines, activities and presentations and due dates. 

At the end: Summative feedback and evaluation 

• At the end of the rotation, the intern will complete a “Self-Assessment and Competency Tracker” form in Trajecsys, which will route to you when submitted. The intern tracks activities that met competencies and their self-evaluation of performance on this form. Review it to help you complete the Intern Feedback & Evaluation. 

• Meet with the intern for 20-30 minutes to provide feedback.  

• Complete one of the following forms in Trajecsys:  

• Intern Feedback & Evaluation – Clinical 

• Intern Feedback & Evaluation – Community 

• Intern Feedback & Evaluation – Food Service Management or  

• Self-Selected Rotation Intern Feedback & Evaluation 

• If your rotation does not fit neatly into any of those categories, you may use the “Intern Feedback & Evaluation – 50 Competencies, Professionalism & Skills” form.  
• Trajecsys Preceptor Instructions

As applicable: MDI assignment feedback forms  

• Clinical Assignments:  

• Clinical Staff Relief Intern Evaluation 

• Clinical Case & Evidence-Based Practice Presentation  

• Food Service Management 

• Quality Assurance Preceptor Evaluation 

• Other assignments that an intern may complete in community, food service management or another rotation:  

• In-service Assignment Evaluation 

• Rotation: Food service management rotations unless otherwise approved by an MDI director.  

• Objectives: With preceptor guidance, the intern will identify and select a facility quality assurance challenge, research and develop a plan or proposal to improve a process to solve or prevent the problem and present it to the preceptor and any stakeholders.  

• Outputs: Written plan / proposal paper and informal presentation of results to preceptor for feedback 

• Preceptor Evaluation: Trajecsys Quality Assurance Preceptor Evaluation 

• Rotation: Any rotation- clinical, foodservice or community 

• Objectives: Interns will plan and teach a staff training 20-30 minutes in length with current technology, evidence-based information, and appropriate human resources interactions. The topic of the training will be agreed upon by the intern and preceptor.  

• Outputs: collected feedback from staff participants and one page reflection 

• Preceptor Evaluation: Trajecsys In-Service Assignment Evaluation 

• Rotation: Clinical comprehensive care facility rotation. To allow for selection of a complex patient and time for patient selection, literature review and presentation preparation and delivery.  

• Objectives: The intern will evaluate and apply scientific evidenced-based guidelines in a clinical practice setting while incorporating critical-thinking skills in their assessment, written preparation and professional presentation of a clinical case study. 

• Assignment Activities:  

• • With the help of the preceptor, interns select a patient and investigate evidence-based literature to make recommendations about enhancing the nutrition care based on the latest research.  Interns must be involved in the patient’s care process with the preceptor’s supervision.  

• • Interns will conduct a literature review to answer a research question about evidence-based medical nutrition therapy for the patient’s disease state.  

• Outputs:  

• • A written literature review, 6 pages or less, including 4 articles on a nutrition intervention.  

• • Deliver a 20-minute case study presentation that includes an overview of the literature review and the nutrition care process for the patient.  

• • All audience members at the presentation provide feedback. Interns will provide a link to the evaluation form on their presentation slides 

• Preceptor Evaluation: Trajecsys Clinical Case & Evidence-Based Practice Presentation Evaluation.   

• Rotation: Toward the final weeks of clinical  

• Interns will complete at least one week (35-40 hours) of staff relief in the clinical practice setting. The area(s) of practice will be determined by the preceptor and intern. Interns must demonstrate entry-level competence in providing clinical care using the nutrition care process.  

• Outputs: Interns submit a self-reflection evaluation. 

• Preceptor Evaluation: Trajecsys Clinical Staff Relief Intern Evaluation 

The Montana Dietetic Internship & Graduate program has two educational pathways for students seeking the registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) credential. The Master of Science in Dietetic Systems Leadership and Dietetic Internship (MSDI) is a 2-year program with online instruction in the first year, paired with supervised practice throughout Montana or Wyoming during the second year.  

Dietetic internship-only track option (DI) students enter the supervised practice portion prepared with a didactic program in dietetics verification statement to ensure foundational knowledge in nutrition science and dietetics professional practice areas, as well as master's degree in a nutrition, food science, exercise science, public health or a related field from MSU or another institution.  

The MDIG mission is to prepare highly capable entry-level registered dietitian nutritionists who can integrate sustainable food systems into dietetics practice when employed in clinical, foodservice, community nutrition and integrated practice settings located in rural or urban facilities in Montana or the Rocky Mountain region. 

The preceptor’s role is to communicate expectations clearly and early, collaboratively plan with the intern to meet competencies during the rotation and provide and document feedback on the intern’s progress throughout. Preceptors are important role models, mentors, and support persons to dietetic interns in their journey to becoming a registered dietitian nutritionist. The MDI preceptor shares their skills, knowledge, and expertise through supervised practice experiences that prepares the MDI intern to be a highly capable entry-level professional. 

The MDI preceptor provides thoughtful and constructive feedback to support intern self-sufficiency and takes a personal interest in the mentoring-learning relationship. The preceptor is a valued professional role model and openly shares their professional knowledge while listening and learning from the MDI intern as well. 

The MDI intern is expected to complete 35-40 hours of supervised practice experience per week at each rotation site.  Supervised practice hours can include special projects, program resource development and implementation, and management activities, and do not need to be entirely patient or client-facing. 

Preceptor Training Quick Guide  

Please watch the Welcome to MDIG Precepting video and read the MDIG Preceptor Checklist for a quick introduction to precepting MDIG Interns.  

• Please visit the MDIG Preceptor hub for links to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics new preceptor training, intern introductions, and many other preceptor resources 

• Please attend the annual preceptor meeting each late summer/fall to learn about program updates or watch the recording.  

• Ask to join the MDIG Preceptor Listserv to receive regular communications from the MDIG Team, if you haven’t been added already.  

 

Interns are responsible for reaching out to you 2 weeks prior to their rotation start via email. They will introduce themselves and their background in nutrition and ask for details about their schedule and first day expectations. Please provide them with information necessary for their first day, including where and when to show up, dress code, and anything they need to bring with them.  

Plan a meeting with the intern on their first day to orient them to the facility. Provide a tour, overview of policies and procedures, and discuss work expectations with the intern. Let them know of your preferred method and style of communication. It is their responsibility to review with you in this meeting which competencies they need to meet during their rotation with you. 

The MDIG program uses Trajecsys software to track competencies and preceptor evaluations. If you need to register for Trajecsys, please reference the preceptor guide on the Preceptor Hub. You may reach out to the program directors for instructions or technical assistance any time. Each of the 50 competencies for the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (CRDNs) must be completed at entry-level (rating of “3”) by the end of supervised practice for the intern to be eligible to sit for the RDN registration exam.  

Verbal feedback should be provided to the intern on a regular basis. Formative intern feedback allows them to course-correct and adjust their work as needed throughout a rotation. Consistent, timely, transparent and direct feedback is best. It provides clear expectations, and ultimately helps the intern grow and improve, rather than leaving them in the dark about potential performance issues. Summative feedback, at the end of a rotation, should be reported through Trajecsys evaluation forms and a meeting held with the intern to review. This final summative feedback is marked with a rating of “1 = Early beginner, needs more practice, not at expected level for intern” to “5 = Outstanding, doing much better than expected” and highlights the student’s opportunity for improvement in subsequent rotations. 

Please alert MDIGP Directors as soon as possible of any performance concerns. 

Clinical Mid-Point Evaluation Meeting 

At least a mid-point and final evaluation form are required for clinical rotations where students are there for 6 weeks or longer. In Trajecsys, the same evaluation form, “Intern Feedback & Evaluation – Clinical" is used for all evaluation points. Preceptors and the intern will collaboratively schedule a mid-point evaluation meeting and final evaluation meeting to discuss the intern’s progress in demonstrating clinical competencies, completion of clinical assignments, and to track experiences in required clinical specialty practice areas. 

The MDIG team recognizes diverse management styles for clinical rotations. For facilities in which interns rotate with one preceptor at a time, preceptors are encouraged to provide a warm handoff and complete a Trajecsys evaluation any time the intern transitions to work with a new preceptor within the facility. During the handoff, the preceptor should provide the intern constructive feedback and share their impressions of the intern’s progress with the next preceptor. Ideally the preceptor also completes a Trajecsys clinical evaluation during/after the handoff. 

 

The MDIG program values students’ individuality and operates from The Basic Assumption, that all students are intelligent, capable, doing their best, and want to improve. We strive to procure psychological safety for students to do their best learning, by practicing active listening, respect for learners, and providing clear expectations, objectives, and roles. If an intern’s results are not as expected, the preceptor may ask open-ended “inquiry questions” to learn about the intern’s frame and reason for their actions.By learning the intern’s frame and restating the expected outcome or results, the intern has the opportunity to change their actions to better meet expectations and the progression of learning.  

The supervised practice experience is designed to build intern skills and entry-level competency upon the intern’s existing foundational knowledge. Throughout each supervised practice rotation, the goal is to gradually increase the intern’s level of: 

• Responsibility 

• Proficiency  

• Independence 

• Competence  

• Professionalism, communication, time and resource management, knowledge base, overall competency (per Trajecsys feedback headings)  

• Clinical: nutrition care process, major disease state medical nutrition therapy and care coordination  

Initially the intern may have an observational role in the first few days of the rotation, the intern should gradually take on increasing portions of the preceptor’s role until the intern is able to assume all entry-level aspects of the preceptor’s job independently. As well, throughout the rotation, the intern should gradually progress from heavily supervised practice to increasing independence and decreasing supervision when appropriate. Responsibilities and difficulty of problems should progress from basic to complex, additionally the workload and speed of task completion expectations should increase correspondingly. 

 

• Precepting for the MDIG program can be credited as CPEUs in RDN and nutrition and dietetics technician registered (NDTR) Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) professional portfolio. The CPEU credit counts in current cycles only as your time precepting must be completed during the existing recertification cycle.  

• 1-25 Contact Hours = 1 CPEU, 26-50 Contact Hours = 2 CPEUs, 51 and greater Contact Hours = 3 CPEUs 

• A maximum of 3 CPEUs per year or a total of 15 CPEUs per 5-year reporting period can be awarded to RDNs or RDs, and NDTRs or DTRs for this activity. 

• Visit https://us.services.docusign.net/webforms-ux/v1.0/forms/d6d9fd05712aa9c42264fec2c7ffcf5c to complete the Preceptor Confirmation & Self-Reflection Form, annually. Preceptors identify how many hours that they precepted interns that academic year and reflect on precepting activities and learning. The MDIG Program Director will verify the hours and sign, and a copy of the form will be emailed to the preceptor. Retain the form as documentation to submit to CDR if audited. 

 

The MDIG program expects interns to be professional, practice a growth mindset, and develop a systems leadership approach:  

Professionalism Expectations and Evaluation 

Doing well, performing as expected for intern level:

• Proactive communication. Always lets preceptors/directors know if running late or of absences.   

• Absences are excused with ample notice to MDI team and preceptors when possible.   

• Performs >3 in overall rotation evaluations from preceptors.   

• Dresses professionally.   

• Acts ethically in rotations and practice.   

• Responds to emails from MDI team, research partners and preceptors within 48 hours.   

• Is prepared for class and rotations, completing assigned pre-learning or homework.   
• Takes accountability if assignments or communication is missed and is present and engaged during class. 
• Assumes responsibility for learning, take initiative in seeking new information and opportunities to learn. 
• Looks for answers with the resources available before asking others. 

Beginner, approaching expected level for an intern:

• Rarely missed communications via email or late response.  

• <3 rating from preceptors on timeliness or professional dress no more than 2 times.   

• Is usually engaged during class.   

• Absences are communicated with mostly ample time and are excused.  

• Repeatedly asks questions where the answers are readily available.  

• Waits to be directed towards new learning opportunities or tasks. 

Early Beginner, not at expected level for an intern:

• Assigned tasks with MDI team, research partners, or preceptors are late, incomplete, or of low quality.   

• Multitasks during class. Use of phone inappropriately in placements or class.   

• <3 rating from preceptors on timeliness or professional dress more than 2 times.   

• Consistently does not answer emails, responds in >48 hours, or does not initiate follow-up. 

• Is not prepared for class or rotations, does not complete pre-learning or readings.   

• Consistent unexcused absences or tardiness.  

• Is not prepared for class or rotations, does not complete pre-learning or readings.

Growth Mindset Expectations:  

• Interest in learning for professional and personal betterment versus grades or other rewards. 

• Find value and learning opportunities in experiences where these may not be apparent at the start. 

• Be open to new information, ideas, experiences, and approaches, even when these conflict with personal beliefs and prior experiences, creating space for true diversity of thought. 

• Practice flexibility and adaptability when situations change and embrace the potential for growth, when possible. 

Dietetic Systems Leadership is the mission of the MDIG Program.  

We prepare future RDNs to lead sustainable health solutions for people and the planet focusing on dietetics practice in Montana and the Rocky Mountain Region.  

• The MDIG Program Values are the foundation of a strategic plan to develop leaders. We 

• Challenge students to discover and develop their passions. 

• Nurture whole person self- and professional-development. 

• Practice and cultivate transdisciplinary inquiry and systems thinking. 

• Act with integrity and work towards a more just, inclusive, and livable future. 

• Acting in alignment with MDIG values facilitates a dietetics systems leadership approach. The dietetic systems leadership model pillars are: 

  Systems Thinking: Recognize and synthesize patters, interactions and interdependencies in a set of activities designed for a specific purpose 

  • Foundational knowledge: individual + policy, systems and environmental (I+PSE) conceptual framework for action, social determinants of health, UNESCO cross-cutting and specialized sustainable development goals (SDG) competencies 

  Personal Empowerment: Increase self-efficacy and professional growth 

  • Foundational knowledge: growth mindset, mindfulness, critical thinking, communication skills, True Colors ™ self-discovery activities 

  Dietetics Competencies: Demonstrate nutrition care for individuals + policies, systems and environments 

  • Foundational knowledge: Didactic program in dietetics and Dietetic Systems Leadership coursework in research, evidence-based practice, clinical, public health and policy, and food service management dietetics practice.  

  Collective Care: Shared responsibility for each community member’s wellbeing.  

  • Foundational knowledge: weight inclusivity, cultural humility, LGBTQ+ healthcare allyship, Indian Education for All, nutrition education and counseling. 

   

The MDI preceptors are an integral part of the program and the vital learning and development you provide interns is remarkable.  Thank you for your work and the outstanding difference you make!