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Credit for prior experiences in various aspects of the nutrition field may be granted in the supervised practice portion of the internship. The number of required supervised hours to be completed during the internship and the number of assignments required to be completed may be reduced upon review of prior learning experiences. This may mean that the intern may be able to complete program requirements ahead of schedule.

Internship fees are not reduced for those who receive credit for prior learning. However, the cost of participating in the internship may be reduced if fewer hours need to be completed as there may be reduced driving time (reduced mileage costs) and other costs associated with completing supervised practice hours such as meals away from home.

Nutrition experiences will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Any experiences that are requested must have occurred outside of undergraduate dietetic coursework and didactic program activities. How recent the experiences took place will be taken into consideration in the evaluation of prior learning experiences as well as well as how closely the prior learning experience matches to current experiences required of dietetic interns. Generally, experiences occurring more than five years prior will not be considered for prior learning credit. It is up to the discretion of the internship program director as to whether prior learning experiences older than five years will be considered for prior learning. 

PAL Procedure:

• New interns accepted to the program in 2018 and later will be required to provide the application by Oct. 1 of their first year in the program. Late or incomplete PAL applications will not be considered.
• PAL applications will be submitted electronically via D2L.
• The NDI program director will review the application package and determine how much credit will be allowed towards supervised practice hours. The program director reserves the right to contact the intern for additional documentation and clarification if deemed appropriate. 
• Credit for PAL is granted for learning, not just number of years worked or work experience.
• The maximum amount of PAL that could potentially be allowed are: Total PAL may not exceed 400 hours.
  • Up to 160 hours of management.
  • Up to 120 hours of community.
  • Up to 120 hours of clinical.
  • Up to 30 hours of school.

PAL Application Packet:

1. Resume: Provide a brief description of education, work, volunteer and service experiences. Page limit = 5 pages.
2. PAL Competency Form: This form will be available to students in D2L. When completing the PAL Competency Form: describe how your responsibilities have increased as you continued in your career, share examples of staff interactions, share examples of client education and describe projects. Examples of evidence that are helpful could include: sample projects and reports, letters from employer, clients and co-workers, job descriptions, copies of licenses, certificates, etc.