Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway (ISPP) Certificate

Dominican University’s Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway (ISPP) Certificate program has been granted accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). ACEND policies for Individualized Supervised Practice Pathways (ISPPs) allow 1) graduates who did not match to a dietetic internship, but who possess a DPD verification statement, 2) individuals holding a doctoral degree without a DPD verification statement to apply for an ISPP program. However, eligibility requirements and options may vary by program. This program fulfills the supervised practice requirements to sit for the Registration Examination for Dietitians administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). The supervised practice includes a minimum 1000 hours of field experience in community, clinical nutrition, outpatient, food service management, and specialty supervised practice rotations. Upon completion, interns receive a verification statement for the CDR eligibility application to take the Registration Examination for Dietitians. Interns admitted to the program are expected to follow the specific policies and procedures described in the Coordinated and ISPP Programs in Dietetics Handbook in addition to the guidelines in this Bulletin. See specific guidelines in the Coordinated and ISPP Programs in Dietetics Handbook on our website.

To qualify for the ISPP, students must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) verification statement from an ACEND-accredited DPD program and must not have received a match through the formal internship matching process of DICAS and D&D Digital. In addition, starting in January of 2024, it is required to have a master’s degree (based on student preference) before you can receive the Verification Statement. Interns enrolled in this program have the option of starting the program after already completing a M.S. or completing a M.S degree simultaneously while completing this program.  When applying for a program applicants must submit proof of completion of a M.S. degree or acceptance into a M.S. program. The final transcript indicating M.S. degree completion must be submitted before the intern can receive their Verification Statement at program end.