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Onsite Option

Complete the internship in or around Lehigh Valley, PA. 

  • Onsite interns will complete their internship rotations within 1 hour of Allentown, PA.
  • It is recommended that onsite applicants live within 1 hour of Allentown, PA. Applicants should meet with the DI Team to determine if their geographic area qualifies as an onsite location. 
  • Site selection is handled by the program.  Intern preferences and professional goals are considered during the site placement process.
  • St. Luke’s University Health Network (inpatient and outpatient) 
  • Lehigh Valley Health Network (inpatient and outpatient) 
  • Long-term care facilities 
  • College Foodservice  
  • K – 12 School Food Service 
  • Bethlehem and Allentown Health Bureaus 
  • Retail Grocery Stores (Weis, Shoprite, and Giant) 
  • Diabetes Centers (Helwig and SLUHN Endocrinology)  
  • Private Practice  
  • Dialysis Centers (Fresenius and DaVita) 
  • Eating Disorder Treatment Centers 
  • And more! 

Distance Option

Complete the internship in YOUR community

  • Applicants design a rotation schedule that aligns with their unique professional goals and in the communities where they want to live and work.
  • Applicants must secure their CLINICAL and ONE COMMUNITY rotation by the time of application.
  • Remaining rotations can be finalized following program acceptance and with guidance/support from the DI Team.

STEP 1: Look for facilities in your area where RDNs are employed.  Interns will cycle through 5 rotations during the internship.  The rotations are as follows:  

  • Clinical [hospital or long-term care (LTC)] 
  • Food Service Management [hospital, LTC, k-12 schools, campus dining]  
  • Community Site 1 
  • Community Site 2 
    • Community sites vary widely and can include: WIC, Food pantries, Extension offices, Dialysis clinics, outpatient offices and clinics, eating disorder treatment facilities, private practice, retail/ grocery stores, and more!  

NOTE: All interns will return to Community Site 1 during Concentration except interns who are accepted into the Diabetes Concentration.  

All applicants applying for the distance option need to secure the following rotations before applying: 

  • 1 facility and preceptor for the Clinical rotation 
  • 1 facility and preceptor for a Community rotation 

After program acceptance, distance applicants will secure the remainder of their supervised practice sites.  Each distance intern will meet one-on-one with the Program Director to develop a plan for obtaining the remaining rotation sites.        

STEP 2: Review the rotation schedules listed below as well as the “forms to send to potential preceptors”.  Note that scheduling options differ depending on whether the applicant already has a master’s degree.  Send requests to potential preceptors and include the dates of the potential rotation (note: there may be more than one option depending on your calendar).  Applicants will complete the Fillable Rotation Calendar as a part of your Distance Application. 

STEP 3: After securing facilities & preceptors, each preceptor must complete the Commitment Form and email it back to you. You will submit this as part of your Distance Application to  

Forms to Send to Potential Preceptors:  

Submit with your distance application:  

  1. Completed preceptor commitment forms for at least clinical and 1 community rotation
  2. DI Rotation Calendar with secured rotations filled out

Should interruptions occur to a distance intern’s rotation schedule, the intern can complete rotations in the Lehigh Valley to maintain their anticipated internship completion timeline.  The cost of housing and transportation is the responsibility of the intern.  Interns can also pursue alternate local placements, however, this may cause delays in program completion (due to potential contract negotiation with new sites)