Specializations
Dietetic Interns take part in specialized training programs unique to UNC Greensboro! All students complete a baseline training in culinary medicine and sports nutrition. Afterwards students may pursue more in-depth studies in one or both of these fields.
Culinary Medicine
Registered Dietitian Nutritionists are accustomed to working with clients and patients in guiding them to healthier lifestyle patterns with a focus on medical nutrition therapy, food choices and menu planning.
Culinary Medicine provides another step by teaching them how to select, purchase, and prepare foods in a healthful manner. We are then able to connect those foods to not only overall health and well-being, but also to many chronic conditions that may be prevented, managed, and/or treated with improved nutrition and food choices.
Interns Learn
Culinary medicine principles, including:
- Knife skills
- Food safety
- Kitchen proficiency and confidence
- Empowering clients to maneuver in the kitchen
- Honoring cultural and socioeconomic differences
Evidence Based
We are cognizant of the “evidence-based” component of Culinary Medicine. We combine medical nutrition therapy knowledge with culinary skills and strengthen our presentation skills by providing programming to a variety of entities within our campus community, including Healthy UNCG and athletic teams.
Food Service Competencies
As an added bonus, the ACEND required food service competencies are demonstrated through Culinary Medicine training combined with experiential work in campus dining, field trips, and experiences with guest experts.
A few photos From our Lab
Sports Nutrition
UNCG dietetic interns will have the opportunity to gain practical experience with athletes by working alongside sports and performance dietitian RDN on various nutrition projects and initiatives for each of UNCG’s 17 division 1 Olympic teams (approximately 240 student-athletes), which include:
- Baseball
- Softball
- Basketball
- Soccer
- Tennis
- Track and Field
- Volleyball
- Golf
- Cross Country
In addition to receiving specialized exposure to UNCG athletes, UNCG dietetic interns can work with football and Olympic athletes from Greensboro College during their rotation to further diversify and maximize their exposure to sports nutrition interventions.
We prioritize a custom internship experience that is unique to the needs and interests of the dietetic intern. Thus, sports nutrition rotations can vary in length from 2 weeks to 16+ weeks and dietetic interns can also choose to specialize in the nutrition care for a specific team.
Current and former dietetic interns have engaged in the following opportunities (not an all-inclusive list) both during an assigned rotation, and during the 10-week campus-based boot-camp time.
- 1-1 Nutrition education and counseling
- Performance nutrition team talks
- Cooking classes using the Health Meets Food Culinary Medicine Curriculum
- Nutrition events
- Performance plate construction and education at team meals
- Social media post creation and development
- Supplementation protocols
- Recovery protocols
- Home and travel menu development
- Fueling station ordering, inventory, and budget management
- Hydration assessments using Gatorade Sweat Patches and Urine Refractometer
- Body composition measurements
- Other administrative roles of the athletics department (including all staff meetings)
- Certified Mental Performance Consultants
- Physicians
Dietetic interns will also work inter-professionally with other members of the student-athlete care team including, but not limited to: Athletic Trainers, Strength and Conditioning Coaches, Certified Mental Performance Consultants, and Physicians.
As part of UNCG’s dietetic internship program, all interns (whether completing a sports nutrition rotation or not), will have access to
- Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association (CPSDA)
- Sports Nutrition Care Manual
- The Academy’s Dietetic Practice Group (DPG), Sports and Human Performance Nutrition (SHPN)
- A sports nutrition training module (with accompanying resources) created by Madeleine specifically for UNCG dietetic interns
- Body composition measurement training using a BOD POD
