Course Outline and Assignments
Date
Topic and Assignments
* indicates class content
covered on final quiz
Sept. 9 Course description, routes to a professional career in nutrition and dietetics Read articles #1- 2 on future directions for the profession
Sept. 16
Process and procedures to apply for DI through Penn State
Mr. Scott Barbara, Staff Assistant, Nutrition Department
Read articles # 3-4 on issues related to Dietetic
Internship
Submit photo
of yourself (current color picture preferred, but photocopy of ID is OK) taped
on 4 x 6 card with your name printed in upper left corner and date of expected
graduation. (5 pts)
E-mail to LMorrow@psu.edu (with copy to sdb12@psu.edu)
your local phone number, home (family/permanent) address, and your
post-graduation plans: Do you plan to apply for a DI?
Follow precise directions for subject line found in section on
assignments (5 pts)
Sept. 23 Penn
State Dietetic Internship
Marie Kamp, MS, RD, Internship Director, Melissa Martilotta, MS, RD, Internship
Site Supervisor; Jennifer Savage, PSU DI Class of 2002
Read articles # 5-8 on info that may help you
eventually get a sports nutrition job.
Submit updated resume.
See examples in S-120 Henderson. Use
Career Services advice. (10
pts)
Submit photocopy of your ADA membership card.
See me if your application is in progress. (10 pts)
Quiz #1 and #2 deadline
Sept. 30
ARAMARK Dietetic Internship and the Utah State Distance Dietetic
Internship
Pat Richards, MS, RD, ARAMARK DI Director, Onikia Esters, MS, RD, Lab
Manager
Read articles # 9 - 11 on hospital accreditation,
alternative medicine and BC-ADM
E-mail a
comparison of three DIs using the Applicant Guide to Supervised Practice
Experience. I will give you a sheet that has 2 programs on it; you may select a
third program of interest to you. (10
pts)
Quiz #3 deadline
Oct. 7
National Institutes of Health Dietetics Internship
Maureen Leser, MS, RD, Internship Director, NIH
Read articles # 12-15 on importance of business skills
to your career
E-mail as attachment
(filename = yourlastname) first two pages of the ADA internship application.
Read web page for pointers on using the electronic form. (10 pts)
Quiz #4 deadline
Oct. 16 (Wed) The DTR, pharmaceutical sales rep and other
job opportunities for non-RDs
Jennifer Meengs, BS (PSU '91), RD, PSU Nutrition Dept. Research Scientist
Cheryl Wetmiller, BS (PSU'00), Sales Rep for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals
Read article # 16 about clinical privileges
E-mail as attachment
pages 3-4 (work experience) of the ADA internship application. (10 pts)
Quiz #5 deadline
Oct. 21
How to Apply to Graduate School and Prepare for the Graduate Record Exam
(GRE)
Stacey Dorang, PSU, Area Manager of Kaplan Educational Centers, Inc.
Read articles # 17 - 20 on professional issues related
to career opportunities
E-mail a “pasted in” draft of your letter of
application for a job, DI, grad school, etc.
Examine the examples of previous letters in S-120-A Henderson South and
read the pointers on web page. (10
pts).
Quiz #6 deadline
Oct. 28
Letters of Recommendation: How and whom to
ask
Read articles # 21 - 23 on reimbursement and
legislative issues
Submit hard copy of complete electronic application for
DI. Web page has information on
categories of courses and calculation of GPA in sections.
Refer to examples in S-120-A Henderson South. [Alternate assignment:: Email descriptions of 3 actual job openings that you could apply to.
Include information on how you learned of this job.
List the qualifications for the job and how you qualify or Submit copy of the application for a post-graduate program you plan
to apply to.] (10
pts)
Quiz #7 deadline
Nov.
4 *
Political
and legislative issues which affect nutrition professionals
Colleen
McCann, MPH, RD, PADA Licensure Lobbyist
Read articles # 24 - 25
on ADA professional development portfolio and Derelian talk
Submit a “portfolio” to showcase your professional
accomplishments to date. Use clear plastic sleeves to hold samples of your work.
See examples in S-120-A Henderson South.
Scroll to bottom of this page for lots more info. (10 points)
Quiz #8 deadline
Nov. 11 * ADA
Code of Ethics and Ethics Issues in Dietetics
Read articles # 26 - 28 on ethics in dietetics
E-mail the names of your US senators, US representative,
state senator and state representative (include your home address—where you
are registered to vote).See below for help in PA and some nearby states. (10
pts)
Submit a letter about a health/nutrition public policy
issue in which you state your opinion of the issue and the reason(s) for your
opinion. The letter should be
addressed to someone in public office that can affect the outcome of the issue.
Use information from Ms. McCann’s presentation for ideas.
Scroll down for more help below. The letter should be in business
format, printed from a word processor, signed by you, and paper-clipped to a
stamped envelope addressed to the official.
Assume that I will mail your letter. (10 pts)
Quiz #9 deadline
This site allows you to identify your US Representative from your state and zip code. If your congressman/woman participates in the "Write Your Representative" system, you can compose and send an email message directly to him or her from this site.
www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
Because everyone is represented by 2 US Senators, based on their state of residence, it is easy to find your US Senators' names and postal addresses starting from this site.
Not only is this the start to identifying your PA state representative but also gives you that person's address. The bonus for your Nov. 12 assignment, is that it gives you your PA state senator and your US legislators all on one page!
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp
This is the key to finding you legislator if you are registered to vote in New Jersey
Here's the start for New York residents to find their state senator. Select "senators" from the menu on the left, then use the zip code look-up to find your senator.
This page has a search for your New York assembly member by zip code look-up.
http://www.vipnet.org/cmsportal/
This is the home page of Maryland government. Select "General Assembly" and from there you will see how to find your legislator. Notice the URL template for all the state government pages.....
www.state. insert the 2-letter postal abbreviation here and end with .us/
Reminder for Nov. 11 letter.
** The letter is to be a printed hard copy that is signed you give to me in class or at my office. The letters should have these 3 points that show you have a notion about the legislative process
(1) Letter has your return address where you are registered to vote.... or at least corresponds to the representative to whom you are writing. If you are registered to vote at home, don't use your State College return address. If you're registered to vote here, don't use your family home address.
(2) Letter and stamped envelope have the correct address. Don't send your letter to a PA state senator to the US Senate in DC, etc. Be sure to include your return address where you are registered to vote, here in State College or at your family home. (If you're not registered to vote, it doesn't much matter which address you use because the legislator won't care about your opinion. You still have to do the assignment. I hope you will register soon so you can vote in the next election.)
(3) Letter begins by stating the issue and your position
on it. Use the Civics Facts reading to get an idea of which issues are relevant
to the US congress (medicare, etc.) and which issues are relevant to the state
legislator (licensure in PA or NJ)
Nov. 18 *
The art and science of negotiation: How to achieve a Win-Win situation
Marie Kamp, MS, RD, Dietetic Internship Director and Instructor in
Nutrition
Read article #29 - 31 on negotiation points for higher
salary
E-mail brief report and evaluation of a Career Services
seminar you have attended this fall on your choice of topic except resume
prep. (10 pts)
Quiz #10 deadline
Nov. 25 The
D&D Digital Computer Matching Process for DI/AP4 Applicants
Read articles # 32 - 34 with more info on ethics in
dietetics-- end of life issues
Submit final copy of your letter of application for a DI.
To document that you have consulted with at least one person (Career
Services counselor, writing center tutor, adviser, RD, mentor) about your
letter, this final copy is to be attached to draft copy with notations made by
your reviewer(s). Include
reviewer’s name/title. (10 pts)
Quiz #11 deadline
Dec. 2 Professional
organizations for nutrition graduates
Read articles # 35 -36 on professional organizations
E-mail a list of the 3 - 4 professional organizations of
greatest interest to you with reasons. (10 pts)
Quiz #12 deadline
Dec. 9
Review of application process, answer questions, course evaluation, etc.
Read articles # 37- 39 on career opportunities in
gerontology and ADA scholarships
E-mail a statement of your short term (year after you
graduate) and long term (5-10 years after graduation) career goals.
If you plan to apply to a DI in 2-03, please include a list
of the programs to which you plan to apply and the GPA you estimate you will
have at the end of this semester. This
information will be used to generate a list to be made available ASAP to assist
you in your final application decisions. The
list will not have student names, but will list DIs to which PSU students intend
to apply in Feb 2002 and the GPA ranges of those students. (5 pts)
Subscribe to the Student-PADA listserv. Send an email to listserv@lists.psu.edu; in the body of the
message write Subscribe Student-PADA
yourfirstname yourlastname. Send it and respond to the request for follow-up
information. It is my way to
communicate to you as a group after the NUTR 370 listserv is closed in January.
If it has no value to you, you can signoff in January. (5 pts)
Quiz #13 deadline
(on readings # 37-39 plus basic terms related to route to RD)
* Quiz #14 deadline
(on ethics class)
* Quiz #15 deadline (on
negotiation and legislative issues classes)
Portfolio Assignment--Detailed Information
This assignment is meant to get you thinking about saving examples of your professional work to display in a portfolio as a way to illustrate your skills and talents. Portfolios aren't just for artists anymore. Some futurists have predicted that portfolios will replace resumes in the future. I want you to be "ahead of the curve" and know what they are because you have your own. If you are proud of your portfolio, I suggest you bring it with you to interviews. If the interviewer asks you for more explanation about something that is on your resume and also in your portfolio, you will be able to SHOW part of the answer. Impressive!
This portfolio will contain the START of a collection of things you have created. Type a short explanation caption to attach to each item if it isn't self-explanatory. Ideas of what you could include are the following
 | Your resume typically goes on the first page |
| Your "advertisement" from NUTR 360 or other assignment from that class |
| Print "handout" in 6 slides per page format of a PowerPoint presentation you created |
| A page or two from your HRIM 330 pre- or post-production report that illustrates what you were doing as manager |
| A menu from a restaurant where you were a cook for one or more of the menu items |
| A flyer you designed to promote an activity for your organization |
| The concluding page from your NUTR 358 Healthy Adult project |
| Protocol page from a research project you assisted |
| A page from a Nutritionist V printout |
| Photo (and caption) of a display you created to educate the public on a nutrition or wellness issue |
| Cut out article you wrote for Collegian or local newspaper |
| Certificate of an award you won or membership in an honor society |
| Letter of thanks for volunteering at food or nutrition-related community service organization |
| A nutrition education piece designed for Penn State's Housing and Food Service |
| Photos of a research poster session you helped to author |
| Abstract from NUTR 490W paper |
I do not expect this to be a finished product. Rather, I want you to BEGIN to think of saving documents that illustrate what you have done or created. Put each item into a separate plastic sleeve; you may need to make a photocopy of part of a 3-4 page NUTR 360 project so each page can be seen. Do not stick a whole paper/project into one sleeve; each page needs to stand on its own and no one looking at your portfolio wants to read an entire research paper. The best way to bind the plastic sleeves, in my opinion, is to buy a "Presentation and Display Book" by ITOYA at the Penn State Bookstore. The size you want holds 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper, has 24 plastic sleeves permanently bound in the book, is about 1/2 inch thick and sells for $6.99. ITOYA also makes a less expensive 6-pocket book for $3.70. . I strongly encourage you to see the examples on display in my outer office, S-120 Henderson. Those aren't the best examples….they are just what students left and never bothered to pick up, but it does give you an idea of what could go in your portfolio.
Although it is rather unusual for undergraduates in a DPD to have to create a portfolio, a portfolio is the career-marketing tool of the future. An increasing number of internship programs are requiring their interns to create one. There is a book called "Portfolio Power: The new way to showcase all your job skills and experiences" by Martin Kimeldorf that is available for you to use as a resource. You can see it in the Career Services library with the resume books, M-F, 8-5 PM.
If you get your portfolio done early, please bring it to my office between 3:15 - 4:00 PM any Fri. through Nov. 1, between 4 - 5 Oct. 29-31 or 1:00 - 2:30 on Mon. Nov. 4 so I can check it there. All I'm going to do is see that you have it done, make a comment or two, and check your name off for that assignment. I don't want to keep them. I can't possibly see all of them in class (before and after) that day, so as many as can bring them to my office ahead of time would be helpful. I will stay after class to see the others. Or they can be turned in to my office by 8 PM and picked up later from the same place. The portfolios are too thick to slide under the door, and I'm not sure I'll stay after 8 PM that night.
BACK to SYLLABUS