Dietetic Internship Rotation Objectives

Introduction

The Boston Specialists Dietetic Internship Rotation provides a specialized, immersive experience at the intersection of gastroenterology, allergy, and nutrition. Through structured clinical exposure, case-based learning, and interdisciplinary collaboration, interns gain the medical language fluency, clinical reasoning, and practical skills needed to work confidently in both outpatient and inpatient healthcare settings. The rotation emphasizes safe patient care, recognition of red-flag symptoms requiring medical referral, and competency in food intolerance and allergy-focused nutrition interventions.

Learning Objectives

1. Medical Fluency & Professional Communication

• Learn and use accurate GI and allergy terminology.

• Present cases using standardized (SOAP) medical format.

• Understand labs, imaging, endoscopy findings, and chart documentation.

2. Red-Flag Identification & Referral Skills

• Recognize when symptoms exceed dietary causes and require GI or Allergy referral.

• Understand basic differential diagnoses for common GI and allergy presentations.

• Examples: celiac disease suspicion, IBD red flags, dysphagia, weight loss, anemia, anaphylaxis risk.

3. Integration Into a Medical Clinical Environment

• Observe and participate in GI, Allergy, and Nutrition workflows.

• Learn care coordination, referral pathways, and communication with MDs and APPs.

4. Food Intolerance Testing & Counseling

• Understand breath testing (lactose, fructose, fructan, sucrose, SIBO).

• Provide dietary counseling and management strategies for food intolerances.

• Deliver at least one supervised counseling session by end of rotation.

5. Allergy-Focused Clinical Skills

• Understand supervised oral food challenge & OIT logistics, protocols, and safety.

• Observe and assist with skin prick testing, patch testing, and oral challenges.

• Learn dietary strategies for food allergy and EoE (elimination diets, reintroduction protocols).

Learning Activities and Rotation Schedule

Interns will participate in clinic Monday through Friday, 8am - 5pm. They will observe and be involved in a mix of GI visits, allergy visits, and testing procedures. There is also the option to observe dietitian visits on Monday evenings. Schedule can be adjusted to meet intern’s availability and specific learning objectives. Please refer to the following document for a more detailed proposed schedule. Interns are also asked to keep a log of the patient cases they observe/are involved in. A template can also be found in the document below. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CWltBzHW9VehFARBRQRloxQJv6Gx_87vMgdC0QnKC0E/edit?usp=sharing

Interns may be asked to prepare a presentation on a nutrition and allergy/GI related topic to present to clinic staff at the end of their rotation. They also may be asked to contribute to a project during their time in the rotation, usually directed at improving patient educational resources on dietary management. More information will be given to interns during their rotation.

Pre-Rotation Preparation

Download www.bfac.org/app or visit https://www.bostonspecialists.org/videos-1. Go to the video tab and review all educational videos (~3 hours)

Reading/Viewing materials:

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33493695/ (~3 hours)

• https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1qVi560lH9wpDmCploz4ohIAoiKRetSH3/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101838594674821607831&rtpof=true&sd=true (~1 hour)

• https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z6sqHb92Yu6SrrHwuu7SXjZ7K2Af3TI4/view?usp=sharing (~20 minutes)

Please review the following handbook that outlines in more detail the expectations of the rotation. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CWltBzHW9VehFARBRQRloxQJv6Gx_87vMgdC0QnKC0E/edit?usp=sharing

Please contact us at least 1 week prior to starting the rotation to review rotation logistics, scheduling, and other considerations.

First Day Information

Clinic Location: Boston Specialists, 75 Kneeland St, Floor 1, Boston, MA 02111

Transportation Information: No parking available, but we are located close to the orange and red line.

Time: Please arrive by 7:50am to ensure time for a brief orientation before the start of clinic.

Attire: Business casual.

Evaluation

Intern performance is evaluated by direct faculty assessment during clinical activities including oral presentations, written notes, evidence of outside reading, and professionalism. Punctuality is very important at Boston Specialists. An evaluation is completed at the end of the rotation by Dr. John Leung and will be sent back to your program. Intern will be evaluated by staff and patients at Boston Specialists as well.