​Prior Assessment of Student Learning
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MCH DI Program offers Prior Assessed Learning (PAL) to dietetic interns with significant, professional experience in community or food service management. Applicants may be granted credit towards rotation-specific supervised practice hours if they demonstrate that their prior experience meets the competencies defined by ACEND for an entry-level RDN. To be eligible to apply, the applicant must have been in their position for at least 6 months, full-time, or the equivalent.
Examples of professional experiences that may be considered for PAL credit include but are not limited to:
•NDTR or DTR in any setting
•WIC or Public Health Nutritionist
•Foodservice Supervisor/Manager/Director
Examples of prior experience that would not count as credit towards PAL may include but are not limited to:
•Any undergraduate course-related practicum or experience
•Volunteer work
•Personal trainer at an athletic facility.
•Owning a nutrition coaching business
All experiences need to have been done in a supervised context. Self-employed experiences do not qualify for PAL. While credit is awarded in terms of supervised practice hours, it is assessed based on the competency attained, not the number of hours spent in the experience. The tuition and fees for the MCH DI Program will remain the same, regardless of the amount of PAL granted. Decisions regarding the awarding of PAL credit are at the sole discretion of the Program Director. Submission of a request for PAL credit does not guarantee that such credit will be awarded, in full or in part as requested. The decision of the PAL committee is final.
PAL Guidelines​
Application for PAL credit should be submitted to the Program Director at least 2 weeks before the start date of the internship program. This allows applications to be evaluated promptly, and applicants informed of credit awarded (if any) before the start of the internship term. There is no "advance PAL" for work that has yet to be completed. Only one PAL application per intern will be evaluated. Additions or revisions of applications that have already been submitted are not allowed. Following review of the PAL application by the Internship Director or designee, the intern is informed as to which competencies have been assessed as “met” and the hours of internship time to which this is being applied. Hours are deducted from the applicable rotation(s), and the intern schedule is adjusted accordingly.
Begin by requesting a copy of the 2022 ACEND Competencies – PAL Worksheet from the Program Director. Review the CRDN competencies and consider how your professional work experience has demonstrated each required competency. Consider what documentation you will submit as evidence of meeting each competency. The PAL application should reflect professionalism, and not contain hand-written materials, blurry photocopies, photographs done with a cell phone, or other items that are not of professional quality. All materials should be included in one document. The entire PAL application should not exceed 20 pages, including supporting materials.
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Finally, attach supporting materials to document the activities reported. Appropriate supportive materials may include examples of projects completed, professional reports, presentations, educational materials produced by the applicant, job descriptions, performance evaluations, etc. These supporting materials must be clearly labeled as to which competencies they are demonstrating. Additional documentation/clarification of activities must be provided to the DI Director upon request. Failure to do so promptly may preclude obtaining PAL credit. Please follow all of the instructions carefully. While it is not possible to send draft applications for pre-review before submission, interns are welcome to ask specific questions to clarify their understanding of what is expected in advance of applying for PAL credit.