Preceptor Information
What is a preceptor?
ANFP requires each student to have a registered dietitian (RD) preceptor (supervisor/mentor) who coordinates your entire 150 hours of field experiences and directly supervises you for 50 hours of those field experiences. This is approximately 1 hour per week for a year. An online Preceptor's Manual is provided to each Preceptor to assist with this role.
The RD preceptor at your facility:
- Is a registered dietitian with at least 1 year of full-time experience post-registration. At least 6 months of this experience must be related to the course subject matter.
- Directly supervises each student in the facility for at least 50 of the required 150 field experience hours and monitors the total 150 hours.
- Helps the student plan the experiences and projects.
- Reports on the student learning experiences to the UND instructor by reviewing lessons, and submitting online evaluation forms to the student.
If a Certified Dietary Manager, Certified Food Protection Professional (CDM, CFPP) or Dietetic Technician Registered (DTR) is available as a preceptor at your field experience site, the 50 hours may be divided:
- An RD must supervise a minimum of 25 hours of nutrition-related content (Unit 3).
- A CDM, CFPP or DTR may supervise a maximum of 25 hours of non-nutrition-related material (Units 1 and 2).
As part of the 50-hour requirement, your preceptor(s) may include the time spent:
- Designing projects for you to complete
- Directly supervising your field experiences
- Reviewing lessons before submission to the instructor
- Submitting online evaluation forms
New Preceptor Application
If you need to change your preceptor, your new RD preceptor must submit the following to UND.courses@UND.edu
- Preceptor Application
- CDR Registration number is required on the application
About Preceptors
What if I don't have a preceptor?
You may use the services of an RD preceptor (online format only) from the University of North Dakota. The non-refundable service fee for the RD preceptor is $350. Once your registration is processed, there are no refunds for the RD preceptor service fee.
How much time does my RD preceptor need to spend with me?
The Certifying Board for Dietary Managers requires you to have an RD preceptor that spends a total of 50 hours directly supervising you. This is approximately 1 hour per week for a year.
Your RD review all lessons before they are submitted to the instructor, and provide the student with a Preceptor's Evaluation Form for each lesson. The RD may spend less time on some lessons, and more time on others, depending on your needs. However, the total at the end of the course must add up to 50 hours.
If a Certified Dietary Manager, Certified Food Protection Professional (CDM, CFPP) or Dietetic Technician (DTR) is available as a preceptor at your field experience site, the 50 hours may be divided:
- An RD must supervise a minimum of 25 hours of nutrition-related content (Unit 3).
- A CDM, CFPP or DTR may supervise a maximum of 25 hours of non-nutrition-related material (Units 1 and 2).
- Online Preceptor Manuals are provided to all Preceptors identified on the student's registration form.
What does a CDM/DTR preceptor do?
A preceptor may be a Certified Dietary Manager, Certified Food Protection Professional (CDM, CFPP) or Dietetic Technician Registered (DTR) at your site.
A CDM, CFPP or DTR may split the 50-hour preceptor requirement with an RD by supervising a maximum of 25 hours of non-nutrition-related material (Units 1 and 2).
As a preceptor, the CDM, CFPP or DTR may sign off on lessons in non-nutrition areas of the course, (all except Unit 3).
What activities can my preceptor(s) count toward the 50-hour requirement?
As part of the 50-hour requirement, your preceptor(s) may include the time spent:
- designing projects for you to complete
- directly supervising your field experiences
- reviewing lessons before submission to the instructor
What happens if my RD preceptor leaves my facility? Or I need to change my preceptor?
You must have an RD preceptor in order to complete the course. If your preceptor leaves your facility, you may ask the person who took his or her place to be your preceptor. Your administrator will help you with this process.
If you need to change your preceptor, your new RD preceptor must submit the following to UND.courses@UND.edu :
- Preceptor Application
- CDR Registration number is required on the application