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Preceptor Resources

We are proud to announce that the leadership of the Academy has declared April to be National Preceptor Month!

Words cannot convey our appreciation to the many Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist and health professionals in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area and beyond for their continuous support.

Benefits of Being a Preceptor for Dietitians and Institutions
  • Recruitment: The institution has the advantage of reviewing the students' performance and screening them for a match as future employees.  Since the student is already familiar with the institution, they require less orientation and training upon hire.
  • Improved quality of care: A study by Zisberg et al. (2003) found that nurses gave a higher quality of care when working with students than when nurses were not working with students. This might be explained because the staff became more aware of their own performance and focused more intently on the care they were providing when working with the students.
  • Professional development:  Student presence and questions stimulate and intellectually challenge staff.  They bring fresh ideas and up-to-date information.  For example, many facilities have received assistance from interns with implementing the Nutrition Care Process.
  • Provide assistance with job responsibilities and additional duties:  For example, students can be asked to develop educational materials, analyze menus or teach classes that staff might not have the extra time to complete. 
  • Personal satisfaction: Experienced by staff who mentor students.

Free Online Preceptor Training

As of June 1, 2017, preceptors may record a total of 15 CPEUs per 5-year cycle for precepting and/or leadership on your Activity Log. For more information and  visit The Commission on Dietetic Registration which offers a free Online Dietetic Preceptor Training Module worth 8 CPEUs.

Preceptor Material 

Coding and Billing Handbook: A Guide for Program Directors and Preceptors - free for Academy members

This Handbook provides foundation knowledge and suggested supervised practice experiences to help interns become competent in this area. 

Be a Member of the DPG:
Nutrition and Dietetic Educators and Preceptors (NDEP) 

The dietetic education system is multi-tiered; consisting of didactic program instructors and directors, supervised practice program directors and preceptors. NDEP is the practice group for Dietetic Educators and Preceptors.  

All the faculty in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Marywood University are members and has found their membership as extremely worthwhile. The annual NDEP meeting is usually in the month of April and provides ~ 10 CPEs in 1.5 days.