Interview Phase for Nutrition Post-Graduate Practice Experience - January 2022 Cohort

The Interview Phase is for MUIH Nutrition Alumni who are interested in enrolling in the 6-month Placement Site format of the Professional and Continuing Education (PCE) Nutrition Post-Graduate Practice Experience.  The Interview Phase provides the necessary information candidates need to learn about the available placement site opportunities and to set up interviews with placement site contacts. The Interview Phase will end in November so candidates have time to make arrangements for a January program start date.

Candidates must enroll in the Interview Phase to be eligible for a Placement Site in the Nutrition Post-Graduate Practice Experience. There is no cost to participate in the Interview Phase. Participation in the Interview Phase does not guarantee a Placement Site.  Once a candidate is matched with a Placement Site, the candidate must register for the PCE Nutrition Practice Experience course and pay $1200 for the 6-month experience prior to the course start date.

Placement Sites are offering virtual and/or in-person practice experiences depending upon the site. Interviews may take place at the placement sites and/or remotely, depending on the site's preference.

Program Overview:

The Nutrition Post-Graduate Practice Experience is specifically designed to prepare MUIH nutrition alumni pursuing the Certified Nutrition Specialist® (CNS®) credential.  The Nutrition Post-Graduate Practice Experience provides up to 1000 hours of remote CNS-Approved Supervision for practice experience in the field of nutrition for graduates of the Master of Science in Nutrition and Integrative Health and the Post-Masters Certificate in Nutrition and Integrative Health from Maryland University of Integrative Health. To learn more about the Nutrition Post-Graduate Practice Experience, please visit: https://muih.edu/academics/ce/nutrition-practice-experience/

For the Placement Site format, MUIH has partnerships with clinics, hospitals, senior living centers, and integrative centers for MUIH graduates to obtain practice experience. Candidates will interview at the placement site(s) of their choice. Placement sites will provide approximately 10-20 hours of nutrition-related work per week.

This format also includes:

• Access to the Natural Care Center in Laurel, Maryland to provide nutrition counseling for self-recruited clients.
• Professional Liability Insurance through MUIH.
• Maryland-licensed supervisor to oversee clinical care.

Additional Course Benefits and Information:

This course includes the added value of unlimited 1-on-1 mentoring and bi-weekly group web conferences covering a wide range of topics to assist with your professional development, as well as exclusive presentations with expert guest speakers. Topics include practice management, review of clinical concepts, therapeutic diets, community nutrition education, and tutorials on how to navigate BCNS^SM documentation, and more.

The CNS-Approved Supervisor will monitor the candidate’s progress remotely using the “CNS Supervised Practice Experience Tracking Tool”. Completion of all 1,000 hours needed is not guaranteed. Hours completed during the course will be verified by the CNS-Approved Supervisor through several evaluations, including but not limited to the Tracking Tool, mentoring calls, preceptor evaluations, and an e-portfolio. Candidates are responsible for reviewing the CNS^® certification requirements and resources available on the American Nutrition Association website at https://theana.org/certify.

All practice experience paperwork required by the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists^SM (BCNS^SM) with approval signatures will be submitted upon completion. Completion of hours does not guarantee a favorable recommendation for certification. Recommendations are based on the candidate’s performance, competencies, and professionalism exhibited throughout the course.  Throughout the experience, each candidate will participate in unlimited individual mentoring sessions with a CNS-Approved Supervisor to achieve an optimum learning experience while ensuring the desired practice experience hours are reached.

Registration:

Interested candidates must register for the Interview Phase by Monday, October 11, 2021. 

*When registering for this course, and other PCE courses, you are required to enroll with a non-MUIH.edu email address that you frequently access to avoid any disruptions in access to your PCE learning tools, Canvas Catalog and Canvas.  Please refer to the PCE Nutrition Practice Experience registration guide for details.

Pre-Requisites:

• MUIH Master of Science in Nutrition and Integrative Health

OR

• MUIH Post-Master’s Certificate in Nutrition and Integrative Health

Instructor Bio:

Elizabeth Owens joined Maryland University of Integrative Health in 2014 and is the Director of Experiential Programs for the Nutrition & Integrative Health Department. She is a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS®) practitioner and Licensed Nutritionist in Maryland and Washington, DC. She holds a master's degree in Applied Clinical Nutrition from New York Chiropractic College, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. Elizabeth completed her undergraduate studies at the State University of New York College at Cortland, where she majored in Health Sciences and minored in both Biology and Chemistry. Prior to joining MUIH, Elizabeth worked in health and wellness positions at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, GA and at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, DC. She is a certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise, and a Certified Ketogenic Nutrition Specialist through the American Nutrition Association. Elizabeth is a member of the Institute for Functional Medicine and American Nutrition Association. She has a private practice in Northern Virginia where she shares her love for whole foods and healthy living with individual clients and the community.

Program Director Contact:

Elizabeth Owens, MS, CNS, CKNS, LDN

Director of Experiential Programs

Nutrition & Integrative Health

7750 Montpelier Road | Laurel, MD 20723

410-888-9048 ext. 6775 | eowens@muih.edu