From 1973 to 1993, the American Dietetic Association (now known as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics – AND) offered certain individuals an unaccredited “alternate” pathway to become a Registered Dietitian. Though it was not a well-known fact, these education pathways allowed individuals to gain knowledge and skills by working under the guidance of individual practitioners (sometimes called preceptors). Many individuals of these self-directed, flexible experiences went on to become leaders within the profession. Unfortunately, the lack of protections and formal accountability to the individuals, especially when practitioners were not able to uphold their end of a non-formal agreement, became problematic.
The Academy decided to try again and in September of 2011 developed the Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway or ISPP (“ispeys”). This time though, the ISPP is intended to provide supervised practice experience through either an Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) accredited Dietetic Internship or Coordinated Program. The ISPP at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) is a continuing education opportunity offered through the Dietetic Internship Program (DI) within the Department of Nutritional Sciences housed within the College of Allied Health (CAH). The ISPP at OUHSC is designed to provide individuals an opportunity to increase their knowledge of food and nutrition science and to acquire competencies needed to practice dietetics in a variety of settings. Upon successful completion of the ISPP, individuals are expected to have the knowledge and supervised practice experience in the areas of clinical, management and community needed to sit for the National Registration Exam for Registered Dietitians.
