Didactic Program Director Responsibilities

Application Phase

Didactic Program Directors are responsible for advising applicants participating in the computer matching process. This should include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Provide access to the Academy/ACEND website directories and encourage activities that acquaint students with dietetic internships and the application process.
• Provide applicants with a copy of the Applicant Responsibilities for the Application, Computer Matching and Appointment Procedures available on the Academy website and computer matching information available on the D&D Digital Web site.
• Ensure that students understand that they must do the following two items:
  • Submit a complete on-line application via DICAS or a complete paper application packet for each dietetic internship they are applying to AND;
  • Register on the D&D Digital Web site, pay the computer matching fee with a credit card and submit their prioritized list of selected dietetic internships online to D&D Digital before the designated deadline dates (Refer to Dates for the Computer Matching Process for each appointment period).
• Complete Declaration of Intent to Complete or Verification Statement form for each applicant. You will receive email notification from DICAS with a request to submit Intent to Complete or Verification Statement. You must still provide paper verification statements with your original signature to all program graduates.
• Write references for applicant promptly upon request and encourage applicant to request other references well in advance of the application deadline dates.

Computer Matching Phase

• Remind applicants participating in the match to view their personal matching information on Notification Day and confirm appointments with the DI Director by Appointment Day (Refer to Dates for the Computer Matching Process for each appointment period). Please remind applicants they only have 24 hours from Notification Day until Appointment Day to confirm acceptance or rejection of the match with the DI Program Director. Encourage applicants to also notify you of their personal matching results so that you may provide consultation and advice in this process.
• Inform applicants in the match of the following: As a participant in the computer matching process, it is expected that applicants who receive a match will adhere to the results of the match and accept that match. It is unacceptable to decline a match in order to pursue appointment to another supervised practice program.

Appointment Phase

• DPD Directors will have access to the list of matched/unmatched applicants with the DPDs the applicants are attending/attended on the day following Appointment Day.
• Dietetic Internships with openings may access the list of unmatched applicants the day following Appointment Day. All Dietetic Internship program directors with available openings will be given the option to review the list of unmatched applicants to see if any qualified applicants they originally entered on the D&D Digital website are listed. The Dietetic Internship program director may contact and invite any of those applicants on their original list who did not match to attend their program (Refer to the computer matching calendar for specific appointment dates and times).
• DPD Directors should alert applicants to the possibility of being contacted by Dietetic Internship program directors between the day following Appointment Day and two days following Appointment Day and being offered a spot in their program (Refer to the computer matching calendar for specific appointment dates and times).
• DPD Directors should communicate to applicants the importance of accepting a position offered to them during the interim period and not back out of an accepted position if given another offer.
• Applicants and DPD Directors will have access to the updated list of programs with open positions only on the D&D Digital Web site the third day following Appointment Day.
• Encourage applicants who are interested in participating in the second round selection to visit the Dietetic Internship Program's website for program specific application instructions. Applicants are also encouraged to update and submit their application on DICAS according to the deadline provided by the dietetic internship they are applying to.
• DPD Directors must provide the DPD Verification Statement to certify completion of the ACEND-approved minimum academic requirements including at least a bachelor's degree for each graduate who received a Declaration of Intent to Complete form and completed the DPD requirements before graduates begin the DI.