RD Exam and Internship Acceptance Statistics
INTERNSHIP AND PASS RATE DISCLOSURE
Internship Acceptance Rates
There are 580 active U.S. Based accredited/approved programs as of February 15, 2009, according to CADE. They are as follows:
|
Didactic Programs |
224 |
|
Coordinated Programs |
55 |
|
Dietetic Internships |
246 |
|
Dietetic Technician Programs |
55 |
|
U.S. Programs Applying for Candidacy |
7 |
|
International Coordinated Program |
2 |
An analysis of data on dietetics programs throughout the United States from January 2007 through October 2008 showed that 3,795 individuals applied for 2520 internship positions, a shortage of 1275 sites or 33%. It cannot be more strongly stressed that completion of your degree does NOT guarantee you acceptance into an internship program.
Following are the internship acceptance rates from the Missouri State University Program for the past two years:
|
When |
Received Internship |
Applied, did not receive at that time |
Applied and received internship next match |
|
Fall 2007 |
3 |
1 |
0/0 |
|
Spring 2008 |
9 |
6 |
2/2 |
|
Fall 2008 |
0 |
1 |
1/1 |
|
Spring 2009 |
19 |
6 |
To be determined |
Dietetics Registration Exam Pass Rate
In their March, 2009 newsletter, CADE reports the following for pass rate information for dietetics programs across the nation:
“Despite the fact that the average national pass rate for first time candidates on the registration examination for dietitians has remained relatively stable at approximately 80% over the past five years, data for individual programs suggest that some programs are outperforming others. When each program is ranked by its average student performance based on type, 33% of DI, 38% of CP, and 42% of DPD programs fell below the 80% first-time pass rate. Similarly, the average national pass rate for first-time candidates on the registration examination for dietetic technicians over the past five years has averaged around 66%, whereas 65% of DT programs fell below the 80% pass rate.”
If a student graduates from the Missouri State Dietetics Program, they must go on into an internship to be eligible to sit for the national registration exam, commonly called the RD exam. In the year 2008, 2,257 applicants took the exam with a first time pass rate of 82%, fail rate of 18%. A total of 2,921 applicants took the exam including those retaking it for up to three times with a pass rate of 72%, fail rate of 28%. It should be noted that the fail rate increases with the number of times the exam is taken.
Following is the information for Missouri State Dietetics Program’s pass rate for the 2008 year:
First Time Candidates for the Year 2008 |
|
|
First Time Candidates Taking Exam Jan – June 2008 |
3 |
|
First Time Candidates Taking Exam Jan – June 2008 - PASSED |
3 |
|
First Time Candidates Taking Exam Jan – June 2008 – Failed |
0 |
|
First Time Candidates Taking Exam July – December 2008 |
11 |
|
First Time Candidates Taking Exam Jan – June 2008 - PASSED |
11 |
|
First Time Candidates Taking Exam Jan – June 2008 – Failed |
0 |
Pass Rate for First Time Candidates |
100% |
|
Rewrite Candidates (note: This is the same student) |
|
|
Rewrite Candidates Taking Exam Jan – June 2008 |
2 |
|
Rewrite Candidates Taking Exam Jan – June 2008 – PASSED |
0 |
|
Rewrite Candidates Taking Exam July – December 2008 |
1 |
|
Rewrite Candidates Taking Exam July – December 2008– PASSED |
1 |
|
Rewrite Candidates Taking Exam July – December 2008– FAILED |
0 |