Registered Dietitian (RD) Pediatric Residency Program

The CHOC RD Pediatric Residency program was created to meet the unique training needs of registered dietitians wanting to transition to pediatrics.

CHOC is the ideal setting for this program as a tertiary-level, state-of-the-art health system dedicated to advancing the health and well-being of children in Orange County and beyond. Our program is committed to ensuring the education, specialized training and support to assist you in transitioning into a successful, competent and confident pediatric dietitian.

About the Program

Our RD Residency Program is an 18-week program that is specifically customized to meet the requirements of the new graduate or the RD changing areas of specialty to be successfully transitioned to becoming a professional pediatric dietitian. The program emphasizes the following outcomes:

• Delivering safe, independent, timely nutrition care and practice according to the Standards of Practice and Standards of Professional Performance (SOP/SOPP) for Registered Dietitians in Pediatric Nutrition from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
• Role modeling CHOC’s Mission, Values, Vision, strategic goals, care model and nutrition philosophy.
• Advocating for patient, patient’s family and self.
• Integrating theoretical knowledge and past situations with clinical experiences to build upon their knowledge base.
• Participating in new opportunities at CHOC to grow both professionally and clinically.
• Building a network of professional relationships.
• Exemplifying the leadership skills they gained through the RD Residency Program by pursuing leadership and professional opportunities at CHOC and the nutrition profession as a whole.

Our RD residents accomplish these outcomes through the following components:

• Precepting. Work with trained preceptors to give you the personalized learning that you need to succeed.
• Didactic Curriculum. Evidence-based information, hands-on training, presentations from content experts and leadership building opportunities all assist in growing your knowledge base and skills in pediatric nutrition.
• Feedback/Evaluations. Not only do you receive feedback on the job in real time, but you will also have hand-off sessions between rotations as well as monthly progress meetings during the 18 weeks. These meetings are a time to reflect on your achievements and your goals to ensure you are on track to becoming a successful independent competent pediatric dietitian and the organization is meeting your needs.