21 NCAC 17 .0104 APPLICATIONS

(a) Each applicant for initial licensure shall file a completed application with the Board. Application forms are available at www.ncbdn.org.

(b) A complete application shall be:

(1) typed;

(2) signed by the applicant affirming that the information on the application is true and releasing to the Board information pertaining to the application;

(3) accompanied by the application, issuance, and criminal history record check fees; and

(4) accompanied by evidence, statements, or documents demonstrating the applicant meets the applicable requirements specified in G.S. 90-357.5 and this Rule and the applicant is not in violation of G.S. 90-363.

(c) Applicants shall submit a completed application to the North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition via its website at www.ncbdn.org.

(d) The Board shall not review an application until the applicant pays the application fee. The fee may be paid online via credit card, or by check or money order mailed to: North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition, 1135 Kildaire Farm Road, Suite 200, Cary, NC 27511.

(e) Examination information for each of the examinations the Board recognizes may be found on the following websites:

(1) Information regarding the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist examination offered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration may be found at: https://www.cdrnet.org/program-director/student-instructions.

(2) Information regarding the Certified Nutrition Specialist examination offered by the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists may be found at: https://theana.org/certify/CNScandidate.

(3) Information regarding the Diplomate of the American Clinical Board of Nutrition examination offered by the American Clinical Board of Nutrition may be found at: https://www.acbn.org/apply.

(f) Before cancelling an application, the Executive Director shall send notice to an applicant who does not complete the application that lists the additional materials required. An incomplete application shall be valid for a period of four months from the date the application is filed with the Board. Four months after submission of an application, if the application and any required documentation has not been completed by the applicant, the application shall be considered cancelled due to failure to complete. Complete applications that the Board determines require additional evidence under Paragraph (m) of this Rule shall be eligible for consideration for the timeline set forth in that Paragraph.

(g) Applicants providing evidence of current registration as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist by the CDR in G.S. 90-357.5(a)(2) shall submit a photocopy of the applicant's registration identification card, or a copy of a CDR Credential Verification certificate certifying that the applicant is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.

(h) Applicants providing evidence of completing academic requirements in G.S. 90-357.5(a)(1) shall either:

(1) Submit transcripts and a verification statement that includes the original signature of the Program Director of a college or university where the course of study was accredited by the ACEND as meeting the competency requirements of the most current edition of the Accreditation Standards for Nutrition and Dietetic Didactic Programs; or

(2) Submit documentation, including official transcripts, demonstrating the course of study met the competency requirements of the most current edition of the ACEND Accreditation Standards for Nutrition and Dietetic Didactic Programs, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Copies of these standards may be obtained at no charge from ACEND's website at: https://www.eatrightpro.org/acend/accreditation-standards-fees-and-policies/2022-standards-and-templates.

(i) Applicants providing evidence of completing academic requirements in G.S. 90-357.5(c) shall submit documentation, including official transcripts, demonstrating completion of the requirements stated in G.S. 90-357.5(c)(1).

(j) Applicants providing evidence of completing a Board-approved internship or documented, supervised practice experience in G.S. 90-357.5(a)(1)(b) shall either:

(1) Submit a verification statement that includes the original signature of the Program Director of a documented, supervised practice experience that has been accredited by the ACEND as meeting the competency requirements of the most current edition of the Accreditation Standards for Nutrition and Dietetics Internship Programs; or

(2) Submit documentation demonstrating at least 1000 hours of documented, supervised practice experience, meeting the competency requirements of the most current edition of the Accreditation Standards for Nutrition and Dietetics Internship Programs issued by ACEND. The scope of activities may include alternate supervised experiential learning such as simulation, case studies, and role playing, but must also include at least 750 hours of direct supervised experiential learning. The 1000 hours must be concurrent with or following completion of the academic requirements for licensure and need not be a paid experience.

(k) The following shall be necessary for applicant's submitting proof of completion of a Board-approved internship or a documented, supervised practice experience in nutrition services under Subparagraph (j)(2) of this Rule;

(1) If there shall be more than one supervisor or facility for different parts of the supervised practice experience, information and verification of each part, as provided in Subparagraphs (2) and (3) of this Paragraph, is required.

(2) The applicant shall provide to the Board for each supervisor/facility:

(A) the name and address of the facility providing the supervised practice experience;

(B) the name, address, phone, and title of the supervisor who supervised the supervised practice experience;

(D) evidence that the supervisor met the requirements stated in G.S. 90-357.5(a)(1)(b) at the time of supervision; and

(E) an attestation that the supervisor is not related to, married to, or domestic partners with the supervisee.

(3) Each supervisor shall:

(A) regularly, commensurate with the care provided, observe the provision of nutrition care services by the student or trainee supervised, and evaluate, authorize, and approve all nutrition care services of the student or trainee supervised;

(B) maintain primary responsibility for and control over all nutrition care services performed by the student or trainee, including clinical record keeping;

(C) ensure the student or trainee is designated throughout the supervised practice experience by a title that indicates the individual's status as a student or trainee;

(D) verify that the applicant participated in nutrition services under his or her supervision, stating the total number of hours;

(E) provide a summary of the nutrition services completed under his or her supervision; and

(F) provide an evaluation of the applicant for the Board to be able to assess the applicant's performance in completion of the competencies required by ACEND.

(l) Applicants providing evidence of completing a Board-approved internship or documented, supervised practice experience in G.S. 90-357.5(c)(2) must submit documentation demonstrating at least 1000 hours of documented, supervised practice experience, meeting the requirements as stated in G.S. 90-357.5(c)(2). The scope of activities may include alternate supervised experiential learning such as simulation, case studies, and role playing, but must also include at least 750 hours of direct supervised experiential learning. The 1000 hours must be concurrent with or following completion of the academic requirements for licensure and need not be a paid experience. Learning experiences must prepare students to provide nutrition care services for various populations of diverse cultures, genders, and across the life cycle, which may include infants, children, adolescents, adults, pregnant/lactating females, and older adults and to be able to competently formulate actionable medical nutrition therapies and interventions, education, counseling, and ongoing care for the prevention, modulation, and management of a range of acute and chronic medical conditions, including:

(1) underweight, overweight, malnutrition, and obesity;

(2) cardiometabolic;

(3) endocrine;

(4) immune and autoimmune; and

(5) gastrointestinal disorders.

(m) The following shall be necessary for proof of completion of a Board-approved internship or a documented, supervised practice experience in nutrition services under Paragraph (l) of this Rule:

(2) The applicant shall provide to the Board for each supervisor/facility:

(A) the name and address of the facility providing the supervised practice experience;

(B) the name, address, phone, and title of the supervisor who supervised the supervised practice experience;

(D) evidence that the supervisor met the requirements as stated in G.S. 90-357.5(c)(2) at the time of supervision; and

(E) an attestation that the supervisor is not related to, married to, or domestic partners with the supervisee.

(3) Each supervisor shall:

(B) maintain primary responsibility for and control over all nutrition care services performed by the student or trainee, including clinical record keeping;

(C) ensure the student or trainee is designated throughout the supervised practice experience by a title that indicates the individual's status as a student or trainee;

(D) verify that the applicant participated in nutrition services under his or her supervision, stating the total number of hours;

(E) provide a summary of the nutrition services completed under his or her supervision; and

(F) provide an evaluation of the applicant for the Board to be able to assess the applicant's performance in the provision of nutrition services, as defined in 21 NCAC 17 .0101(12), to address, at a minimum, the acute and chronic medical conditions listed in Paragraph (l) of this Rule.

(n) Applicants who have obtained his or her education outside of the United States and its territories shall:

(1) Have his or her academic degrees evaluated by a Board-approved foreign credential evaluating service as equivalent to a baccalaureate or higher degree conferred by a U.S. college or university accredited by the regional accrediting agencies recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education; and

(2) All documents submitted in a language other than English shall be accompanied by a certified translation thereof in English from a Board-approved translation service.

(3) The following foreign credential evaluating and translation services are Board-approved:

(A) Academic and Professional International Evaluation, Inc., which may be found at: www.apie.org;

(B) Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, Inc., which may be found at: https://www.acei-global.org/;

(D) Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc., which may be found at: www.aice-eval.org;

(E) Bruscan Educational Information Services, which may be found at: http://www.bruscan.com/;

(F) Center for Educational Documentation, Inc., which may be found at: http://www.cedevaluations.com/;

(G) Education Credential Evaluators, Inc., which may be found at: www.ece.org;

(H) Educational Perspectives, which may be found at: https://www.edperspective.org/;

(I) Foundation for International Services, Inc., which may be found at: https://www.fis-web.com/;

(J) International Education Research Foundation, which may be found at: www.ierf.org;

(K) Josef Silny & Associates, which may be found at: http://www.jsilny.org/;

(L) SpanTran: The Evaluation Company, which may be found at: https://www.spantran.com/; or

(M) World Education Services, Inc., which may be found at: https://www.wes.org/.

(o) If the Board determines that the application does not demonstrate satisfaction of the requirements specified in G.S. 90-357.5 and this Rule, the Board shall notify the applicant in writing. The notification shall include what is required to demonstrate the applicant meets the statutory requirements, and the applicant shall be:

(1) offered the ability to place the application on hold for a time period of up to one year from the date of the letter providing the Board's determination, so long as such a request is made in writing within 30 days of the date of the letter. During this hold time, the applicant may provide other evidence demonstrating the applicant satisfied the requirements the Board determined were not met;

(2) offered the opportunity to appear for an interview before the Board. At any time during that interview, the applicant may stop the interview, and request to have all or any part of requested information provided in writing; and

(3) offered the ability to withdraw the application so long as such a request is made in writing within 30 days of the date of the letter. The applicant will be allowed to apply for licensure at a later time.

(p) If an applicant who received the notice specified in Paragraph (o) of this Rule does not provide a written response to the Board within 30 days of the date of the notification requesting that he or she be granted an interview or his or her application be placed on hold or withdrawn, or after the opportunity for an interview the Board determines the applicant has still not demonstrated satisfaction of the requirements specified in G.S. 90-357.5 and this Rule and the applicant has not requested his or her application be placed on hold or withdrawn, the Board shall issue the applicant an official rejection as provided in G.S. 90-358.

(q) A rejected applicant shall have 60 days from the date of official rejection to request a contested case hearing in accordance with the rules of this Chapter.

History Note: Authority G.S. 90-356; 90-357.5; 90-357.6; 90-358;

Temporary Adoption Eff. March 19, 1992 for a Period of 180 Days to Expire on September 13, 1992;

Eff. June 1, 1992;

Recodified from 21 NCAC 17 .0004 Eff. February 1, 1995;

Amended Eff. December 1, 2011; July 18, 2002; March 1, 1996;

Readopted Eff. August 1, 2019;

Amended Eff. January 1, 2023.