HNSC practicum courses

Nutrition Practicum Food Industry Practicum

Nutrition Practicum

HNSC 4362 Nutrition Option Practicum (course outline)
This 6 credit course provides the student with the opportunity to work under the supervision of a supervisor in a professional workplace environment.  Placements involve working on a project in a community-based nutrition program, government or health care facility where concepts learned in the classroom can be applied to practical problems and projects. Students are required to spend a minimum of 100 hours in their placement, generally averaging 4 hours per week over the regular session academic year.

Practicum sites and projects vary from year to year.

Some of the agencies we have partnered with and/or continue to partner with include:

  • CanU
  • Dairy Farmers of Manitoba
  • Manitoba Council on Child Nutrition
  • Manitoba Health
  • National Aboriginal Diabetes Association
  • North End Food Security Network
  • St. James/Assiniboia Senior Centre
  • Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA)
  • Youville Centre

Is the nutrition practicum for dietetics-focused students only?

The nutrition practicum provides placements for students pursuing a dietetics career AND those that are pursing other nutrition-related careers. The practicum coordinator aims to find a placement that will be a best-fit by connecting a student to future career ideas, in and outside of dietetics.

 

What is Human Nutritional Sciences Practicum?

This is a six-credit-hour course that runs from September to April. In this course, students are assigned to a supervisor in a professional workplace environment to gain experience in a practical setting. This course provides an opportunity to work in a community-based nutrition program, government setting or health care facility where the concepts learned in the classroom can be applied to practical problems and projects. In addition to the 100 hours of work completed at the assigned practicum site, students are required to attend classes as scheduled and complete assignments that are related to their placement.

Do students have a choice as to where they are placed?

Efforts will be made to match students with a practicum placement that has been requested on the student practicum application form. However, placement sites vary each year and a best-fit will be employed to assign all students that have been accepted for a practicum placement. Students should be aware that placements may include experiences in one or more areas, such as food service, nutrition education, health promotion, and/or research.

What do past students report enjoying during their nutrition practicum placement?

  • the opportunity for “hands-on” learning
  • networking with professionals in the field of nutrition/dietetics and other health disciplines
  • opportunity to work with the public
  • applying theory to real life situations
  • applying or developing skills including, interpersonal, communication, problem solving, educational program development, time management
  • the opportunity to develop self-direction in their learning
  • feeling that they have made a contribution to an organization or community-based setting
  • developing a sense of identity as a professional

Check out these examples of placements and projects that have been completed by previous practicum students.

If you have any questions, please contact Carla D'Andreamatteo at Carla.D'Andreamatteo@umanitoba.ca.

Food Industry Practicum

HNSC 4364 Food Industry Option Practicum (course outline)
In the final year of the program, students will gain practical experience in the food industry through completion of HNSC 4364 Food Industry Option Practicum. This course involves supervised application of food quality, safety, and management principles in a commercial or government setting. Students will complete 280 hours of work related to the field experience. Given the intensive experience and time commitment, students should be prepared to take no more than this course in the term in which it is offered (fall and winter terms at present; summer is a possibility).

Food Industry Option placements in the past four years include:

Food Development Centre, Portage la Prairie

  • Food Product Development and Sensory Evaluation
  • Food Industry Management

Maple Leaf Foods

  • Quality Assurance

Fresh Hemp Foods

  • Quality Assurance

City Bread

  • Quality Assurance

Granny’s Poultry

  • Quality Assurance

Canadian International Grains Institute (CIGI)

  • Food Product Development

 

Application Form
Due: Wednesday, February 1, 2023