Student-Assisted Services (SAS): An innovative clinical education model that prepares graduates for the future, contributes to health service delivery, and addresses internship shortages

THE COMBINATION OF AN AGING population profile and a rising prevalence of obesity and chronic disease increases the need for dietetics services.1 It is predicted that by the year 2020 only 75% of the demand for nutrition and dietetics practitioners in the United States will be met.2 A potential barrier to increasing the size of the dietetics workforce is the shortage of internships.3 Approaches such as team teaching have been trialed in hospitals,4 and although such initiatives provide some increase in student training capacity, they are unlikely to meet total placement demand.5 There is a need to explore innovative models of clinical education outside the hospital setting. Studentassisted services in underserviced settings may address workforce shortages and increase internship capacity.