4 Tips To Matching and Succeeding in Your Dietetic Internship

Hello! As my dietetic internship comes to a close ( just 6 weeks to go), I've been reflecting greatly on how crazy entering the field of dietetics can be. Four years of undergraduate education in nutrition followed by a 1200 hour dietetic internship is no small feat. Sometimes the process of becoming a dietetic intern can be intense so I thought I'd offer up some tips for matching and succeeding at your dietetic internship. Hopefully these tips will lead you to great success in a very rewarding career!

1. Contact the Internship Director: You can email/skype/set up a face to face meeting with them, just do something. Many internships get a minimum of 100 applications and I strongly believe that making contact with the internship director before applications are due can increase your chances of getting matched. Contacting the internship director is beneficial as it shows initiative that you are serious about the program. It may seem weird or uncomfortable to do this at first, but you will introduce yourself to so many people during the internship experience so you might as well start now. 

2.Do ANYTHING Related To Nutrition It doesn't matter if it is paid or unpaid. At the end of the day internship directors want to choose competent interns that can be an asset to their rotation site.  Gaining experience in any area of nutrition shows you can do just that.  Work as a diet aide, shadow a supermarket dietitian, or volunteer to teach basic nutrition to a youth sports team near you. The worst thing you can do is apply to a dietetic internship having done nothing related to nutrition. 

3. Enjoy The Ride (Once You Are Accepted!): Congratulations on being matched! It is a great accomplishment. That being said, the internship will have its ups and downs. Balancing projects, competencies, and working (for free!) is a lot. Don't worry, just keep breathing, and take everything in stride. The internship is a special time in which you get to be a sponge for 1200 hours and soak up all the knowledge your preceptors and coworkers have to offer. Don't just network, but make genuine connections with people. Yes, networking may get you some more LinkedIn connections, but being a genuine and polite person will probably take you farther (in dietetics and in life).

4. Ask! You want to see more tube feeding patients? Ask. You want get involved in a project your facility is completing because it will help you complete a competency? Ask. You want to borrow food models to take home from your rotation site so you can practice for a community presentation the next day? Ask. There is no harm in asking and most preceptors will be flexible (and impressed with your initiative). 

I've enjoyed the last ~4.5 years of my undergraduate education and dietetic internship immensely. I have gained a wealth of knowledge and experience that will be the foundation for my future career in dietetics. It is a long process, but I hope these tips will aid in the process and make the road to becoming a registered dietitian enjoyable!