Dietetic Internships start by having a strategy for finding your preceptors. Creating a strategy is great place to begin before delving into how and who to contact. Figuring out the best way to contact preceptors can feel pretty tricky. Once you have a plan mapped out, creating a contact list will make it easy to keep track of who has already been contacted and who is interested in having you as an intern. Updating the list as you make calls will help you to not contact the same person twice.
Cold calling
First impressions are everything and a good first impression can definitely be made by cold calling preceptors. This can give them an idea of your communication skills. Preparation is key to properly articulate what you’re inquiring about.
- Have a list of preceptors to call for each rotation.
Research and make a list with potential preceptors’ names, phone number and email, categorized by rotation. Calling a minimum of 6 preceptors, 2 per rotation, is a great strategy to reach out to as many people as possible.
- Have a script prepared for each rotation.
There should be small changes between what you would say to a foodservice preceptor vs what you would say to a clinical preceptor. State your name and that you’re an intern seeking preceptors for “such and such” rotation.
- Be aware of all rotation requirements for your program.
Being able to answer questions can demonstrate how you prepare and organize for work. The potential preceptor might have questions for you about the number of hours you’ll be at the site and most importantly what time frame you are looking to start.
Emailing
Emailing preceptors can happen in two ways. After reaching out by phone, a preceptor might not have time to discuss the opportunity over the phone and will ask you to email information to them instead. The second way is making initial contact via email, where structuring the email succinctly will give them an idea of your ability to construct a professional email.
- Create an email template.
Doing this will make it easy to send emails to multiple preceptors for the same rotation without taking time to individualize each email.
- Give a minimum 2 days response time.
After no response for 2 days, try to reach them by phone. If you get to talk to the potential preceptor, kindly inquire about the email and briefly state your reason for getting in touch with them.
- Respond to decline emails.
This will help build rapport, especially if you think there is a chance you might apply to work as an RD at the facility in the future.
Check out this post on why everyone needs to be looking for preceptors!
For even more tips and helpful strategies to catch the eye of program directors check out the Get Matched Course! Click here to check out the course curriculum.
