APPLICATION SEASON

  • Dietetics Programs

    Preparing For ISPP Applications

    An ISPP is another route you can take to accomplish your supervised practice and become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Let’s break it down.

    Have you heard of ISPPs?

    Have you heard of ISPPs? ISPP stands for Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway. They are an option for those that don’t get matched, and many people don’t fully understand how they work. Completion of an ISPP can still provide you with experience so you can sit for the national exam and become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics shares more about ISPPs here. We’re sharing a few tips on how to prepare for ISPP applications:

    1) Research.

    Just like traditional DIs, ISPP programs will have their own application requirements. Some ISPPs require a Ph.D!

    2) Contact Directors.

    Introduce yourself and have questions prepared that are not already answered on the program’s website.

    3) Secure preceptors.

    ISPP tracks are a similar model to distance dietetic internships. While preceptor searching is a lot of upfront work, the benefit is being able to CHOOSE your own preceptors and create your own schedule. Click HERE to learn five strategies for finding preceptors.

    4) Keep an open mind.

    Click HERE to read a 2017 success story and how the Purdue ISPP helped Natalie finally become an RD! An ISPP is a great option for you to stay on track and achieve your goal of becoming an RD.

    P.S. ARE YOU IN YET? The Get Matched Course is a 17-module e-course to walk you through EVERY step of the application process and increase your chances of landing a dietetic internship.

    CONTINUE READING

  • Dietetics Programs, Featured

    How Applying to an ISPP Helped Natalie Get One Step Closer to Her Dream Career

    Special thanks to Natalie Kocks, who shared her personal ISPP journey with us in 2017.

    My name is Natalie Kocks, and I am a recent graduate of Benedictine University, Lisle, IL. I am currently enrolled as a dietetic intern at Purdue University’s ISPP. The journey towards attaining a dietetic internship is most certainly not an easy one. At Benedictine, I ran Cross Country and Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field. I was also involved in the SAND (Student Association of Nutrition and Dietetics) club. I volunteered every summer at Parkview Regional Medical Center in the Nutrition and Dietetics department. I also gained experience as an intern, working with an R.D. who owns her fitness and nutrition company. I also interned with Foodie on Campus (an online magazine) and helped market the magazine via social media.

    In my senior year of college, I began the DICAS process and unfortunately did not receive a match. So I moved home and began working as a dietary aide at a nursing home and as a recipe developer, chef, and barista at a local natural market. In November, I reapplied to DICAS, and again, the words read “No Match.” I allowed myself to be upset for one day, and then I decided that this was what I wanted, and I refused to give up. I applied for a nutritionist position at a local WIC office and was offered the job. I have been working at WIC for the last six months and love it here! I learned about the Purdue ISPP from a Purdue ISPP intern doing her community rotation here at my WIC location! I decided to apply, and before I knew it, I was being interviewed and accepted my intern spot!

    “ISPP is an amazing opportunity for good DICAS applicants who slipped through the cracks to gain the internship they deserve.”

    ISPP is a fantastic opportunity for suitable DICAS applicants who slipped through the cracks to gain the internship they deserve. ISPP allows for flexibility; you can focus on areas of dietetics that you’re most interested in, and you can complete your entire training at home! 

    My advice to future applicants is never to give up. Not receiving a match to internships was one of the most devastating experiences I have had. Had it not been for my supportive family and friends and my deep-rooted passion for the field, I do not think I would have kept applying and putting myself out there. The best thing you can do is start gaining nutrition experience early on in your college career and continue to stay involved while working just as hard in the classroom. Please get to know your professors because you’ll need them down the road for positive letters of recommendation when you apply to internships.

    Thanks for sharing, Natalie!

    P.S. Our Get Matched Coaches can help you land the DI of your dreams. Let us help you have a happy match day!

    CONTINUE READING