experience

  • Dietetics Programs

    How to Find Remote Nutrition Experience

    Nutrition students are busy! Here are some tips to find flexible, remote nutrition experience that will fit your schedule and boost your DICAS Application.

    A great GPA, a well written personal statement, and stellar references are all key factors in building the ideal DICAS application. But nutrition experience is also one of the top deciding factors for many dietetic internships. However, it can be difficult to try to fit quality nutrition experience into your already busy schedule. Without a flexible job, you might feel stuck on your path toward becoming the best DICAS applicant ever. Fortunately, we are in a time where things like social media, telehealth, and virtual communications are on the rise. Now is the perfect time to jump on the virtual bandwagon by finding remote nutrition experience and showcasing how creative you can be!

    Check out our Get Matched course to find out more ways to build your DICAS application

    What kind of remote dietetics experience is available?

    Remote nutrition services, or telenutrition, have been growing for more than a decade. New research shows these services will continue to grow and become more popular. Therefore, seeking out opportunities for work with telenutrition or remote dietitians can help prepare you for continued growth in the field and provide distinctive experience for your application.

    Social media platforms are always growing and becoming a go-to place for news and information. We don’t want to keep reading the same content every day, so there is a nearly endless need for creative and out-of-the-box social media and website content.

    Dietitians are primarily healthcare professionals, but they are also largely educators. There are excellent opportunities to remotely build experience in creating/editing educational materials. RDs are looking for materials including flyers, nutrition labels, or educational videos. Helping with this type of content will look good in DICAS and be helpful in your future!

    How do I find this virtual work?

    A quick google search for remote nutrition experience will bring you dozens of jobs sites, such as Chegg’s internship page, with some great opportunities. Many of these opportunities are specifically looking for nutrition and dietetics students.

    Every dietitian remembers the hard work it took to get them where they are today. So most RDs are eager to help nutrition students. Reach out to your favorite RD on Instagram or LinkedIn to see if they have remote work you can do. Find someone that inspires you or has your dream job as an RD, and send them a message. This can be a little intimidating. Not every RD will have the capability to take on extra help, but the worst they can say is no. So give it a shot!

    Consider the sample letter below to get you started –

    Dear [NAME],

    I’m currently a dietetics student with [SCHOOL]. Like you, I have a passion for [talk about why you chose this RD. Do you share an interest in hormone balance, plant based diets, or holistic nutrition? Do you hope to work with a similar demographic? Be specific, let them know you’ve done your research].

    I would love the opportunity to work with you remotely. [Talk about what you can offer. Do you have stellar writing, research, or photography skills? Are you social media or tech savvy? Are you great with creating content that their audience can relate to?]

    Please feel free to contact me here or at [provide an email, phone number, and/or other form of contact – make it as easy as possible to find you!] to discuss what help you might need.

    Thank you for your consideration!
    [YOUR NAME]

    Be a leader

    If you’re struggling to find a dietitian who needs extra help or a job posting that is appropriate for you, be a leader and create your own remote experience! Nutrition leadership experience is always something that shines bright on a DICAS application. Find a way to be innovative and challenge yourself to find a new way to share nutrition. For example, consider a weekly vlog that addresses important nutrition tips for a niche population or a virtual nutrition club that helps other students stay focused. Make the most out of the time you have!

    We hope these tips have helped sparked some ideas for ways you can get significant nutrition experience that fits into your schedule. For more ideas on gaining experience, check out this post!

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  • Student Life

    Gaining Nutrition Experience While Still in College

    We all have one classmate who seems to have years of nutrition experience, even though they’re still in school. Take our advice and gain experience, too.

    Nutrition experience can help you succeed in matching to a dietetic internship program and getting one step closer to becoming a Registered Dietitian. But where do you begin? Instead of comparing yourself to another classmate, follow this list and you’ll be racking up shadowing dates and volunteer experiences in no time.

    1. Befriend your Professors

    Your professors are key to making connections in the nutrition field. Many of them have work experience outside your university, so they can help guide you in the right direction. Plus, they can give great advice that will help you succeed.

    2. Go to Local Conferences

    Your future mentor might just be sitting next to you! Conferences draw RD’s from all over your state, so you never know who you will meet. Plus, the presentations will teach you something new and may even inspire your niche.

    3. Join a Club

    Clubs at school can help you find opportunities in and out of your university. They can also help connect you with faculty or outside professionals to score a volunteering or shadowing opportunity.

    4. Use Technology

    Scout LinkedIn for professionals in your area who are working in the field you are interested in. Find someone? Don’t be shy and send them a message.

    5. Put your Foot in the Door, Sometimes Literally

    Want to work in a hospital one day? Start by volunteering and work your way up. Is food service your calling? Snag a job in a restaurant. Being able to get a feel for your desired environment is key to finding more opportunities.

    P.S. ARE YOU IN YET? Join thousands of future dietitians on our free weekly newsletter! 

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  • Dietetics Programs, Student Life

    How to Get Dietetics Experience Before Applying to Dietetic Internships

    True or False: “I need to have clinical experience to be competitive for an internship.” This may be true if the emphasis of the program is clinical. However, broad and unique experiences may sometimes outweigh clinical experience, depending on the program director’s selection criteria for its applicants. And since “a wide variety” implies having more than one dietetics experience, you must seek out experiences before your application year. Let’s get moving!

    Click here to learn more about Get Matched Coaching to get 1:1 support through to get you into your dietetics program.

    If you ask any dietetics student about what it takes to be more competitive with their internship applications, you may hear, “Start volunteering soon and often!” Then, they will emphasize that you should get as many experiences as you can before you are in the process of applying. Your experience says a lot about your interests as well as your personality traits. Be proactive about gaining experiences by taking the initiative. Show that you can juggle multiple things at once.

    A great example is holding a part-time job during the semester. You also want to convey your willingness to learn new skills and show your enthusiasm for learning. Take on a position that may be extra challenging. As directors review your experiences, they will notice qualities like professionalism, multitasking, leadership, and solid communication (to name a few).

    Create Experiences Worth Writing About

    Your experiences are what you will use to show that you have the skills to excel in the internship. If you can’t find good experiences offered through your school or within your community, start a new club or work with an RD that can be your mentor and provide invaluable one-on-one expertise. It shows that you are a go-getter and are not afraid to take the initiative!

    Variety is Key

    During the internship, each rotation may be very different from the others. Racking up the exposure in a lot of different areas will make your training year less intimidating. Getting experience in basic clinical, food service, and community areas are crucial since these are required rotations for every DI. Once you’ve done that, expand to more specialized areas like research, business, entrepreneurship, sports nutrition, pediatrics, or communications. Not only will you have your bases covered with “typical” student positions, but you can also bolster your application with impressive add- ons that allow you to rise above the crowd.

    Making the Ask

    How exactly are you supposed to go about finding these impressive add-ons? Let me be the first to tell you that Google can only take you so far! As dietetics students, we all crave opportunities to prove ourselves in the professional world. However, you must be willing to take some risks. I want to let you in on my secret called “making the ask.” Here’s how it works. If you haven’t already spent some time on the Internet researching companies, hospitals, professional organizations, dietitians in private practice, etc., then it’s time you got started. First, do the obvious. Check and see if they offer established internships or volunteer experiences. If they don’t, make the ask! If you don’t ask, your answer is always NO.

    Not quite “experience-hungry” yet? Keep in mind that a wide variety of experiences will allow you to:

    • Decide what you are interested in
    • Gain contacts in the field
    • Show your willingness to learn and commitment to the profession
    • Expand your skillset
    • Prove to directors that you take the initiative to gain as much experience as possible
    • Take advantage of breaks

    Use Your Breaks Wisely

    If you are lucky enough to have them, utilize those month-long winter breaks to squeeze in more experience or even get started on applications! Here are some ideas to stay busy in between semesters:

    • Volunteer at a food bank or soup kitchen. It will be hectic during the holidays.
    • Help an RD set up their blog and contribute posts regularly (nutrition communications!).
    • Volunteer at a hospital for any holiday events, especially in the foodservice department.
    • Start a blog of your own nutrition-related experiences.
    • Reconnect with your summer job supervisor to see if they could use an extra hand.
    • Use this time to set up shadowing appointments with various RDs to get to know more about the field.
    • Research and apply for summer job options. Many summer internships are filled by January.
    • Collect awards, past work, and projects and create an online résumé using Blogger.com, WordPress.com, or VisualCV.com. Put this link on your application résumé. It’s all the rage!

    PS. There you have it! Ready for more? This was an excerpt from my free e-book Dietetic Internships 101, which you can find in the Application Toolkit!

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