distance internships

  • Director Interview: Be Well Solutions Dietetic Internship

    A Dietetic Internship Director tells all! We connected with the Program Director at Be Well Solutions Dietetic Internship to answer your questions about distance dietetic internships, how to be a competitive applicant, and much more.

    What are the top three things applicants can do (besides good grades and getting experience) to stand out?

    In terms of DICAS, we review all aspects of the application to obtain the whole picture of each applicant. Strong applicants tend to have certain qualities:

    • – Passion. It is evident when applicants demonstrate their passion for the dietetics field by illustrating compelling stories in their statement.
    • – Communication skills. Strong written and oral communication skills are essential for success in our program, and we score these qualities in the DICAS application and the interview.
    • – Be organized. We can tell when applicants have been intentional with all aspects of their application and are thinking about being an intern. We require applicants to obtain their rotations, and the rotation schedule is a straightforward tool we use to assess the applicant’s ability to plan and organize their future internship experience.

    In general, applicants may reach out via email (attach a resume!) and attend one of our Virtual Open House events. These avenues allow applicants to get to know our program in more detail and ask any questions they may have.

    What are one or two common mistakes you see applicants make?

    It is clear when an applicant has not had anyone else review their application. If we see typos or another program name listed in the personal statement, we assume the applicant is not serious about our program. More than you would think, we see sections of the DICAS application left empty such as volunteer or work experience and honors and activities. Still, the applicant will have included these experiences on their resume. If an applicant sends an email inquiry and asks an obvious question on our website, it shows they did not research our program ahead of sending the email. Attention to detail like completing all portions of DICAS, reviewing documents for errors, and intentionally planning an email is essential for success in our program.

    What are the benefits of a distance dietetic internship?

    There are many benefits to a distance dietetic internship program! The most tangible benefit is that each intern has the opportunity to create their own educational experience by customizing their rotation schedule to suit their strengths and passions. The distance aspect allows for flexibility in a geographic location of rotations that can be scheduled where the intern has family and support available. By working with dietitians local to their community, interns benefit from creating a network of dietetic professionals early in their careers, leading to multiple connections and future job opportunities.

    What qualities make a successful distance dietetic intern?

    Interns who are most successful in our program are very independent and organized. While our program offers a great support network, we expect our interns to manage their daily schedules with their preceptors and remain on top of our internal curriculum tasks. Interns need to have good communication skills across all mediums. We communicate with our interns often via email, phone calls, and Zoom, expecting interns to communicate effectively. Successful interns are ambitions. It is apparent when interns put forth the effort to produce good work with their preceptor and through our curriculum, and we typically see those interns pass the R.D. exam right away.

    Where are the graduates of your program working today? 

    Everywhere! Based on intern feedback, our program provides graduates with the skills they need to succeed in all practice areas. We have graduates working in corporate wellness, clinical dietetics, school foodservice, community nutrition, private practice, and government programs!

    Can you describe what makes your program different from others?

    Our program has a concentration in Corporate Wellness and Health Promotion. This is enhanced by the wellness rotation and wellness-related didactic learning components of our curriculum. BWS DI offers support to our interns through Faculty Advisors, who mentor interns throughout their program. The 1:5 ratio allows for a high touchpoint between Faculty Advisors and interns, with frequent communication with interns and preceptors throughout rotations. The Lead Faculty foster a strong sense of community among the interns, encouraging communication and collaboration among each cohort. Interns are placed into small groups that meet monthly for online conference meetings and Journal Clubs, fostering connections within the small groups and Faculty Advisors. Our program provides R.D. exam study material and professional development resources to our interns to help them be successful entry-level dietitians. The Lead Faculty are supportive and dedicated to the success of each intern and strive to maintain academic caliber through innovative curriculum development. As a distance program, interns have flexibility and autonomy with their rotation schedule. The emphasis rotation allows interns to have exposure to a specialty area of dietetics that suits their passions. Overall, our program strives to be innovative, forward-thinking, and supportive to our interns as they embark upon their careers as dietitians!

    Is there anything else you want to tell future applicants?

    The field of nutrition and dietetics is changing. While distance programs may require work upfront to secure rotations, it is worth the effort because it creates a network of dietitians to help build a future career. Our distance program can provide the opportunity to become a dietitian with experience in the wellness, and that unique characteristic is appealing and sought after in communities nationwide.

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    Meet the Director

    Katie Bigart, MS, RDN, LD

    Katie completed her undergraduate degree in Biology and Psychology at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio.  She earned a Master’s Degree in Public Health Nutrition and completed her dietetic internship at CWRU.  

    Katie began her career as a K-12 school nutrition consultant for a private consulting firm, Pisanick Partners, L.L.C. in Cleveland, OH, and then went on to join the corporate wellness company, Be Well Solutions, as an Account Manager and Wellness Dietitian. Katie eventually transitioned her role at Be Well as the Program Director of the Dietetic Internship. Katie loves having the opportunity to work alongside interns, helping them discover their passions and goals within the field of dietetics, as well as creating an innovative curriculum to educate future dietitians! Katie is also a certified Health Coach through the American College of Exercise and embraces the balance of an active and healthy lifestyle, filled with hiking, weightlifting, cooking, and movies.  She loves spending quality time with her husband, boy/girl twins, and two dogs.

    P.S. Learn more about Be Well Solutions and what other dietetic internship Directors are looking for in the Dietetic Internships Toolkit!

    P.P.S. Click here to learn more about the Be Well Solutions Dietetic Internship!

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  • Why EVERYONE Needs to Be Looking for Preceptors

    Preceptors are your teachers and mentors during a dietetic internship program. And you, yes you, should be looking for preceptors, too. Here’s why.

    Preceptors. Preceptors are the backbone of your internship, they are the Registered Dietitians and other professionals that put the “supervised” in supervised practice hours. Without preceptors there would be no internships!

    Dietetic internship preceptors are what keep the dietetics profession going.

    Preceptors freely give their time to allow dietetic interns to shadow them and learn how to become a dietitian. When you are with your preceptor you will complete competencies (via experiences and projects) set up by your dietetic internship in order to officially complete the rotation and become a RD. These competencies are necessary to complete your program and become a registered dietitian nutritionist.

    Preceptor requirements vary by program and it is best to look at each program’s website for specific preceptor information! To get started, check out Iowa State University’s distance DI and Priority Nutrition Care’s distance DI for examples of how to find preceptors for your dietetic internship.

    Why You Might Need Preceptors

    Everyone, and I mean everyone, should try searching for preceptors because of the following reasons:

    If you are applying to a distance dietetic internship…

    Because many of these ask for some or all of your preceptors set up. Here’s my 2-minute video explaining distance DIs. I like distance DIs because they have more spots and anecdotally I found some of my clients with lower GPAs got into distance programs.

    If you want / need a unique elective…

    Because some traditional DI programs allow you a certain number of weeks/hours and may ask you to find a preceptor for this yourself. Or, even if they have a list to choose from, maybe you want an elective in a specific area and should find a preceptor in that area on your own. For example, I set up my elective with Weber Shandwick, a PR firm in Chicago, which was all my own doing! I got to experience nutrition communications in my DI, and I really enjoyed it.

    If you don’t get matched…

    Because if you want to do second round matching, often the programs available are distance programs or ISPPs. Many (although not all) distance and ISPPs will require preceptors. If this is what you want to get preceptors for, I suggest you use the time between the deadline and Match Day to focus on your preceptor search. Don’t let it distract you during your application time.

    If you want to try for an ISPP…

    Again, because ISPPs will pop up on second round and also be available to you after a no-match situation. What’s an ISPP? Check out my video here. Many (not all) ISPPs require preceptors in a similar way that distance DIs do. Again, you want to go to the program’s website for the exact requirements.

    How the heck do I find preceptors!?

    Get creepy, people. Get rrrrrreal creepy. Reach out to dietitians you know, search on LinkedIn, find past distance interns and see where they did rotations (also via LinkedIn). If you really want to think ahead, try to get a job at a hospital that takes dietetic interns. Then, when you are ready to do the DI, they might be more likely to have you.

    If all else fails, get creepy on LinkedIn. Seriously, it works.

    Finally, just remember that once you become a dietitian, definitely become a preceptor! The lack of preceptors is actually one of the biggest reasons why the match rate is so low. Remember to pay it forward 😉 And on that note, All Access Dietetics does elective rotations for dietetic interns, so reach out if you need a preceptor for one of those!

    P.S. Are you a dietetic intern preparing for the RD Exam? Check out Pass the Exam Tutoring where you can learn the Study Smarter Method and increase your chances of passing the exam!

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