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Forum -> Working Women

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amother

Mon, May 18 2020, 7:42 pm

I am considering going back to school with the goal of becoming a registered dietitian. I have heard that there is lots of competition for internships and there is a shortage. Anyone with experience that can weigh in on this?

amother

Chocolate

Mon, May 18 2020, 8:35 pm

Hi there! RD here. Yes, there is a lot of competition for internship spots. The profession is trying to ameliorate this by allowing distance internships and ISPP's (individualized supervised practice pathways - in reality, just like an internship) to try to make room for more qualified applicants. Still, it's important to realize before you start that doing your dietetics coursework does not guarantee entry into the profession. It may take more than one attempt to get an internship spot, but many applicants use the do-over time to gain valuable experience. So, if you decide do this, get good grades and take every opportunity you can to be a desirable candidate (paid or volunteer work, research, etc). If you have a previous profession or plenty of life experience, that may help if you can demonstrate how it would enhance your role as a dietetic intern.

amother

Bronze

Mon, May 18 2020, 9:30 pm

Another RD here... Yes internship programs are very competitive and it's really important to have good relevant volunteer/ work experience. The internship I attended required at least 200 hours of experience in order to be considered for acceptance. Also be aware that the minimum education requirement to take the RD exam is switching from Bachelors degree to Masters degree in the next few years. I thought it was 2021 but just saw something that said 2024 so not sure. In any case, just make sure to take that into account when thinking about your education. Good luck!

amother

Tue, May 19 2020, 3:24 am

Thank you both for your insights!

amother

Seafoam

Mon, Jun 15 2020, 9:32 am

Good luck, it didn’t work out for me. I have a BA in food & nutrition and couldn’t do much with it, I was just working as a diet tech in a hospital. You definitely need to out stand and have a lot of volunteer work besides good grades, they make it so difficult, unfortunately and competitive. I know others that didn’t make it to the internship so they found work (like diet tech) and applied again for the next year for internship. For me, life happened, I got married and couldn’t go for an entire year of full time unpaid internship. I know another person that decided to go for masters in public health instead of the internship, but you can’t do much with just a BA in nutrition

amother

Teal

Mon, Jun 15 2020, 10:21 am

So many other RDs here! I always feel like the only one.
I love what I do and go home from work each night feeling like I've made people's live better.
However, unless you do private counseling, which has it's own complications, the pay is not what it should be.
It pains me that with a MS RDN, and 20 years experience, I make less than many of the people on this site who seem to have no experience or professional education and want to work part time from their homes in Lakewood.
I will also add that jobs are limited and a little harder to find as the staffing in comparison to other professionals is very low.

Best of luck

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