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Intern Perspectives and Outcomes
In Fall of 2004, the UVA Dietetic Internship classes of 2000-2004 were mailed an alumni survey to determine information regarding employment, pursuit of advanced education, professional, leadership and community responsibilities, salaries, honors or professional recognition, professional/career satisfaction, and impressions of the internship program. A total of 40 interns (97%) responded to this survey. Table 1: Positions of Employment for Intern Alumni
Strong Points of the Internship Program
Comments from former interns: "All of the clinical rotations were fantastic! The preceptors were open to questions and really wanted the interns to learn. On the whole, the internship was well planned, well rounded and full of excellent learning experiences." "The variety of experiences is a strength of the internship as well as the organization. Many opportunities are made available to pursue your areas of interest and the Nutrition department really supports and respects interns." "The clinical rotations far surpassed my expectations. This was a great learning environment." "The biggest strength of this program is the competent and comprehensive coverage of clinical nutrition with highly specialized programs such as nutrition support and pediatrics." "I feel that I have seen a wide variety of patients and cases that have helped me to learn and feel more confident beginning a job." "The strong clinical staff here is what really drives the program. The wide variety of rotations cover just about every aspect of nutrition from oncology and cardiology to highly specialized areas like gastric bypass, inborn errors of metabolism and children's rehab." "The organization was amazing. We always knew what was going on and never had to worry about making sure everything was going to run smoothly." "The University of Virginia dietetic internship is a unique time in one's life. I can't think of another 10 month period in which I have had so many different challenges present themselves with the opportunity to learn and grow both on a personal and professional level, and also to contribute to the health and well being of people every day. The Nutrition Department strives to provide the gold standard of dietetic internship programs and expects only the best from its interns. With the UVA Health System rated one of the top in the nation, one may expect the internship program to be the same. It is. And Charlottesville, Virginia is the icing on the cake...you will work very hard, but Charlottesville allows you to play hard too! This special town is full of great restaurants, gym facilities, shopping, and sporting events. I live in DC now, but still make the two hour drive to have a Bodo's bagel, an Arch's frozen yogurt, and to catch a Cav's game."
Danielle Hamberger, "UVA's 10 month program provides a very thorough clinical focus which really allows people to completely enter the field without much additional on-the-job training...perhaps the most valuable resource is the caliber of dietitians who serve as preceptors..they are highly qualified role models."
Diane Voyatzis, RD, LD "I enjoyed the internship because the atmosphere of a large teaching hospital pushes students to always be up to date with research and current therapy recommendations...I found having a full day of classes each week was a great way to build my clinical and counseling skills...interns from UVA have a very high pass percentage for the RD exam which says a lot about the program, its director, and the preceptors."
Ashleigh Sellman, RD "The UVA Dietetic Internship provided me with excellent learning opportunities. A combination of highly qualified dietitians and health professionals, a comprehensive curriculum, and a university medical center were all instrumental in preparing me for my career in dietetics."
Christine Imhof, RD "The internship prepared me extremely well to enter a general position because of the in-depth teaching with each rotation. It has an excellent basis of current clinical practice, especially nutrition support, and a great emphasis on research, which is so integral to learning about current practice. The faculty was more than willing to overextend themselves (and still is!) to aid in our preparation to become clinical dietitians. And it has the BEST internship director - ever!"
Stacey Fager, RD "I couldn't have found a better internship and preceptors."
Pallavi Dharamsi, RD |
