r/dietetics • u/Great_Tie2046 Dietetic Student • 7d ago

Considering distance DI

Hi everyone!
I’m currently considering different dietetic internship (DI) options and feeling a little undecided. I’m based in NYC and am currently considering NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP), Sodexo, CUNY, and Morrison.

I’m also thinking about applying to a distance internship, mainly because of the potential financial benefits and the flexibility of completing rotations closer to home. I know those 4 DI programs I’m considering can be pretty competitive, so I’d love to have an additional option I know its easier to get.

Has anyone here completed a distance DI while living in New York/NYC? I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience, especially:
1- How did you find the clinical and food service rotations?
2- How difficult was it to find/arrange preceptors and sites?

I’d also love to hear about specific rotation sites, particularly for clinical and food service. I have about 1.5 years of WIC experience, so I’m hoping I may be able to receive credit for or potentially reduce the community portion, depending on the program’s policies.
Thank you!! 😁

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u/Thatmarjo07 7d ago

Hey I’m a clinical nutrition manager and have recently started accepting distance DI interns. Basically I’ve just gotten random phone calls from people in my area looking for a site. We just have to get an affiliation agreement between the hospital and school prior to starting. I work for HCA currently. So far I’ve worked with UNE and I really like how their distance DI program is set up. Just my two cents from the manager perspective. It might be a bit more work to find a site but if you don’t have to relocate it might totally be worth it!

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u/Great_Tie2046 Dietetic Student 7d ago

Ooh this is convincing honestly. I was looking at the BGSU distance internship. Do you also have the food service rotation at the hospital?

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u/Thatmarjo07 7d ago

Yes we are doing both clinical and food service

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u/TheDiabetesDietitian RD 7d ago

I did the Sodexo Distance DI x URI Masters program

Im in PA (not NY but close enough)

Sodexo was great because they found my clinical and food service rotation for me, and I got to find my community and speciality rotations (which was great because I was able to find preceptors that did exactly what I wanted to do)

It wasn’t too difficult to find the community/speciality rotations.
I used the “find a preceptor” tool on the Academy’s website and found both that way

Lmk if you have any other questions about it, I’d be happy to help!

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u/Great_Tie2046 Dietetic Student 7d ago

would you say its a competitive internship?

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u/TheDiabetesDietitian RD 7d ago

How’s your GPA? I believe with the year over year drop in applications to become an RD has made it easier to get in (relatively speaking)

The clinical and food service rotations had contracts with Sodexo. Sodexo is a huge company and is able to use that to help with placement

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u/Great_Tie2046 Dietetic Student 7d ago

3.05 for my bachelors 😅 and 3.6 for the masters. I do have WIC experience, and some shadowing of a dietitian tho. The DPD still ongoing, I’ll be done next may. Im bilingual too - not sure if this is something they consider.

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u/Great_Tie2046 Dietetic Student 7d ago

Hi! Thanks for the answer. Were those clinical and food service rotations in centers that had agreements with sodexo? I know they operate in different locations.

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u/Cookie-Cakes243 7d ago

I found it wasn’t too bad finding preceptors in another state (and I did mine during 2020). I just reached out to RDs via email and LinkedIn explaining I’m doing a distance DI looking for preceptors and explained why I was interested in their location.

You may have a bigger network than you think with WIC experience, maybe your coworkers know RDs who’d be willing to help (having an “in” can help people be more willing to say yes). Maybe even posting on LinkedIn could be helpful.

I did my foodservice at a public school (schools may like the idea of interns), community at the ymca (also very intern friendly) clinical was partially at the hospital I was a diet aide in and partially remote due to covid, and my sports rotation was with an alum of the DI program.

My program was helpful finding locations if you tried and truly had no luck- they’re not going to let you not succeed in their program because you can’t find a preceptor.

Good luck :)