What Former Graduates Have Said
"I must say I have never been extremely apprehensive about teaching classes, but with all the presentations that we did for our internship and with the classes I teach here at WIC I find I've been well prepared and feel at ease."
-Anne Majsterek, RD - Class of 2005, WIC Program, OK (San Diego)
"The VA San Diego internship provided me with well-rounded experiences in clinical, administrative, and community dietetics. The training was intense and challenging, but I felt confident when taking my RD exam and looking for my first new job as a dietitian."
-Julie (Newberry) Stacey, RD, LD - Class of 2005, WIC Program, St. Petersburg, FL(San Diego)
"This internship exposed me to the wide variety of professional opportunities available for dietitians. The "hands-on" approach made me feel confident that I could step into any of these areas and excel. I really enjoyed the interdisciplinary approach of working with professionals in both the hospital and the community setting."
-Amy Haessly, RD - Class of 2003, Vista Unified School District, CA (San Diego)
"The internship provided a well-rounded experience in dietetics - I feel like I saw things many dietitians will never have the opportunity to see. This helped me figure out what area of dietetics I was most interested in. The internship was challenging and a lot of hard work, but this made it a great learning experience and personally fulfilling. The preceptors truly care about the interns' learning experiences, and this is part of what makes it such a great internship."
-Lori Thacker, RD - Class of 2003 (San Diego)
"When I graduated from the San Diego VA Internship Program, I felt that there wasn't any job I couldn't handle. My first and current position in Dietetics is managing a Spanish-speaking WIC office in Omaha, Nebraska. The organizational skills I developed at the VA, as well as the thorough training in administration, have really helped me adjust to the challenges of management."
- Niki Dorcas RD - Class of 2002, WIC Program, Omaha, NE (San Diego)
"What a staff! These dietitians are some of the most talented and knowledgeable in the field! The VA San Diego Healthcare System strives to create an internship and work environment that challenge and inspire you to do your best work possible. My internship class had a good experience. We all bonded and felt a great sense of accomplishment and pride when we graduated...and we were all definitely prepared to take on any job in the field!"
-Marley Nelms, MPA, RD - Class of 2002, Research Project Coordinator, UCSD, CA(San Diego)
"I feel that my training in the San Diego VA internship more than prepared me for any entry-level dietetics job. The hands-on experience and one-on-one instruction not only increased my knowledge tremendously, but hugely improved my confidence in teaching nutrition. One of my favorite things about the program were the patients...the veterans. Hearing their stories and experiencing their patriotism always kept me looking ahead. The program was challenging, yet survivable. I feel very proud to be a San Diego VA Internship grad!"
-Lacy Tubbs, RD, CLE - Class of 2002 (San Diego)
"It was apparent to me that I had excellent training in my internship from the first job that I took after I finished the program. The strength of the San Diego VA Internship is the rigor of the program and the high expectations that the preceptors require of the interns. It was a challenging, but rewarding nine months."
-Amy Sturm Culp, RD - Class of 2001, Private Practice, TX (San Diego)
"The internship at the VA San Diego Medical Center was very comprehensive and one of the best learning experiences I have ever had. All of the rotations made me a well-rounded graduate and so prepared for my first position as a Registered Dietitian. I also felt that I learned outstanding time management skills that allowed me to excel in graduate school to earn my Master of Business Administration (MBA), as well as in many other areas of my life."
-Jennifer Freeman, MBA, RD - Class of 2000 (San Diego)
"I would say one of the most important aspects of the VA internship that I found beneficial in my position at Novartis Nutrition was learning the key duties and responsibilities of the different positions in the Food Service Department. At every facility that I visited I was expected to make about 4 contacts. It was vital that I could switch gears from talking to the Food Service Director about streamlining they're ordering process to discussing the benefits of an immune enhancing formula to the Chief Clinical Dietitian."
-Luis Savigne, RD - Class of 2000 (San Diego)
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