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What Former Graduates Have Said
We take tremendous pride in the care that we provide for our veterans and the experiences we provide our interns. Employers of our graduates are impressed with our graduates' abilities in prioritizing work load, problem solving, and critical thinking. Read below to find out what our graduates have said:
The internship at the VA was one of the best experiences I have ever had. Not only did it get me ready for successfully passing the RD exam the first time, it also exposed me to a wide variety of medical conditions,
including mental health issues and spinal cord injury, which are not normally part of a dietetic internship. The dietitians, kitchen staff and support personnel in the VA were very committed to enabling the intern to have a successful internship.
I was able to go to just about anyone and ask questions and get the help I needed. The internship director is a great example and is so committed to her interns. Her door is always open. The atmosphere of the internship class was one where I did not feel intimidated by others and felt
that I was always heard in any discussion.
-Pamela Russell, RD, LD, Clinical Dietitian/Health Educator, St. Louis County Department of Health, St. Louis, MO, Class of 2006-2007
Any internship can provide you with practical experience and prepare you for a career, but the St. Louis VA will prepare you for life, to stand on your own feet, and to make your own steps in your life to that desired destination.
-Monical Studer, Clinical Dietitian, Memphis VA Medical Center, Memphis, TN. Class of 2006 – 2007
The complicated patients have really helped me develop my clinical skills as well as my critical thinking and problem solving skills. The individual attention and one on one learning with the preceptors are great program strengths. The preceptors at the VA were amazing -
they were all very knowledgeable and were great teachers and mentors. I am more than satisfied with this internship program. It definitely went above and beyond preparing me for a career in dietetics. I feel a lot more confident in my nutritional knowledge & skills.
-Nicole (Morgan) Buchek, RD, LD, Clinical Dietitian, St. Louis DVA Medical Center, St. Louis, MO, Class of 2005 - 2006
You get to work with a highly respected, highly respectful, and highly appreciative population. You get to use state-of-the-art technology. You are well respected by the other disciplines, and you have a lot of growth potential.
The VA preceptors take a personal interest in each and every intern vs. other internship programs where you are scattered all over the community throughout the internship and the preceptors aren’t as vested in you.
I’d love to get into sales but would pass on a sales position in a second for a VA position. The VA has just felt “right” from day one.
-Josh Dale, MBA, RD, LD Clinical/Community Dietitian, Food Outreach, St. Louis, MO, Class of 2005 - 2006
Great experience - incredibly pleased and glad that I was able to complete my internship here.
The staff relief rotation really helped to build my confidence and made me feel as if I could get an entry level position tomorrow and be successful at it.
-Verenda Gordon, RD, LD Clinical and Foodservice Dietitian, Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital, East St. Louis, IL Class of 2005 - 2006
The internship was a great experience. The preceptors are very caring individuals who wish to help the interns succeed. The veteran population
yields a combination of difficult medical conditions and social needs that together provide challenging cases for the interns.
The class size is the perfect number for one-on-one interactions with staff, yet still enough to pair people up for projects.
-Rachel Kramer, RD, LD, Research Dietitian, Philadelphia, PA, Class of 2005 - 2006
I love the small class size – I think this is a very important factor of part of the reason the internship is great.
-Stacie Metzger, RD, LD, Research Dietitian, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, Class of 2005 - 2006
The individual attention and one on one learning with the preceptors are great program strengths. The preceptors at the VA were amazing - they were all very knowledgeable and were great teachers and mentors.
The internship director is so organized and reliable and motivates all of us; you can tell she loves her job.
-Jenny Paul, RD, LDN, Clinical Dietitian, Mercy Health System, Rockford, IL, Class of 2005 - 2006
It has been over a year since I graduated my internship at the St. Louis VA hospital. Today I am continuing to learn and practice at Mission Hospitals in Asheville, NC.
Now, I am a preceptor for interns from different programs, and I can honestly say that none of them come close to the level of experience, quality, and organization I received at the VA.
To this day I can still count on Amy as a resource for information and moral support. I am truly grateful to her and the rest of the staff for their dedication and intelligence.
-Cara Elio, RD, LDN, Clinical Dietitian, Mission Hospitals, Asheville, NC, Class of 2004 - 2005
The VA dietetic internship opened many doors for me as a dietetic professional because I was exposed to so much more than just clinical nutrition.
My experience writing articles for the Hearty Bites subsection of Suburban Journal has now led me to be a regular contributor.
I also volunteer with the St. Louis Dietetic Association after having attended meetings and gaining networking opportunities as an intern.
Not only do I have some great professional networks, but I also have many wonderful personal friendships thanks to my involvement with the St. Louis VA Dietetic Internship.
-Ashleigh Herman, RD, LD, Clinical Dietitian, St. Louis DVA Medical Center Class of 2004 - 2005
The St. Louis Veterans Affairs Dietetic Internship was a great option for me because I was uncertain of which area of nutrition I was interested in.
Because the VA Internship is a generalized program it offered me the opportunity to experience many areas of dietetics, while still allowing me to gain enough knowledge in each area to use in professional practice.
I am currently employed as a Clinical Dietitian and an Assistant Food Service Director at a long term care facility. The VA Internship provided me with the experience necessary to excel in both of these positions.
The small class size was an additional benefit because I received personalized attention from the director and one-on-one instruction from each of the preceptors.
This was a very essential feature of the internship because I was able to collect so much advice and guidance that can put towards my professional career goals.
-Kim Keubler, RD, LD, HDS Services Clinical Manager and Assistant Food Service Director, Eden Retirement Community ,Glen Carbon, IL Class of 2004-2005
The VA internship was a great experience for me! It offered a vast array of rotations and variety to help develop my skills as a dietitian.
I felt well prepared for both my RD exam and my first clinical position after leaving the VA. It combines both dynamics of rotations along with didactic class work,
which really help to build great skills for an upcoming dietitian. The small intern class was also a great way to gain more hands on experience and work one on one with all the dietitians,
who by the way are a great group to work with! Overall I really enjoyed my time at the VA internship and continue to use knowledge and skills gained in my everyday clinical career.
-Kim Tackitt, RD, LD, Clinical Dietitian in Transplant, MICU/CCU, University Hospital, San Antonio, TX, Class of 2004-2005
I know I gained more knowledge than I ever thought possible by going through the VA internship! No other place could have offered the instant connections we had with all the on-site dietitians.
Each dietitian was willing to go out of their way to assist me in gaining confidence in the field. The fact that many of the rotations took place on site at either Jefferson Barracks
or John Cochran helped our intern class use each other as resources and also allowed us to become friends. The best part about the internship was being given the opportunity to
teach diabetes and cardiac rehab classes! Although the internship was a lot of hard work, this was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had!!
-Jessica Ballmann, RD, LD, Renal Dietitian, St. Louis, MO, Class of 2003-2004
The internship at the VA prepared me for a position as a clinical RD by giving me experience with a difficult and complicated patient population that I don't think I would have encountered in any other program.
It made me comfortable with complex medical conditions such as liver disease or dialysis compounded with diabetes. At every point through the internship I felt truly supported and
I felt like my internship director (Amy) cared about me and my learning process. I walked away from the process feeling completely satisfied with my experience and look to return to the VA as an employee in the future.
In addition to my learning, I met my professional mentor (personal in a lot of ways also), Amy Knoblock-Hahn. To this day, two years after my graduation,
I still look to her for support and advice. She is wonderful!!!
-Leah (Broeker) Gonzalez, RD, LD, Clinical Dietitian, Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital, Class of 2003 - 2004
My internship experience at the VAMC in St. Louis was a very positive one. The rotations often provided unique experiences (such as the rotation in the spinal cord injury unit and special interest week) and invaluable preceptors.
Due to the small internship class size, we could focus on learning, as well as forming lasting friendships. The director (Amy) was most helpful and an indispensable resource for answering all questions,
and providing exam preparation and job opportunities. After the internship, I had no difficulty passing the registration examination or finding employment of my choice.
Additionally, the stipend received provided a financial break. Overall, these experiences were unique to the VAMC in St. Louis, and I would highly recommend this internship program.
-Christina Popp, RD, LD, Oncology Dietitian, Saint Louis University Cancer Center, Class of 2003 – 2004
I have always been proud to display my certificate of internship completion from the VA medical center in my office for colleagues, patients, and family members to see.
The things I liked most about the internship were the small class size, daily 1:1 attention from exceptional preceptors, computerized charting, and opportunities to
learn more about dietetic opportunities in the St. Louis community. My biggest accomplishment during the internship was gaining confidence
in practically applying knowledge obtained as an undergraduate and knowing that I was fully prepared for accepting my first position as a registered dietitian responsible
for the nutritional care of 120+ patients in four outpatient dialysis clinics in Arizona. I am currently in the process of completing my master’s degree and
I feel that my dietetic internship played a huge role advancing my critical thinking and organizational skills which has allowed me to excel at the graduate level.
-Amy (Beiermann) Norris RD, LD, Clinical Dietitian, St. Louis DVA Medical Center, Class of 2001 – 2002
The St. Louis VA internship was a very educational and career enhancing experience for me. The internship prepared me for the RD exam and helped me to develop the skills and confidence needed to enter the dietetic workforce.
The preceptors and the internship director (Amy Knoblock-Hahn) displayed genuine concern for my development as a dietitian and provided the support and one on one attention needed for me to excel in areas that may have been a challenge for me personally.
I believe that my success as a clinical dietitian and with my current job as a community dietitian and health educator could not have been possible without the VA internship.
I feel honored to have been a part of such an awesome program and I am confident in saying that the VA internship is by far the best internship program in the St. Louis area!
-Amanda Clover, RD, LD, School-Community Health Educator, BJC HealthCare School-Outreach and Youth Development Department, St. Louis, MO, Class of 2001-2002
The medical center alone provides an environment that is ideal for dealing with the extremes of real-life dietetics.
The preceptors and other health care professionals within the medical center provided the perfect balance of guidance
and independence needed to hone one's professional skills. Beyond the medical center,
the internship provided plenty of opportunities to explore individual interest and more non-traditional routes of dietetics.
Overall the internship was a fantastic experience. So much so, that I decided to stay as an employee!
-Jackie (Kaufman) Henderson, RD, LD, Outpatient Dietitian, St. Louis DVA Medical Center, Class of 2001 - 2002
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