Dietetic Internship

Locations

About the Two Program Locations

Applicants select their preferred program location when paying their program application fee (see applications link). The unique aspects of each location and a list of affiliations commonly used are provided below.

Blacksburg/Southwest Virginia

Interns at the Blacksburg site will work in facilities located within a one hour drive of Blacksburg. Classes are usually held on Fridays on campus or in nearby facilities. Interns are encouraged to live in the area nearest to the facilities where she/he will work in order to reduce travel time. Interns will work in Roanoke or the Blacksburg area (the New River Valley). (See the Apartment guide.) Opportunities exist to work in Lynchburg or Princeton, WV. The amount of driving you will need to do will be impacted by where intern choose to live. Contact Carol Papillon, Dietetic Internship Director (cpapillo@vt.edu; 540-231-8769) with questions about the Blacksburg site.

Meet the 2012-2013 Blacksburg Interns

Meet the 2011-2012 Blacksburg Interns

Meet the 2010-2011 Blacksburg Interns

Northern Virginia/Washington, DC

Interns placed at the Northern Virginia site complete most of their rotations in Northern Virginia (i.e. Fairfax, Alexandria, Arlington, Fredricksburg) and/or Washington, DC.  A unique opportunity also exists at Martinsburg VA Medical Center in the Martinsburg, West Virginia (more information located at the bottom of this page*). Classes meet mostly on Mondays, but occasionally change based on availability of experiences. Some joint classes are planned in conjunction with other local dietetic internships. Interns are encouraged to live in the Northern Virginia or Metropolitan DC Area (See DC and NOVA area Apartment guide, Apartments.com, and ApartmentGuide.com). Classes usually meet at the Virginia Tech Graduate Center located in Falls Church, Virginia. Contact Susan Moore, Northern Virginia Dietetic Internship Site Director (ssmoore@vt.edu) with questions about the Northern Virginia site.

Meet the 2011-2012 Northern Virginia Interns

Meet the 2011-2012 Northern Virginia Interns

Meet the 2010-2011 Northern Virginia Interns

Joint Classes

Interns from the two sites meet jointly 1-2 times each year for unique educational opportunities. Some sessions utilize distance learning technology or overnight trips. Transportation and lodging are provided.

Facilities

Interns are placed at one primary facility during clinical rotations and are scheduled at additional facilities as needed to guarantee exposure to clinical areas. Interns are placed at 2 facilities during community rotations and 1 facility during the food service management rotation.

The chart below lists facilities commonly used. All facilities are not used each year and new facilities are occasionally added.

Additional experiences have included:

• Visits to the National Institutes of Health, Food & Friends, and Polyface Farm.
• Participation in Meals on Wheels, homeless shelter meals, food banks, and other hunger programs. 
• Attending Virginia Dietetic Association (VDA) Annual Meeting (fully funded), Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food and Nutrition Conference and Exhibition when held regionally instead of VDA Annual meeting (partially funded), and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Public Policy Workshop (partially funded).

*The Martinsburg VA Medical Center, located in Martinsburg, WV, provides 2 interns the unique opportunities of a rural community while maintaining a regional proximity (approximately 90 miles) to the nation’s Capitol. In addition to acute, in-patient care this site includes several diverse medical care models and provides many opportunities for outpatient nutrition counseling and/or long-term care.  Working with a large staff of dietitians, experiences include working with MOVE, a program aimed at helping veterans lose weight and stay healthier, and TeleMOVE, a telemedicine version of the program. The medical center received a national GreenGov award in 2010 for their efforts in energy and water conservation as well as waste management http://www.green.va.gov/pressreleases/news_20101007-3.asp . Combined with their impressive “Farm to Hospital” program,  these initiatives make them a leader in government facilities and sustainability efforts. 

Martinsburg,WV is near the historic C&O Towpath walking/biking trail which traces the Potomac River from Cumberland, MD to Washington DC.  Also nearby are Civil War battlefields, beautiful Harpers Ferry, the Civil War’s armory and Shepherdstown with its unique local shops and farmers market.  National and state parks surround the area providing a variety of natural resources for walks and hiking including the Appalachian Trail. 

For more information about the medical center, visit http://www.martinsburg.va.gov/ .  If you are interested in this site or have questions, please contact Susan Moore, Northern Virginia Site Director at ssmoore@vt.edu.