Kansas City VA Medical Center

Dietetic intern, Julie Boyer wanted to share her experience working at KCVA.

She sent us the following story abour her time here along with fellow intern, Brianna Helfrich.

We are Dietetic Interns at the University of Kansas Medical Center. We are working on a yearlong internship that includes a management, community and clinical rotation. Once we are finished with this internship next summer (and pass) we are eligible to sit for the registered dietitian exam (hopefully pass) and we become an official Registered Dietitian! This program we are in also includes classes for a master’s degree which we attend on Mondays. I have finished one year of my masters and by the end of the internship will have completed my masters in Dietetics. As for Brianna and most of the other interns, this is their first year of classes therefore they have another year after the internship (if they want to) to finish their masters. No one has to obtain their master’s degree but will already have hours towards it so most interns do. Dietetic internships are very competitive because almost anyone can get a bachelor’s degree in Dietetics and Nutrition but only a few places to obtain an internship. In order to become a Registered Dietitian, an accredited internship is required. Therefore there are hundreds of students with a bachelor’s degree in dietetics who need to be in an internship and not enough places to put them. In our program we have a total of 16 interns placed in various locations throughout Kansas City, so we are a lucky bunch!
 
My time here at the VA as a management dietetic intern has be wonderful! It has exceeded my expectations more than I could ever imagine. I have truly enjoyed every person I have encountered here at the VA, everyone from the patients all the way to the incredible staff. I probably have learned more here while not knowing I am learning that I ever have in my life. It has been great to finally get into the work world and experience situations I’ve been learning about in school. I enjoy provided the best care I can to the veterans, assisting my preceptor Jolene Cerveny in preparing new menu items, testing trays and developing new recipes. Jolene is an exceptional mentor, who always has a positive attitude towards everything we do, making my experience here fun but educational!

This week was Julie's last week working with us before moving on to a new rotation. Brianna will be here until December.

Good luck to you, Julie and Brianna!