EVALUATION OF DIETETIC INTERNSHIP DIRECTORS' EXPECTATIONS OF INTERNSHIP APPLICANTS: CRITERIA ASSOCIATED WITH A SUCCESSFUL INTERNSHIP MATCH

Abstract

The dietetics profession is a growing field with an influx of students applying to dietetic internships. While the number of applicants has risen dramatically, the number of internship positions has not proportionally increased leading to a match rate of 50%. The purpose of this study is to determine the most important selection criteria according to dietetic internship directors to maximize students' ability to match to an internship.

This descriptive study included a 13-item questionnaire developed to gauge what selection criteria dietetic internship directors consider most important. A total of 90 internship directors completed the survey and were included in the analysis. It was found that the most important selection criteria included Didactic Program in Dietetics grade point average (DPD GPA), total GPA, interview skills, and work experience. The internship match process is extremely competitive, and the students with the highest GPAs and greatest number of years or largest variety of work experience are the most likely to match to an internship according to internship directors' expectations for applicants.