Student tying classroom knowledge to real-world dietetics experience

When the COVID-19 pandemic altered her plan of becoming a nurse, Jillian Finney stayed local and enrolled in Northwest Missouri State University’s master’s in dietetics program.

The Cainsville, Missouri, resident attended community college with the goal of pursuing nursing, but her thoughts changed after working in a nursing home during the pandemic. After being introduced to the field of dietetics and nutrition, she decided it better aligned with her interests.

“It immediately caught my interest,” Finney said. “It was a combination of my interests in health, wellness and food. I have always been intrigued by the concept of food as medicine.”

After attaining her bachelor’s degree in dietetics at Northwest in 2024, Finney enrolled in Northwest’s master’s in nutrition program and dietetics internship and graduates with that degree this spring, taking one step closer to becoming a registered dietitian.

Northwest’s didactic program in dietetics is one of four in Missouri that is certified by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics.

Jillian Finney organized a taste table and observed a surgery, among other experiences during her clinical rotations. Northwest's dietetics internship requires students to facilitate rotations throughout the community, tying coursework to profession-based experiences. (Submitted photo)

With completion and job placement rates of 100 percent, it prepares undergraduate students with the knowledge and skills to be successful in dietetic internships, post-secondary schooling or employment in food and nutrition-related fields. It also prepares them to become leaders as they work with families and individuals to sustain or enhance their quality of life.

“Our dietetic program provides a great foundation of nutrition knowledge,” Kelli Wilmes, a Northwest instructor of nutrition and dietetics who directs the didactic program in dietetics, said. “Students are able to get hands-on, professional-based learning in many of their degree-specific courses. The dietetic degree allows students to be well prepared for futures in the foods and nutrition field and other pre-professional programs.”

Northwest prepared Finney for her future through mock interviews, practicum hours and projects. She also says the hands-on experience of the internship, which requires students to facilitate a variety of rotations throughout the community, tied her coursework to real-life experiences.

Finney worked with the Second Harvest Community Food Bank, the St. Joseph School District, the University of Missouri Extension, the YMCA, and WIC, a supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children.

“It allowed me to see the wide range of responsibilities a dietitian can have in a food service setting,” she said. “It felt like an engaging rotation because there was always something new to do. I had the opportunity to visit multiple school kitchens, work alongside the kitchen staff and complete many of my projects at the school.”

Throughout those experiences, Finney also created educational handouts and completed various community nutrition projects, including taste tests.

“It prepares her because in interviews or any kind of job setting where she has to wear multiple hats, she’s ready to do that,” Anderson said. “We have a great pool of preceptors that support our interns because we’re all in it for the same thing, we want them to be successful. They have a huge networking group.”

Finney enjoys Northwest’s unique, condensed one-year internship, which allows her to complete master’s coursework online while fulfilling her internship rotations.

“The internship is a great way to learn from other experienced dietitians, or those working in health and wellness,” Finney said. “I am grateful to be able to put my knowledge into practice as I learned under professions in the dietetics field.”

To learn more about Northwest’s dietetics internship program, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/health/programs/dietetic-internship/.