Welcome to preRD!

In my DPD program, we were constantly encouraged to find volunteer opportunities and it was stressed to us how important this was to enhance our DICAS applications. Early on, I decided that I wanted to get unique dietetic experiences since I didn’t know what kind of dietitian I wanted to be. My biggest barrier was finding connections for these opportunities! I learned that the most important thing was to be persistent and to really go after the opportunities I wanted, even if it took months to get them. But I quickly realized that not everyone has the time or interest in investing so much effort to find opportunities. I have also learned that dietitians were frequently looking for students to come help them out but didn’t know how or where to seek out this help. Going through these experiences and hearing the frustrations of both my friends and dietitians gave me the inspiration to start preRD. I view preRD as a way to bridge the gap between RD’s and RD2Be’s. 

My mission with preRD is two-fold: I want to make it easier for students to find opportunities, and easier for dietitians to find students to help them out. The way I see it, it’s a win-win for everyone. 

Since the launch of preRD, there has been more than 80 dietitians participating – many listings have even been taken down due to so much interest! There have been inquiries from about 200 students around the country expressing interest in various opportunities that are posted.

Other fun features for students include the opportunity to gain experience by writing for the student blog, and free resources including nutrition calculators (with more coming soon!). We will also be having weekly “Ask the RD” columns and “Feature Friday’s” on Instagram, where we will showcase a different student’s account each week! If there is anyone you want to see in the “Ask the RD” column or featured on Instagram, please reach out. There will be other new and exciting content coming your way as well!

I am excited to see what the future has in store for preRD and to keep connecting with and making connections for dietetic students and registered dietitians. 

If anyone has anything specific they want to see or would like to be featured on preRD, please send an email to penina@preRD.org. Looking forward to hearing from you!