(6/16/22) BATON ROUGE, La. — Each year, thousands of applicants apply for dietetics internships across the country, but the match rate average is around 60%.

Erin McKinley, director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics for LSU, did not doubt that the LSU dietetic class of 2022 would receive a 100% match rate to internships, and for the third consecutive year the class did.

Twenty-one spring graduates and one alumni of the LSU dietetics concentration successfully matched to dietetics internship as a pathway to becoming a registered dietitian.

McKinley has been the director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics at LSU for four years.

"The class of 2022 was my first class from start to finish. I've been watching them grow as not only students of dietetics but as young, well-rounded professionals and leaders."

The advanced training and development students undergo in the dietetics concentration makes them competitive applicants and highly sought out by internship programs.

"Since 2018, I've been able to witness the dietetics program at LSU grow into one of the strongest programs in the country," said McKinley. "The proof is in the success of our graduates, our ability to attract top applicants from all over the country and maintain strong connections with supervised practice programs nationwide."

For McKinley, preparation for dietetics internships goes beyond the classroom.

Each fall, dietetic students pursuing an internship participate in an application boot camp. This workshop provides students with the knowledge and resources they need to be successful when applying for internships.

"Multiple years of professional training in and out of the classroom give our students an advanced level of training and professional development to prepare to apply for internships," said McKinley.

For more information on the LSU dietetics program, contact Erin McKinley, emckinley@agcenter.lsu.edu.

Students and their placements include:

• Abby Bryant, Tulane University
• Alexa Shepherd, Tulane University
• Alexis Theriot, North Oaks Hospital System
• Amy Angelle, Morrison Healthcare DI
• Anna Polo, Ouachita Baptist University
• Cam'ryn Panks, North Oaks Hospital System
• Cassie Miller, University of Florida
• Cleopatra Kourvounis, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
• Currie Dudley, Marywood Distance DI
• Gabriel Dill, Wellness Workdays Distance DI
• Gabriella Miller, North Oaks Hospital System
• Janice Neese, Lamar University
• Jensen Hilliard, Marshall University Distance DI
• Kelsey Zimmerman, Tulane University
• Lakelyn Lumpkin, Bay Pines VA
• Lindsay Kyle, Texas Women's University
• Macy Kidder, McNeese State University
• Madaline Abadie, Tulane University
• Madelyn Bourgeois, Wellness Workdays Distance DI
• Meredith Giles, Florida State University
• Peyton Cherry, North Oaks Hospital System
• Kay (Yi) Chan, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University

Spring graduates and faculty in the School of Nutrition and Food Sciences. The School of Nutrition and Food Sciences houses the nutrition and food sciences major and dietetics concentration. Photo by Annabelle Lang/LSU College of Agriculture