James A. Haley Tampa VA Hospital
Virtual Open House Dates
Wednesday Oct 9, 2:00pm-3:00pm (EST) Cancelled due to Hurricane Milton
Tuesday Nov 12, 6:30pm-7:30pm (EST) Link to Join
Monday Dec 2, Noon-1:00pm (EST) (Q&A with Current interns!) Link to join
Dear Applicant,
Thank you for your interest in the Anne Brezina Dietetic Internship at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital and Clinics in Tampa, Florida. The 42 week internship program provides experiences in Nutrition Therapy, Food Service Management and Community. The program is clinic and hospital-based, affording high quality supervised practice. You will see after browsing through our website that our dietetic internship program offers diverse learning experiences which will prepare you for a variety of positions in the field of dietetics.
Some unique qualities about the program that I would like to highlight below:
Paid Stipend: Interns in our program receive a stipend, which is paid throughout the course of the internship. There is no tuition associated with the internship.
Evidence-based practice curriculum: The emphasis of the Anne Brezina Dietetic Internship at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital and Clinics is evidence-based practice. The latest research is applied in our clinic/hospital-based program. Our department has been identified as "best practice" in the areas of utilization of the Nutrition Care Process, Nutrition-Focused Physical Exam and Home Enteral Nutrition.
Preceptors: We have dedicated staff of very experienced and progressive preceptors. In fact, several of our preceptors have received local and national nutrition association Outstanding Dietetic Preceptor Awards. Our small class size of 6 interns means that you will get specialized and individualized attention from preceptors and the internship director. With the exception of some of our food service management and community rotations, only one intern is assigned to a preceptor at a time, allowing for maximum attention to your learning experience.
Research: Interns are provided a full week rotation dedicated to practice-based research. This week utilizes applied research principles that are applied to a special project that will be completed over 9 months during the internship. Each intern will have unique opportunities to learn the research process (from protocol creation to final publication). Interns present their project findings at local, state and national meetings. Many of the research projects have resulted in peer-reviewed publications.
Increased job opportunities: We will assist you in finding employment in the government or in the private sector. With over 1700 hospitals, clinics, community living centers, domiciliary, readjustment counseling centers and other facilities across the country, you will have increased opportunities to work for the VA.
Please take all of these points into consideration when making your decision of how to rank your internship choices. Should you have any questions after reviewing our entire website, please do not hesitate to contact me at claire.bell@va.gov
Sincerely,
Claire Bell, MSPH, RD
Director, Anne Brezina Dietetic Internship at the James A. Haley VA Hospital
13000 Bruce B. Downs Blvd, Tampa, Fl 33612
claire.bell@va.gov or 813-972-2000 x 7027 or 813-509-7349
