How To Become A Nutrition Internship: What It Is and Career Path

What is a nutrition internship and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Experts

Nadine Mikati PhD, RDN, LDN,

Janet Colson Ph.D.

Nutritionists are valuable medical professionals that help patients build healthy habits by developing nutrition care plans and implementing them. A nutrition intern helps the nutritionist in their duties while gaining hands-on experience in the field.

Nutrition interns get to learn all about the field of nutrition by working with professionals to develop care plans and share them with patients. But like interns in all fields, nutrition interns can also expect to pick up some of the less glamorous duties of running an office. Sometimes they have to take care of paperwork or manage food delivery for patients in residential treatment.

Most nutrition interns are students or graduates from a nutrition degree program that are supplementing their education with practical experience. Many nutrition interns use their internship experience to build a career as a nutritionist. The demand for nutrition interns is growing, which is no surprise as more and more Americans struggle with their diet and building healthy habits.

What general advice would you give to a Nutrition Internship?

Nadine Mikati PhD, RDN, LDN

Clinical Assistant Professor & DPD Program Director, Website

Seeking opportunities in the field through internships, volunteer work, or entry-level positions to start. This will help build a strong track record of success and demonstrate proficiency in the field that can position a person to advance and receive higher-paying opportunities in the future. Also, consider pursuing advanced degrees, certifications, or specialized training to enhance one's qualifications and increase earning potential.

ScoreNutrition InternshipUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $36,506

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.2

Growth Rate 7%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.86%

Asian 10.07%

Black or African American 7.84%

Hispanic or Latino 11.14%

Unknown 3.65%

White 66.43%

Gender

female 82.02%

male 17.98%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress Level

7.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.8

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.9

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a nutrition internship

Explore nutrition internship education requirements

Most common nutrition internship degrees

Bachelor's

78.9 %

Master's

10.2 %

Associate

7.3 %

Start to develop specific nutrition internship skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	23.79%
Nutrition Education Programs	8.51%
Nutrition Education Materials	5.30%
RD	5.13%
Diabetes	4.41%

Complete relevant nutrition internship training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New nutrition interns learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a nutrition internship based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real nutrition internship resumes.

Research nutrition internship duties and responsibilities

Research foods available in VT grocery stores that meet the WIC criteria for eligible food products in VT.
Complete nutrition assessments and design interventions for hospital patients and long term care facility residents.
Enter recipes and analyze nutrient levels of school lunches via USDA approve software program, NutriKids.
Create agendas, identify potential speakers and topics, connect communities and individuals to USDA resources and programs.

Prepare your nutrition internship resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your nutrition internship resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a nutrition internship resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Nutrition Internship Resume templates

Build a professional Nutrition Internship resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Nutrition Internship resume.

Apply for nutrition internship jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a nutrition internship job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do nutrition interns rate their job?