WIC: Dietetic Internship and Volunteer Opportunities



http://www.wiccareercorner.com/wic_internships_location_map.htm



Have you heard of WIC? If you are a nutrition major, I hope you have.  WIC stands for Women, Infants, and Children and is a federally funded program supporting low-income mothers and children under the age of five.  It is federally funded, but programs may vary regionally according to need.  WIC provides food for children, an abundance of nutrition education, and promotes breast feeding.  The program can be a fantastic volunteer or employment opportunity.  WIC has its own accredited dietetic internship, however the spots are usually reserved or give preference to WIC employees. As you can see, California has five areas offering this DI. 

I am not able to tell you the amount or type of jobs WIC offers to people without an RD license.  It also may depend on the area of the WIC center you are interested in.  I am excited to tell you I have been in continued contact with a volunteer coordinator at my local WIC in Santa Ana (Public Health Foundation Enterprises). The Orange County and Los Angeles area happen to have many WIC centers.  The volunteer coordinator and I are still working on my volunteer placement, but she did share some helpful tidbits to me:

• Employees tend to retain their positions for a long time.  Although this means no immediate employment opportunity for me, it makes the program even more impressive.  Employees must be extremely passionate and love what they do to stay for a long time.  I would be honored to work for a program like this with other passionate people fulfilling a purpose for the local community.

• Depending on location, volunteer positions may not exist.  The coordinator shared with me that previous volunteer applicants have told her that WIC's in different regions don't have any opportunities for volunteers.  I'm not sure why this happens.  If it happens to you, I'm sorry.  It's a shame that a volunteer with a desire to give to a population that needs it would be turned away.

• Volunteers commit to 100 hours total work and at least 3 hours a week.  (This might vary from region to region)

• I would be doing mostly childcare while parents attend nutrition education workshops and also assist with occasional hieght/weight measurements.  Childcare is one of my specialties as I worked at the Cal Poly Children Center for 2+ years so I couldn't be more excited!  Also, if you're familiar with infant/child growth development you know how important tracking height/weight via charts is for pediatric nutrition.  This would offer more fantastic experience for me to become faimiliar with growth charts and percentiles.



http://174.121.93.48/~healthsy/WIC.htm



How did I find and get in contact with this program?  I actually emailed my region's WIC DI program director who put me in contact with the volunteer coordinator.  I did have to email twice before we got the ball rolling, but the center I am interested in is extremely busy.  Here are a couple of steps that need to be completed before I can start:

1.  I looked at all the WIC locations in the area and needed to pick my top 6 (everywhere from Santa Ana to Santa Monica).  I based my choice on locations close to me and hours/days they were open.

2.  The coordinator will match me to a center that needs a volunteer.  I will visit the center in person to make sure I feel comfortable and that it is a good fit for me, after all I will be spending 100 hours there.  I was really impressed by this step.  It paints a picture that my regional WIC values volunteers/employees and in return the volunteers/employees value their position.

3.  I will need 1 professional letter of recommendation, 1 personal letter of recommendation, and an up to date MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccination.

I am currently waiting to hear about my location placement.  Although I would love to get started immediately, I don't mind waiting.  The opportunity will be worth it.  The idea of volunteering for WIC excites me and reminds me that I do have a purpose in the field of nutrition, no matter how small.  I constantly wonder and doubt if I can make it in this field as a professional.  It might take me longer to become an RD than other people, but I am going to use this time .  This time allows me to explore different arenas and areas.  This opportunity in particular will enable me to give back to the community helping WIC, a highly respected and valued organization.