Back in her native Mexico, Victoria Gonzalez was already practicing as a dietitian. But to realize her dream of becoming a registered dietitian in the United States, she would first need to earn a master’s degree from a U.S. program. She chose Rush.
“International students struggle a lot to get to a certain point, and it’s comforting to find an opportunity that’s actually going to help me get to where I want to be,” she says. “I put all my bets on Rush because of its reputation, curriculum and research. But their commitment to diversity and inclusion was also something that made me really happy.”
As a first-year student, she has relished her supervised experiential learning, which has put her skills and knowledge to the test. But she’s also appreciated the informal networking at Rush. “You have a lot of opportunities to learn not only from your professors and the doctors you might encounter, but also from your peers,” she says.
Aiming to reduce health disparities
First-year student Eric Gonzalez (no relation to Victoria) decided to pursue a career in clinical nutrition to address the lack of resources available to Hispanic patients. “When I was younger, I was a little bit overweight,” says the first-generation college student from Palatine, Ill. “The doctor said I was prone to diabetes or pre-diabetes, and that scared me. I knew I had to watch what I ate, but there wasn’t anybody that I could really talk to about losing weight or just showing me how to eat healthy.”
Since achieving a healthy weight on his own through diet and exercise, he plans to use his master’s degree to help others find that balance — while addressing ongoing health disparities affecting Latinos.
“At RUSH, we’re leaders because we embrace change to ensure that our students have amazing opportunities while they’re here.”
Mark McInerney, DHSc, RD, LDN, assistant professor and CNDI director
Changing to expand opportunities for students
As of 2024, aspiring dietitians like Victoria and Eric need a master’s degree to qualify for their registration examination. Students who enroll in either the full-time or part-time (and fully online) master’s-level clinical nutrition program at Rush will be well prepared for these national changes.
In addition, Rush’s clinical nutrition program is the only one in Chicago — and one of only three in the state — that accepts students without an undergraduate degree in nutrition dietetics. Applicants with any type of bachelor’s degree may apply to Rush if they have completed their prerequisites. By updating program requirements, Rush aims to attract students from diverse backgrounds and help diversify the profession, says Mark McInerney, DHSc, RD, LDN, assistant professor and director of the clinical nutrition program with dietetic integrated track.
Rush has also expanded its array of supervised experiential learning experiences so that students can explore the areas that interest them most: from sports nutrition to oncology to pediatrics to eating disorders. “In their last semester, we give students four weeks to practice in specialized areas that interest them, so we’re able to tailor the learning experiences to students’ actual interests,” McInerney explains. “At Rush, we’re leaders because we embrace change to ensure that our students have amazing opportunities while they’re here.”