黑料门alum recalls journey to becoming a registered dietitian
By Dylan Peterson
Rebecca Perkins Eberspacher always knew she wanted to pursue a career that would allow her to leverage her interest in nutrition and personal well-being, but wasn鈥檛 quite sure where her passion would take her. After graduating from the University of Arizona in 2012 with a bachelor鈥檚 in nutrition, Eberspacher spent the next few years gaining practical experience to get a clearer sense of her professional goals. She would eventually go on to graduate from and become a registered dietitian, but that wasn鈥檛 always the plan.
Finding a Path
As an undergraduate, becoming a registered dietitian hadn鈥檛 really been on Eberspacher鈥檚 radar. Dietetics is one of many specialized fields within the broader discipline of nutrition, and at the time she was only just beginning to get a sense of the career options that were available to her. 鈥淲hen I graduated, I didn't know enough about the registered dietitian path to prepare for it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 decided I would go back to work for a bit to find out if it was even necessary.鈥�
Eberspacher returned home to her native California and eventually landed a job at Google, where she spent the next three years working as a nutritionist at their corporate headquarters. This experience proved to be both enjoyable and professionally eye-opening. 鈥淭he world of nutrition is so broad that you can really fit yourself into anything,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I felt like people would take me more seriously if I had that credential after my name, and that I would be able to grow into a higher paid position.鈥�
Applying to Programs
Registered dietitians are required to complete an accredited internship program and pass an official registration exam, and by this time Eberspacher was well aware of how competitive these programs could be. She had briefly enrolled in a master鈥檚 in clinical nutrition program at NYU prior to working at Google, but ultimately returned home after some difficulty landing a dietetics internship. Nevertheless, over the next several years she was committed to finding a program that would take her.
Eventually, Eberspacher was able to earn a spot in Loyola鈥檚 MS in Dietetics program after reaching out directly to the program鈥檚 director in an effort to advocate for herself and highlight her credentials. 鈥淚 had never been to Chicago, and I don't come from a Catholic background, but I liked the intimacy of the small cohort in Loyola鈥檚 program. I thought, let鈥檚 just take the leap and see what 黑料门is all about,鈥� she said.
Studying at Loyola
As a student at a Loyola, Eberspacher took advantage of the many opportunities that come with Chicago鈥檚 status as a major metropolitan city and medical hub. 鈥満诹厦舧as able to give us really great hands-on experiences with our internships. We were placed in some of the best hospitals in the world,鈥� she said. 鈥淟oyola鈥檚 professors were so knowledgeable and supportive of us. They really wanted to make sure we were prepared for our careers.鈥�
Today, Eberspacher has leveraged her dietitian credential to become a virtual one-on-one diabetes counselor, and strongly encourages others considering her path to take the leap. 鈥淢y biggest piece of advice is to never give up. Coming from someone who took at least five years to get into a program, getting a rejection doesn't mean you're not good enough,鈥� said Eberspacher. 鈥淣ever be afraid to ask why or ask for more.鈥�