A Day in the Life of a (Clinical) Dietetic Intern

Hi everyone! My name is Arissa and I am currently ending week two of my clinical rotations. It’s safe to say I’ve hit the ground running. I was anticipating this rotation the most out of my eight unique rotations over my 10 months as a dietetic intern. This is because I am most interested in clinical and I was excited to be hands on and endure the realities a clinical RD encounters. But let’s be real for a second.... I was so nervous. Would I be prepared? How do I chart? Did my lab coat look okay? But if I’ve learned anything about myself thus far, I was ready. And I promise if you study hard and embrace all the information you’re learning in your DPD program, you are too! Yes - there are things I don’t know, but that’s the point. My preceptors are there to help me LEARN.

So - I’m going to take you along for the ride and share ‘A typical day’ of mine at Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria. (Spoiler: I LOVE it)

5:45am- Wake up, get ready, throw on my lab coat and head out!

6:30am- Confession, 90% of the time I eat my breakfast in the car (oops). I am one of the six interns placed in San Luis Obispo County. I have a beautiful sunrise drive to Santa Maria for my clinical rotation. I turn on a podcast, drive along the coast, and eat my yummy breakfast (whole wheat toast, almond butter, mixed berries, and chia seeds).

7:00am- Arrive at the RD office at the hospital. Sometimes if I am a little early I print off the patient lists and screen the floors for the patients that need to be seen for the day.

8:00am- I am assigned an appropriate number of patients by my preceptor. I begin reviewing the patients' charts to find out their diagnosis, medical history, medications, what has happened since the last assessment, lab values, procedures done, current oral intakes, etc.

8:30am- Rounds! This is where the multidisciplinary team gets together to share new information about current patients. This is a great opportunity to ask questions to the physician, pharmacist, or speech therapist that might change my plan of care.

9:30am- Patient #1: A patient who recently had reconstructive stomach surgery to remove damage done by peptic ulcers and is now on PPN (nutrition through an IV).

10:00am- Patient # 2: An elderly patient with multiple myeloma (cancer), and CKD stage 5. He has been losing significant weight over the past month and does not eat his meals.

10:30am- Go to the floors and talk to the patients I am assigned. This is one of the most important parts of my assessment; I utilize this time to get questions answered. Sometimes that means talking to the RN about a patient's feeding capabilities or finding the doctor to recommend changing a diet. Some common topics of discussion I have with patients are asking about their appetite, eating habits prior to admission, weight history, or providing nutrition education, explaining the benefits of any oral nutrition supplements I am considering adding to their diet, or performing a nutrition focused physical assessment. My preceptors are usually with me to act as support and let me know what went well and what I might consider doing differently next time.

11:00am- Chart on my two patients in the electronic medical record. Go over my note with my preceptor and receive feedback.

12:30pm- Lunch!

1:30pm- Observe a pulmonary rehab nutrition class given by an RD- I am taking a lot of notes during this class because I am in charge of teaching it next month at the outpatient center!

3:30pm- Finish up for the day and munch on a granola bar to carry me through the drive home.

4:15pm- Made it home without hitting any traffic. (Woohoo!) Now time to hit the Cal Poly Rec center for a cycling class or some strength training.

5:30pm- …I forgot it's Thursday! I send out a group text to all the Dietetic Interns asking if anyone wants to go to the Farmers Market which is in downtown SLO every Thursday. There are some good eats (perfect- because I’m usually always hungry) and a great opportunity to stock up on some fresh produce for the week.

8:00pm- Back home and I decide to catch up on some reading and research medical terminology I encountered that day that I was unfamiliar with. I am in charge of writing the nutrition newsletters for the outpatient cancer center during my rotation so I have been brainstorming topics and writing a few drafts.

9:45pm- As rewarding as clinicals have been so far, I am definitely wiped out at the end of the day. Sometimes I put on some Grey's Anatomy and try to fight my droopy eyes but I eventually fall asleep looking forward to what the next day of clinicals will bring!