Staying in Motion - What I Have Learned as a Dietetic Intern
Howdy folks,
Let’s get right to it. This year has been a whirlwind for me in terms of taking big leaps (figuratively & literally). From moving across the country, meeting a ton of new nutrition nerds, skydiving (yes), & attending the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo, I can honestly say this year has been very rich in experiences. So here are the three most important things I have learned by staying in motion with my dietetic internship.
Take advantage of your locality & travel as much as your busy schedule allows.
Supercharge your relationships with your fellow interns, preceptors, & people of the community
Let your preceptors & co-workers KNOW WHAT YOU NEED.
I am a firm a believer of taking advantage of wherever it is you live & trying your darn hardest to see EVERYTHING & ANYTHING of interest. I do not care if you live in the middle of nowhere (which is common with some internships) or you live in the middle of Disney World. Any traveling you do and new things you see will feed your soul, or if you are not a spiritual person, it’ll just make you flat-out happy. A happy intern is a productive intern - write it down. I like to hike and travel up and down the pacific coast highway on the weekends, because that makes me happy. For you, it may be trying out a new restaurant, blazing a new trail, or eating peanut butter at the park. Whatever the case may be, please remember how important you are. Nurture your curiosity.
Secondly, the relationships you form & cultivate are paramount in your current success & success you WILL achieve down the line (I believe in YOU that much). That being said, treat your coworkers like humans you care about! Everyone I have worked with will have some level of influence in my growth or be the person of reference for a future job. I have accepted this as an undeniable truth, and with it I have gone out of my way to connect with my coworkers whenever I have a chance. If you don’t have time to ask your coworkers how their day was, MAKE IT! Every Tuesday when I first see my preceptor (I’m in class on Mondays), I make it a point to ask how their weekend was and if they have highlights to share. These small acts of intentional connection will show your preceptor how much you care about them & the positive character that you are.
Lastly, this internship is FOR YOU. Yes, you have a role in representing your director and your internship but at the end of the day this internship is about making YOU the absolute best future RD. With all of my preceptors I respectfully & clearly communicate from the start what I need from them, while balancing what they need from me. Individualizing your internship is the only way you will learn the skills necessary to practice effective nutrition. If you have a fear of voicing your needs, take the time to practice it in smaller ways within your life. One thing I like to do before any rotation is to sit down with myself and write down what I need and what I want from that particular rotation. Writing down your needs and wants will refine your thoughts, which ideally will translate to the first conversation you have with your preceptor. I have nothing but faith in your ability to do this.
That’s it for now folks. Thank you for letting me share my thoughts and remember to not ever be complacent, stay in motion.
Brian