Remember to Be Human During Your Year as an Intern

One day, at Valle Verde, a retirement community in Santa Barbara, I was introduced to a patient who was battling multiple conditions. I went in to the patient room thinking I’d leave with answers I needed to complete his nutrition assessment, but what I received was something much greater. He said that during my time as a student, he wanted me to understand the importance of seeing patients as people, truly as humans, not as their condition. This conversation stuck with me and it’s something I feel needs to be shared with as many future dietitians as possible. You will learn much more from your patients by engaging in a little extra conversation beyond “how is your appetite?” If you spend the time, you may be able to better put the puzzles of their chart together. For example, I learned that this patient was evacuated from his home, which may contribute to his access to food when he leaves the nursing facility. This has also been true for me during my time at La Ventana, an eating disorder treatment center. If I were unable to form genuine relationships with the clients there, they wouldn’t trust me enough to divulge important information central to their treatment. See the patients and clients for who they are as people, beyond their condition, and the experience will be better for the patient and more rewarding for you, as the intern.

This patient’s advice, however, does not just apply to patients and clients. During this year of your internship, it is important to build and strengthen relationships with family, friends, other interns, your preceptors, and other members in each organization where you are completing your rotations. Thankfully, the internship at Cal Poly does allow you the free time to continue strengthening relationships with family and friends. I am able to meet friends out for dinner or at the beach much more than I thought I would be able to during my intern year, which is so important to going back to your rotations refreshed. Consider calling a friend from home and FaceTime-ing with family to let them know you’re thinking about them. Don’t neglect those relationships just because the internship can get busy.

Something that has

helped me more than I could have ever imagined is leaning on and learning from the interns around me. My Santa Barbara interns keep me grounded, studying, and constantly laughing (very necessary!). Meanwhile, my SLO interns are always a quick text away whenever any of us has questions and I look forward to seeing their bright faces each Monday for class. We’ve been through potlucks, sleepovers, and holidays together and I could not have hoped for a better support system. Just like patients, each intern comes from a different background. Keep an open mind and you can learn so much from what they have each experienced.

Finally, that patient's advice also applies to our relationships with preceptors. When there is any opportunity, ask your preceptors what they did previously, where they went to school or grew up, etc. I’ve learned so much about my preceptors as people, rather than just as dietitians. We’re adults now and our preceptors could be future colleagues; we should treat them as such.

So, future interns, you’re close. I was in your shoes a year ago and now (somehow!) I’m here. I hope you found my patient’s advice as helpful as I did. Each time you step into a patient room, I hope you remember that he/she is more than a diagnosis, diet, weight, or lab value. Similarly, I hope you make time for your family and friends (including your fellow interns) and encourage you to ask your preceptors about their journey. All of these things will make you a better intern, and more importantly, a better person.