A Ten Month Internship….A Lifetime of Memories
This picture was taken 10 months ago when I visited Cal Poly for the first time after finding out I matched to their dietetic internship. A lot can happen in 10 months. A woman can get pregnant and deliver a baby, an elementary school child can become a junior high student, a small seed planted can grow into a fruitful tree, and a dietetic intern can complete her required hours of supervised practice. I have less than 8 weeks left of my 10-month internship. That may seem like a substantial amount of time to some people. However, as I’ve experienced at other periods in life, this time will pass quickly and it is up to me to fully enjoy the closure of this chapter. I would like to take this opportunity to pass on to future interns a few recommendations that I believe may help them during their ten months.
I will start with something I wish I had done better at: setting goals for each rotation. I struggled to set concrete goals because I thought that I just wanted to learn and absorb as much as I possibly could during my time with each preceptor. I distinctly remember a preceptor asking what my goal was for that rotation and I basically shrugged and said “to learn about how to help this population with their nutrition concerns.” How basic and boring! When I think about setting life goals it has always been “to become a registered dietitian.” Now, here I am on the path, and I am unable to think of a specific goal within the career possibilities of being a dietitian. Luckily, I was able to come up with a few more creative goals at various locations. In my community setting I had a goal to develop a lesson plan to teach sixth grade students about nutrition using technology in a way that interested them. At the hospital my goal was to take on the most challenging cases I could find. One preceptor told me that the clearer my goals were, the more she could do everything in her power to help me reach my goals. This truly helped me realize that I would get more out of the rotation if I set goals for each of them.
Speaking of preceptors, I have been incredibly lucky to have worked with those who have been encouraging and supportive. I have a few suggestions for how to get the most out of your relationship with your preceptors. First, try to get to know them over lunch. I ate lunch with my preceptors on multiple occasions and I talked to them about non-dietetics topics. It helped develop a bond that was more than just that of a professional and an intern. I had several preceptors tell me that I was “part of the team” and I valued this form of acceptance and inclusion in their environment.
Another part of your relationship with your preceptors will be observing how they do their job. This may influence how you create your own style of “dietitian-ing.” For example, if you complete a rotation in an out-patient setting you will observe your preceptors counsel patients. You can adopt part of their style of how to educate clients. This is also a prime time for you to develop your own style of counseling. Use your personality and life experiences to help you connect with patients. You will learn some aspects from the lead of your preceptors. I encourage you to also learn from your own instincts and comfort levels of what feels right and natural to you.
Finally, make memories to cherish for the rest of your life! This is where your cohort and Kati, our director, take center stage. As lucky as I feel to have been chosen for this internship, I feel even more blessed that I was chosen with the other eight interns around me in this picture. I also cannot imagine working with anyone except Kati as our director. She gives us valuable feedback and goes above and beyond to help us prepare for our careers as dietitians. As far as my peers…from inside jokes to slumber parties, hiking trails to relaxing on beaches, road trips to picnics, late nights in the library to early mornings getting coffee before class, they have been by my side through it all. I am so grateful to have made 9 new friends this year that I can stay connected to professionally and personally.
Your dietetic internship is something you only get to do once. The internship offers so many obvious learning experiences. There are also hidden chances that you will have to seek out beyond what is covered by your competencies. You will not regret taking advantage of every opportunity presented to you, even if it means extra work on your plate.
I wish you the best of luck during your internship and hope that you treasure it like I do!