Beyond the Food: What it Means to Be a Dietetics Professional
As I sit down to write this, I realize there are only six short
![Even though I do love kale, being a dietetics professional means so much more than advocating for the latest “superfood.”](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/009fd0_1693ade4144840f7a9004de04695f8e4~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_728,h_738,al_c,q_85,enc_auto/009fd0_1693ade4144840f7a9004de04695f8e4~mv2.jpg)
weeks left in this internship. 8 months, 7 rotations and 17 preceptors later, I look back and feel very grateful for the understanding and appreciation I’ve gained about what it means to be a dietetics professional.
From completing nutrition assessments in the acute care setting to hand delivering bags of fresh, local produce to low income residents, and giving in-services on quality food assurance to hospital food service staff, this internship has provided me opportunity after opportunity to see firsthand that being part of the dietetics field is so much more than being “an expert on food” or advocating for the latest superfood like kale or avocados.
I’ve seen the passion, energy and hard work that backs the esteemed credential of a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and have been fortunate enough to have worked with so many preceptors who ultimately keep the inspiration in the dietetics field alive. So, read on to learn about the discoveries I’ve made that make for a successful dietetic professional!
Be a Chameleon
By this, I don’t mean to say that you should blend in with your background and not be authentic. Rather, I mean that successful dietetics professionals are willing to adapt to their environment and be flexible with their surroundings. RDNs are constantly having to wear different hats because nutrition is such a big topic and talking about food and health requires pulling from so many different resources. RDNs are constantly working alongside a wide variety of individuals—their own patients and clients, the family and friends of those patients and clients, hospital staff and co-workers, other professionals in the nutrition field, to almost every type of person you can imagine—the list goes on.
So, in order to work with these diverse individuals of varying needs, it is important for RDNs to adapt, individualize their approaches and ultimately go with the flow.
Relationships & Communication
No matter the field you work in, having strong relationships and communication is essential for success. Within the dietetics profession this is no exception. As I just mentioned, the nutrition field continually requires nutrition professionals to interact and engage with others, so having strong communication skills — verbal and non-verbal — will be invaluable for success.
Having strong communication skills means you are willing to listen, you have empathy and are open-minded, you’re aware of your tone and non-verbal language and ultimately you have respect for others who you are communicating with. By being mindful of and practicing these skills, you will continue to build strong relationships and this will only lead you to positive places in the dietetics field.
Lean on Your Peers
On that note of relationships…all successful dietetics professionals have a group of peers that they can lean on for support, guidance and just sharing of stories or experiences about the latest nutrition research or that one client who thinks eating three types of foods is the cure for anything. As you’ve read, the dietetics profession is one that is built around relationships and who better to build those relationships with than your fellow nutrition experts in the field?
![Get to know your fellow nutrition professionals! Your peers will always be a number one resource you can turn to.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/009fd0_bfb260d7acdc438e80069fb56140c5e5~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_581,h_333,al_c,q_80,enc_auto/009fd0_bfb260d7acdc438e80069fb56140c5e5~mv2.jpg)
![The time with your peers outside of work is important, too!](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/009fd0_5dc0ef0f7a7d41a5be183073cc96774c~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_467,h_401,al_c,q_80,enc_auto/009fd0_5dc0ef0f7a7d41a5be183073cc96774c~mv2.jpg)
Find Your Passion & Don’t Lose Sight of It
One of the most important pieces of advice I have received from this internship came from one of my preceptors. Her advice was to “always follow your passions.” While most of us have heard this before, and as cliché as it may sound, it couldn’t be truer.
After spending the last 8 months working in a wide variety of dietetic settings, hands down, the most successful dietetics professionals have always been the ones who are working in their field of passion. This doesn’t mean that their work is free from challenges and easy breezy; in most cases it’s not. In fact, I’ve found that those nutrition professionals who are working in their field of passion are those who have some of the greatest challenges in front of them. But because of their passion, hard work and dedication, they are able to face
![Despite the challenges that can come with following your passions, the hard work will be well worth the climb!](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/009fd0_1b504e189fdc4542941ebc1a99c17194~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_623,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/009fd0_1b504e189fdc4542941ebc1a99c17194~mv2.jpg)
those challenges to meet their goals and continue working and inspiring others in the field. When you follow your passions, it will quite literally fuel the work you do and instead, make your work not feel like work after all!
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about some of the discoveries I’ve made as a soon to be dietitian. As I step into the tail end of my internship I look forward to building on these experiences in order to continue growing professionally and personally to best serve my surrounding community!