Mustang Pride, Vitamin D, and a Sub-Acute Power Outage. How It All Started.
Hey everybody! As I am writing this, I just finished my first week of rotations and want to share with you what has happened up to this point in the internship and what I have already learned about being an intern. It has only been a few weeks, but I am going to share with you about orientation, our cohort, my first rotation, and what it has been like living in sunny California. I will also share some fun Future Intern Tips (FITs) along the way for your own DI experience!
Everything started with orientation on the Cal Poly campus. The 10 of us interns have been communicating over email for months and we were all excited to finally meet each other in person (and our director, Kati!). We spent this time getting to know each other, reviewing activities we worked on over the summer, learning what will be expected during our supervised practice and didactic sessions, and meeting preceptors, along with touring campus and taking class photos. A lot happened in a few days, but Kati made sure we had our questions answered and that we all felt prepared to begin our rotations. We learned quickly that our director is our advocate; she wants to make sure we get what we need out of this DI and is there to support us through these next 10 months.
FIT #1 Try to get together to meet each other before orientation starts, if you can. Some of us were able to grab dinner in SLO the night before and we are so glad we had this time together!
[endif]--Another excellent form of support I know I have for the entirety of this program is my intern cohort. I am grateful and honored to be surrounded by such smart and kind people. It has been easy to relate to each one of them and at the same time we all bring different experiences and perspectives to the table. One thing that I think sets this DI apart is the importance of the fellowship of the cohort. We get to meet on Mondays for seminar, which is designed for rotation prep, guest speakers, case studies, and presentations, but also to come together to share and reflect about how things are going at our individual rotation sites. This group of people is there for you to lean on and they can truly understand what you are going through in a way no one else can- even though you just met! Many of us are far from home, away from family and significant others, making it essential to have the ability to rely on each other for encouragement and cheer! It can be difficult to all get together since 7 of us are in San Luis Obispo and 3 of us are in Santa Barbara. However, we can rely on seeing each other almost weekly and stay in contact throughout the week. ![endif]--![endif]--
FIT #2 Spend time together during orientation week before things get busy- you won’t regret it.
FIT #3 Talk about carpooling. Sometimes we all need to be on campus, and a few times we all get to meet in Santa Barbara for seminar. Save money and spend more time together, too!
In addition to getting to know my DI family, I have also had the chance to become acquainted with my first preceptor. On day one, I did not know what to expect. I found out fast that my preceptor was as excited as I was to get started and help me learn her role in a sub-acute long-term care facility. One of the most important things I have learned so far is to go with the flow and be ready for anything in order to really understand your preceptor’s day-to-day life at work. Within 2 hours of arriving at this rotation, there was a (planned) power outage and the lights went off. The clinical dietitian and I moved around the facility plugging fridges into the generator and stuffing batteries into lanterns for the patient rooms. Everybody from the nursing staff to the physical therapists pitched in to keep things running smoothly during this bi-monthly event until the lights came back on. The rest of the day was spent reading patient charts, touring the grounds, observing meetings with the clinical managers and dining service staff, writing nutrition assessments, consulting with the executive chef, meeting with the regional dietitian, and stopping to chat with residents and patients in between. My favorite things about my first week were having meetings with the interdisciplinary team and witnessing how all the staff are treated with the same amount of respect as well as using strategies I learned from my undergrad in practice with real-world patients (yes, you will calculate EER and write PES statements!).
FIT #4
Carry a notebook when appropriate to jot down observations, things to research, and questions to ask later.
FIT #5
Be intentional about introducing yourself to other staff members- you will most likely work alongside them as well!
That first day was a bit of an adjustment for me since I did not know what to expect and was exposed to a new and fast-paced environment. This is similar to my transition moving here and beginning a dietetic internship. I went from living and working full time in Washington to moving to Central California and becoming a full-time student intern. Transitioning into the intern role has helped me organize my schedule and learn how to practice work/life balance. We are held to high standards as interns and there is much expected of us, but it’s not all work and no play. I am still getting used to seeing the sun every day (anyone been to the Pacific Northwest?). I often take my work outside and stop at the beach on the way home! This is a beautiful place to live and there is plenty of time to enjoy it while staying on top of the didactic assignments, so I encourage you to read outside and save those Vitamin D supplements for a rainy day (or your next visit to Seattle).
