First Two Weeks at My Clinical Rotation and Counting….

Hi all! As I am writing this, I am about to finish my 2nd week as a dietetic intern at French Hospital, San Luis Obispo. Two weeks may not seem very long, but I feel like I have learned so much in just 14 days. The learning curve is steep but not scary. Moreover, just being at the hospital and applying all the classroom knowledge and finally getting to say, “Oh, I get that now” is exhilarating. It’s like everything in the puzzle finally fits and you see the whole picture.

To be honest, yes, I was nervous to jump into the internship with clinical, but I have enjoyed every moment so far, from getting my hospital ID, seeing my own patients, and giving an hour-long lecture to patients on eating a Heart Healthy Diet! Yes, that happened! My preceptor encouraged me to give an hour-long informal lecture to about 15 patients who have had heart attacks in the recent past. And it was the most satisfying experience, to be able to answer questions and have an interactive session with all these people. I think our role as an educator is one of the most important, and I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity so early in my internship to experience it.

Even though it’s a long way to go and the light at the end of the tunnel is still dim, I am excited to share what I have learned in the past two weeks as a dietetic intern so far. Clinical rotations can be challenging, and nothing quite prepares you for the first week in your clinical rotation, especially if you’re someone who hasn’t experienced being in the hospital and around patients. Even though I have dealt with patients and have worked in hospitals in my previous career, it is always overwhelming to come back to this environment.

What I have learned about being a dietetics professional is that being true to your passion can take you anywhere and that failures can be positive too. Every day is new, bringing in new challenges. Every patient is different – two patients with the same disease states can need totally different treatment plans. The job of the RD is to clinically judge which is the most pressing one. What can we do ‘in the moment’ to make the patient feel better? Would TPN be worth it? Do we want to supplement this patient? What did the physician miss that we can get hold of?

There are so many situations that we cannot find in our textbooks but can only experience by being in a hospital environment, working as part of a team with other health professionals. For example, do we want our 90-year-old patient to rigidly control their blood glucose levels or do we let them enjoy their meals? Probably let them enjoy their meals, but this is when our clinical judgment helps – to decide what’s best for our patient. Also, yes, there are times when we as dietitians have to remind doctors about something that got overlooked in the grand scheme of things. Last week, I saw a patient who was alerted to us for malnutrition screening. While talking to him, we realized that he is not eating well because he has problems swallowing. The physician seemed to have missed this little fact and once we brought it to the doctor’s notice, the diet orders were changed to the dysphagia diet and the patient started eating! Garnering that confidence and believing in yourself and the profession is what the internship is all about. It doesn’t have to be complicated; just putting on our critical thinking hat can sometimes do the trick.

Clinical rotations can be overwhelming but just being dedicated, doing all the homework, and being open to learning on the go is a successful recipe to becoming a great clinical dietitian. All in all, these two weeks have been terrific. One thing I feel that is important, not only in your clinical rotations but throughout the internship, is to be thankful and have fun. There will be days you will feel swamped with work and totally wiped out, but don’t let that get to you – it will not last long. Some days will be better than others. Just be ready to absorb everything because there is light at the end of the tunnel. I am loving this journey and very excited for what’s to come next.