Nutrition in New Settings: My Journey After the Internship
Hi Cal Poly Crew,
It has been a while since I last posted. Actually, last time I posted I was a dietetic intern. Since then, I have received my RDN and…. Drum roll… went back to school to receive my graduate degree.
Sounds a little crazy, doesn’t it? Let me tell you - it’s been the best decision of my life. After I got my RD I knew I wanted to be in a nontraditional setting for my career. I thought long and hard about what was important to me and the priorities I came up with were fitness-focused, nutrition boosted, and play-oriented. I returned to my Alma mater (James Madison University) to pursue a career in Campus Recreation. It was here where I taught my first cooking class, completed my first nutrition analysis for clients, and worked as a camp counselor. I am currently a graduate assistant for Fitness, Group Exercise, and Wellness studying under the Campus Recreation Leadership Masters Program (the only one in the country!).
So what do you do?
In my current role I help supervise our campus recreation center’s personal trainers, group exercise instructors, and wellness instructors (mostly dietetic undergraduate students). This includes training, hiring, teaching, and providing professional development opportunities for our students. I have always had a strong love for fitness, but never pursued it. Now I get to combine my love for leadership, nutrition, and fitness all in one job. We have a staff of about 50 instructors, 70 fitness employees, 12 personal trainers, and 40 wellness instructors.
Do you still do nutrition?
Of course! Nutrition is in my DNA. I’ve had the opportunity to teach cooking classes, give nutrition lectures, and present at a fitness expo. I have plans to present on nutrition topics at our campus recreation conferences at the regional and national level next school year. The only change is that nutrition is not the only thing I do. A lot of my job is about leadership and management, which is something I wanted more of after my internship.
How did your dietetic internship experience prepare you for this program?
My biggest take-away from the dietetic internship would definitely be my flexibility with new roles and creating professional development opportunities for my student staff. As an intern I was going back and forth to new rotations, which challenged my resiliency and adaptability. Whether it was corporate wellness, acute care, or community work, I was always being thrown a new curve ball. With my role as a graduate assistant, my job is catered to my growth more than simply getting a task finished. That being said, I am constantly having to create opportunities for myself to learn new skills within the fitness/wellness industry, but also trying my best to create opportunities for growth for my student employees. With each new rotation of the internship, I was asked “what do you want from this?” Now I have to ask my students the same question and be able to mold great opportunities for them like my past preceptors did for me.
Where do you see this career going?
Nutrition programming is still very young and underutilized in the campus recreation setting, however I believe teaching nutrition to the college-aged population is extremely crucial before they enter the workforce. With that being said, my 5- year plan is to become an assistant director for Fitness and Wellness who is at the forefront of making nutrition programs a regular part of the college campus, specifically in the recreation setting. My long term goal would to become the head director of recreation at a large university (maybe back in California).
Closing notes
It’s safe to say I am loving life. The path I have chosen is anything but traditional, but it’s what has made me happy and the work I do feels intensely purposeful. If I have one piece of advice to future RDs who are having problems finding their “role” it would be to find your niche in unexplored areas. Nutrition is flexible and you can find your purpose in places outside of the hospital & clinical settings.