From Poly to Preceptor
Picture this: It’s Friday night at M Special, a local microbrewery near Santa Barbara rumored to be frequented by local celebrity and musician Jack Johnson. Bistro lights twinkle in the far-too-early November darkness following daylight saving as an epic ACDC cover band draws a notable crowd on the outdoor patio. At a tall wooden table, an intern and her preceptor are filled to the brim with food truck BBQ and good vibes as they rock to the music. There’s just one thing, true to type-A nutrition student/intern fashion, the intern has her laptop out in the middle of the crowd to take notes as she asks her preceptor the questions we are all dying to know more about. What might those be? Read on to learn more about the journey a recent intern herself led to becoming the incredibly impactful preceptor she is today.
Steady yourself as this may come as a shock, but I was the intern in the middle of the crowd that night. The amazing food and great music were simply an added bonus to the incredible opportunity I was given to get to know my preceptor even better. Most importantly, I got to learn all about what made a fantastic preceptor like Haley get to a place where she was able to be so impactful on my own journey as an intern. Her story certainly didn’t disappoint.
So here goes, everyone, meet Haley Peterson! A recent Cal Poly SLO grad herself (go class of 2017!). Her passion for nutrition was sparked during freshman year of high school when her love for cross country was combined with a new fascination for using nutrition to improve athletic performance. By her junior year the deal was sealed when she submitted an early application to Cal Poly declaring nutrition as her major. After receiving an early acceptance letter December of her senior year, the rest was history as she jumped on a fast-track to a career as a registered dietitian. Throughout college, she was involved in various campus organizations including the nutrition club, served as cochair for the open house committee, and worked as a catering associate at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center. On a nerve-wracking April day during her senior year known to many for inducing unrelenting panic (and likely temporary insanity), Haley was matched with the Oregon State University dietetic internship! What would follow would be one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, years of her life.
While she had an idea that clinical dietetics might be her calling, Haley did a really smart thing and went into her internship with the priority of keeping an open mind, which is something she strongly advises all interns to do. One of the biggest keys to her success during the program was to take all experiences – good AND bad – and learn something from them. Work with a preceptor that has a counseling philosophy you don’t totally agree with? Learn from it. Impressed by the way you see a preceptor and their colleague interact with one another? Learn from it. ALL experiences can be learning experiences, which is advice I’ve taken to heart during my journey as well.
Within one week of passing the RD exam in 2018 (taken only 6 weeks after graduating from her DI, ~*woah*~) Haley interviewed for and was offered a per diem position at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Within months she became a preceptor herself! One of her favorite parts of working as a per diem clinical dietitian is that she gets to continue practicing the flexibility she learned as an intern, with the ultimate goal of building more experience. While most RDs at Cottage are assigned a specific unit they work with daily, per diem RDs get the chance to float throughout the hospital as needed; this allows her to work with many different patient populations (much like an intern does). As most interns quickly learn, flexibility is a large contributor to success. Haley’s appreciation for, and emphasis on, this difficult-to-acquire trait while precepting me has offered exceptional proof of the power in practicing it.
[endif]--It has been such an amazing and unique opportunity to work with a preceptor so new to the industry, but with a wealth knowledge to share. She may not have the 30+ years of experience the dietitians she works with have, but the genuine excitement she exuberates for the field makes working with her feel not only relatable, but also incredibly inspiring. I consider the insight I’ve gained watching her interact effectively with patients, chart skillfully, and lead our teaching moments with ease to be invaluable. Most of all, I take the experiences she has given me as a friend and mentor to be the most meaningful. Haley has remained transparent about going through the heartfelt challenge of advocating for a patient when a doctor is inappropriately recommending parenteral nutrition, or losing a patient she’s worked closely with for a long time. This transparency has given me the best possible experience an intern can have: to witness the raw reality of working in a field intertwined with empathy and advocacy for the human quality of life.
If you’re ever fortunate enough to work with Haley as a preceptor, be prepared to ask a lot of questions. One of the biggest strengths she identified in interns is the ability to set fear and intimidation aside and ask as many questions as possible. Stupid, silly, smart, or totally out there, I was always encouraged to ask. True to her form, she has emphasized the power these questions have for her continued learning and improvement as well. Even after the internship, learning always comes from the ability to be humble and ask questions. Haley is walking proof of practicing what you preach in the sense that not only did she cultivate a space where I was able to ask anything I needed, but she also exemplified this trait herself by reaching out to more experienced colleagues to collaborate on subjects she was less sure of. During our Friday night interview, she couldn’t emphasize it enough: ask, ask, ask.
In summary, the crucial pointers I have been fortunate enough to acquire through my time with Haley include the following:
Keep an open mind throughout the internship
Embrace and learn from ALL opportunities (good or bad)
Remain flexible, both during and after the internship
Be humble and ask a lot of questions cellspacing="0" width="100%"
[endif]--And while my biggest goal may be to master my upcoming rotations, Haley hopes to become a Certified Nutrition Support Clinician (CNSC) within the next five years. She’ll
spend a lot of time studying for the exam, of course, but she’ll also definitely make plenty of time to take her new pup Pepper to the beach and prepare for her upcoming trip to Austria. Because #balance, right?
Friends, don’t be afraid to spend a fun-filled Friday evening getting to know your preceptor. You just might end up with an unforgettable experience.
![endif]--![endif]--![endif]--