A Gold Standard Preceptor: One Dietetic Intern’s Silver Lining

As we all know, the pandemic has altered each and every one of our lives in one way or another. As a dietetic intern, my days look different too. I am no longer completing my clinical rotation at Marian Regional Medical Center, where I was scheduled to work for about 10 more weeks.

To your surprise though, I’m not going to be writing about COVID, sheltering in place, or working from home. I’m going to be talking about silver linings, and specifically one preceptor who serves up a bit of optimism every day.

If you’ve read any of the blog articles before this one, you know just how special San Luis Obispo is. One of the reasons is the close community ties that exist throughout the county. At a previous rotation, I was given the contact information for Jessica Gust, Pediatric RDN after expressing my interest in private practice and working with child and adolescent populations.

When I found out that I would be working from home and had the possibility of organizing a remote elective rotation, I reached out to this new contact. While I waited, I researched her business, Element Nutrition Co., and dug through her professional Instagram and website. I was truly impressed and in awe with what I saw.

Her posts were clean and aesthetically pleasing, but more importantly, overflowing with helpful tips and information that any parent or childcare provider could learn from. They were so practical and truly illustrated how much knowledge Jessica has in the pediatric field.

Jessica of course is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who received her Bachelor of Science in Dietetics and Master of Science in Nutrition. She also earned a Certificate of Training in Childhood and Adolescent Weight Management. When she first became an RD, Jessica wasn’t necessarily planning on specializing in pediatrics. During her first job at a Community Health Center, she was given two pediatric clinics to cover, forcing her to start learning the area, and fast!

Within her first year, she was asked to consult for local pediatric clinics as well, so she started her business a year out of her internship in order to start seeing patients at that clinic. Over the years, her love for the pediatric population only grew, and she realized she had the ability to shape someone’s life for the better at an early age.

Throughout the next decade, her business evolved. Jessica now works with patients both in person and virtually. She also consults for pediatric-focused food companies and appreciates the versatility her career path offers.

Despite the busy and uncertain time, Jessica responded to my email. We set up a Zoom meeting and immediately started talking about projects that I could join in on. So far, I have assisted her with writing newsletter articles, creating preschool friendly recipes, and building modules for clients to learn from as they read her step by step E-Guide, “Balanced From Baby’s First Bite.” She is always available for quick Zoom meetings (a video communication platform) to answer questions or provide feedback.

Not only is Jessica providing me opportunities to grow my skills through projects, but she is taking her role as preceptor to the next level. She has invited me to participate in Webinars hosted by her own contacts, and even scheduled a Q&A video meeting with me to gain insight on all things private practice. To prepare, I have been developing mock documents related to my own business idea. Even though it is a long-term goal to create my own business, I’m taking advantage of the chance to have a pro give feedback on my mission statement, company description, market analysis and financial plan.

As a mentor, Jessica has taught me that things naturally evolve over time, and as long as you are willing to be flexible and try new things, the opportunities are endless. I think this advice is especially wise for interns and new dietitians during COVID and am incredibly grateful for the silver lining that allowed me to work alongside Jessica.

Let’s get together as a community and continue being grateful for what we have! Be sure to share your own silver lining in a comment below!