Figuring Out YOU
As graduation day approaches, I have been constantly asking myself, “what do I want to do as a future RD?”
The process of becoming an RD is so goal oriented that I found myself always chasing the next accomplishment. Now that I’m just about 2 months away from reaching the finish line, I’m wondering what’s next.
What I’ve learned from this internship has shaped how I feel about my journey and I hope that sharing my experiences can help you figure out YOU as much as it has helped me.
A collage of various interests, experiences, and careers
Like many other dietetic students and interns out there, I entered the dietetics field as a career changer (multiple career changer, actually). I’ve always had diverse interests. As a kid, I wanted to find the cure for cancer. I also loved to draw and paint and dreamed about becoming a background animation artist – you know, the people who paint the backgrounds in hand-drawn Disney films like the Little Mermaid. Life then took me in a different direction unexpectedly and I pursued mechanical engineering instead for my undergraduate degree.
After working as a mechanical engineer for 6+ years designing parts for helicopters and hybrid/electric cars, I decided to start over by moving across the country to attend culinary school. When I was finally working as a professional chef, I loved the creativity and the opportunity to feed and teach people but realized I also missed the sciences.
8 of the 10 dietetic interns from the 2019-2020 cohort enjoying the SLO farmers market in September last year
That’s where nutrition and dietetics came into the picture. As you can see, my journey towards becoming a Registered Dietitian hasn’t followed a straight trajectory. I often hear that having a specialty is more important than being versatile, but is that true?
The variety of rotations in the Cal Poly SLO dietetic internship has shifted my mindset on being a “career changer,” and here’s why:
As an intern, you get to be the bridge between industries and cultures.
I was able to work in 3 very different community rotations (public health, outpatient oncology, and school district food services), 2 different clinical nutrition settings, a food service management rotation that consisted of 4 mini-rotations, and a remote elective rotation with an RD entrepreneur. All of these rotations offered a wide variety of experiences and the work culture at each site was different.
Even with all the differences in the job functions and the community that each site served, I was able to contribute expertise from my many work experiences even as an intern. Even though the focus of each rotation was to learn from the specific positions as much as possible, I also got to share many of the skillsets gained from previous rotations and work experiences. This gave me the unique ability to approach projects in a creative way.
A fruit and vegetable handout I made for my community rotation at the Santa Barbara Department of Public Health
The room for growth
Your time in the internship is all about growth and a great way to accomplish that is by taking on all new opportunities, even if they’re outside of your comfort zone. I have made some mistakes after taking on new challenges, but they’ve all pushed me to be better.
What’s great about this internship is how I've been able to learn from many passionate and intelligent RDs in various fields and also from my peers and Kati, the DI Director. Our Monday didactic classes are a favorite because Kati plans in course work and activities that foster connection and reflection, which is a huge part of our professional and personal growth!
There are so many rotation experiences!
Interns get a very unique perspective. You’re able to experience different industries, work cultures, and management styles within a very short amount of time. Just my Food Service Management rotation alone gave me the opportunity to work in areas of sustainability, retail, culinary nutrition, food production, and room service.
Constant change may be a stress factor, but it's also an amazing opportunity. It gives you the power of adaptability and trains you to utilize your critical thinking skills in unexpected situations.
Behind-the-scenes photos of me creating a cooking video for nutrition education purposes.
Amazing preceptors
I feel incredibly grateful for all the time that preceptors put into teaching and mentoring interns. Learning about each of their career paths and what they do every day to make a difference in the community and with the population they serve has really helped to open my eyes to the career possibilities as a future RD.
My experience across multiple fields is what pushes me to think outside of the box when it comes to problem solving and collaboration. So, I may not know where I’ll be 2 months from now, but I do know that I’m up for whatever challenge that may present itself. In the meantime, I’ll be working on clinical case studies and my website all about fruits and vegetables as graduation day approaches.
Thanks to this internship experience, I’ve now shifted my mindset and see my past as a collection of knowledge and skills rather than career changes. This mindset gives me the freedom to define the future role that I want and gives me the confidence to celebrate my diverse experiences as an asset for whatever comes next.
Want to read more stories on different rotation experiences? Here are some of the related posts by other Cal Poly SLO interns and alums:
A Gold Standard Preceptor: One Dietetic Intern’s Silver Lining by Ashley Butler (featuring a preceptor in private practice)
Chart Your Course in Dietetics with Your Elective Rotation by Kati Fosselius, MS, RDN (details on the elective rotation in the Cal Poly SLO DI)
Nutrition in New Settings: My Journey After the Internship by Brian Tran (leadership, nutrition, and fitness)