3 Things Being a Dietetic Intern Has Taught Me

I am about 2/3 of the way through my internship already (boy does time fly) and I can honestly say that it is the most amazing, stressful, yet rewarding experience I have ever experienced!

If you would have told me a year ago that I would be doing an internship in California during a global pandemic I might have questioned applying at all and played it safe, but you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, and I had no clue the world would start spinning backward so here I am in the most interesting and crazy time of my life!

I have had rotations in food service, corporate wellness and private practice so far this year and can honestly say I enjoyed each rotation in different ways. They have all taught me so many things related to the dietetics profession such as being able to adapt to the times, budgeting, how to use social media to gain clients, and time management but they have also taught me a lot about myself and what I enjoy and may not care to pursue after the internship is over which is honestly what the internship experience is all about!

I have been able to go on farm tours and work on setting up this indoor growing system!

Here are 3 things that I have learned so far about being a dietetic intern that relates to more than just the internship experience!

1. It is okay to not know what you are doing.

As interns we go (at least I did) into each rotation feeling like we need to know everything and have all the right answers on the first day, but this is just not the case and the preceptors don’t expect this of us either. It is OK to not have a clue what you are doing but with time you will figure it out and you will start to gain that confidence as a health care professional! Whenever you are unsure of something no matter how silly it may seem ask the questions. It is part of our learning process and the preceptors are there to support and guide us to the right answer. Most preceptors encourage questions and love helping us figure out the right answer!

2. You will have bad days but remember that they don’t last and good days will follow!

A quote I have seen in the past about how you can’t have good days without the bad days is most definitely the case during this internship. Some days you have the most rewarding and successful moments of your life and other days you will come home feeling exhausted or discouraged but remember tomorrow is a new day and it is all up to you on how you take those days and turn them around. I remember one day in my food service rotation at SLCUSD I had the most amazing experience meeting the farmers harvesting jujube! The group I was with ended up on the news that evening, and I got to try jujubes for the first time as well as prickly pear and tasted the most delicious honey! On the way back from that tour we found out that there had been a conflict in the office that shifted the dynamics in the food service department and had completely changed the intern's goals and agenda and proved to be another pivot in my life. It was a rollercoaster of a day and that was just by noon. When I got home that day I was on the phone with my mom and all of the sudden she dropped the call and I found out my dad was being rushed to the hospital. There were so many highs and lows of this day and to be honest by the end of the day I was an emotional wreck, but I woke up the next morning (after about 2 hrs. of sleep) and made the decision to hold my head high and do what I can that day to honor my feelings but also not allow myself to dwell on the facts that I couldn’t control or change.

My advice: after a difficult day take a moment that evening or next morning to reflect on your thoughts, feelings, and actions. You can control the things you think, feel, and do but it takes practice and reflecting can help make this a bit easier.

3. Self-care is key!

With all the craziness in this world, not to mention constant change throughout the internship remember that you can’t pour from an empty cup! You have to make time for yourself too! By now you might know what your go to activity is whether it’s running, yoga, reading a good book, or even just grocery shopping. Even if you have one or two ways to destress or refocus your energy, I have found that changing those things up once in a while helps a lot so you don’t get stuck just doing the same thing over and over again plus it keeps life a little more interesting (not that you need any more change but at least this is a subtle change)! If you normally meditate in the morning you could also add in a few minutes of stretching or journaling as another way to reflect and move the body. Grab your friends and head to the beach one weekend if this is something you typically don’t do, the fresh air does wonders on your mood! You could also look into renting kayaks near Morro Bay or go for a hike in SLO! My go-to hike is the Felsmans loop near Bishop!

If you’re a scheduler, schedule this time into your planner whether it’s once a week for a few hours or an hour a day... even 5 minutes each morning is something that will help you feel and stay grounded and refreshed throughout the internship (and probably life in general!)

(Head to Montana De Oro at least once!)