Embracing the Challenges: Everything will work out
During one of our last Monday classes, us interns spent some time reminiscing on our year -- our challenges, our highlights, and our takeaways. We laughed, joked, cringed, and just enjoyed looking back at what a busy, crazy year this has been. With full confidence I can say it’s been a year of growth for us all; when I look back at who I was before this program I think about how much I’ve changed as a person. However, after a rigorous year of continuous learning and new experiences, who wouldn’t? It’s amazing to think that graduation is right around the corner. I don’t feel ready yet, but at the same time, after seeing all the progress I’ve made this year I feel like it’s time.
That being said, for my last blog post of the year, I would love to share 3 lessons I’ve learned throughout my time in this program. Whether you’re an aspiring RD, a student, or just someone who is reading this post, I believe this can apply to us all!
1. Environment affects you more than you think
When speaking about our biggest takeaways, us interns all unanimously agreed that the environment is a huge factor in our experience. When I say environment, I don’t mean just the location you are working at (although that definitely is a factor—an office without windows can really bring down one’s mood!), but rather the community of people. It’s the small things that add up – the attitude of the staff and the jokes they make, how clients/patients are treated, how welcoming they are of new interns, how responsive one’s preceptor is to your suggestions, questions etc. In my case, I can say that although I am not currently planning on pursuing school nutrition, I had an amazing and fun time with the San Luis Coastal School District. I had so much fun that I even went back for my staff relief rotation!
What made the rotation so amazing was the people; I felt like I had a home away from home and every day I looked forward to talking and spending time with the staff.
Our attitudes truly matter, and we can really make a noticeable difference with our actions. Just by being kind, welcoming, and supportive of each other, we can make our environment better not just for us, but for all those around us and perhaps our future interns/students.
2. Mistakes will happen
I struggled in the beginning with this, as I ended up dwelling on every mistake, every “dumb question” I asked, and every awkward moment I was part of. However, as time went on, my skin toughened and now I know that mistakes are part of everyday life. The moment I realized this was during my elective at the Weight Loss Institute of the Central Coast. There I was, doing my first bariatric pre surgery consultation with a patient with no prior practice. Things were going well, when suddenly after I said something, my preceptor spoke up and corrected me. Instead of feeling embarrassed or ashamed of my mistake, I was actually thankful for her help. I told the patient “Sorry, I am a student and still learning!” and simply continued with the appointment.
Mistakes are a natural part of learning so fail gracefully, pull yourself back up, and continue!
3. Be flexible and go with it! (It will all work out in the end)
The number one lesson I’ve learned during this internship is to be flexible. Although I do not consider myself an extremely organized person, I still like to make goals and plans every day to work towards. However, what I’ve experienced during this internship is that sometimes things will not go according to your plans, and that’s okay! Sometimes we plan to work on a specific project that day, but a staff member calls out sick – now instead of working at your desk, you are subbing for someone else and serving lunch to kids. In my case, I was supposed to start my rotation at Cal Poly Dining weeks ago, but due to many different circumstances, here I am just starting it! The unexpectedness can be nerve wracking at first, however, I have slowly learned to just go with the flow. Everything will work out in the end! When things don’t go the way you expect, just take a moment to sort yourself out, then jump into whatever is next.
I promise you will finish the goals and plans you have set out for yourself; it might just be in a different way then you had in mind originally and might be even more fun!