Welcome New Interns!

Hello new interns! Welcome to the Cal Poly family! Congratulations for making it this far. This is a very educational internship that will prepare you to become a well-qualified registered dietitian. There have been so many ups and downs, but as a whole, I definitely feel like I’m not only better equipped to become an RD, but also a stronger person. Over the past 9 months, I’ve called my mom more times than I can even count and consumed more cups of coffee than I ever knew I could drink. I have faced some fears of mine, such as public speaking to incredibly intimidating audiences, (even if I didn’t fully overcome it!) and I've had to abandon the idea of having a normal work/personal life balance, (you will find your new "normal", I promise!).

Taking part in this program has been a greatly rewarding experience and an opportunity for personal growth. It has allowed me to be around supportive directors, dietetic interns experiencing the same learning curve as I am, and preceptors sharing their knowledge of the field. In this dietetic internship, you spend 10 months doing supervised nutrition practice in three settings: clinical (hospital and outpatient), community (private practice, research, etc.), and food service management (school or hospital). Here are some of the experiences I went through during my rotations.

Clinical

I completed my clinical rotation in a hospital where there were over 10 dietitians. This allowed me to work with a different dietitian every week. I saw how every dietitian has a slightly different approach, and that nutrition in the clinical setting is greatly individualized. I thought my clinical rotation would just be filled with things I learned from MNT classes. I remember looking over all my notes, PowerPoints, and textbooks to try to brush up before I started. This is not a bad idea, but as I was going through my clinicals, I really saw the need to transform from a textbook learner into taking a more realistic and individualized approach, where recommendations and nutrition needs are specific to each patient. It definitely took me a few patients (maybe more) to shake off the jitters and to feel somewhat confident in my knowledge. I have learned about different conditions, procedures, and interacted with different professionals in the medical field. I have been fortunate enough to work in many different areas of nutrition like telemetry/cardiac, oncology, neurological disorders, burns, bariatrics, pediatrics, diabetes, renal, the ICU, rehabilitation, outpatient, and more. Your preceptor is there to guide you and answer questions. I would encourage you to not hesitate to ask questions (even if you think they are silly) and be as inquisitive as possible. I would also encourage new interns to cherish every moment, even the sticky ones where you feel uncomfortable and unsure.

Finishing up a day at my clinical rotation!

Foodservice

I was able to complete my foodservice rotation at a school district in Santa Barbara, my top choice for foodservice. I already had some experience in a hospital foodservice setting, so working for a school district was a completely different opportunity and experience for me. I not only learned a TON about high-volume food production, inventory, menu analysis, and sustainability but learned so much about management, which is a very integral skill to have and was something I never had much experience in before. Working in school food was an amazing experience where I really saw the importance of serving quality and nutritionally adequate foods to kiddos. My preceptor and her amazing staff are so dedicated to making nutritious meals that (almost) all kids enjoy. The variety of foods that they offer truly inspires more adventurous eaters! When I was in elementary school, I definitely was not eating gumbo or pozole, that’s for sure. During the pandemic, they had to get so creative to be able to still feed all the children that were attending school from home. They did daily food distributions at 9 of the school sites and for Thanksgiving and Christmas break we were able to fit a weeks’ worth of food into a box so they could still have quality food during the few weeks off. It really was such a joy to be able to serve & nourish the children in the community!

Handing out meals to students at a distribution site!

Community

My community rotations included working with a private practice dietitian, shadowing RD's at WIC, and working with the dietitian at the Sansum Diabetes Research Institute. These rotations could not have been more different, which was one of the best parts about it. I learned so much about building strong, personal relationships when I worked in private practice. You really see the need to get to know everything about your client/patient, even if it’s not about nutrition, so they can really learn to trust you and take the advice you are giving them. During my time at WIC, I saw the necessity for basic nutrition education for individuals who might not have had access to good nutrition resources before. In my rotation with the diabetes research institute, I was able to come up with education materials for them to use for newly diagnosed people with diabetes and women with gestational diabetes. One of my goals is to be able to work with this population (people with diabetes) so it was right in my wheelhouse and I loved every second of it. That is one of the best things about this internship, you have a HUGE say in what rotations you engage in. This way you are putting your time into areas that capture your interest!

About to give an inservice presentation to the WIC staff!

So, there you have it. These are the rotations I went through as an intern (and some that you may go through as well!). To be fair, I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle it all. But I did it—and even managed to watch most seasons of Grey's Anatomy (again)! However, I couldn’t have done it without support from my family, friends, program director and my amazing intern cohort for their friendship and advice.

One thing a previous intern shared with me before I started my internship was, "Be comfortable with being uncomfortable.” Future interns, this is a time to really challenge yourself. Ask yourself the critical thinking questions, try something that might be outside of your comfort zone, and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you aren’t sure about something. This internship experience has been nothing like I have ever done before or ever could’ve imagined.

The only thing left now between me and becoming an RD? The registration exam, but that’s another story. Goodluck to all of you interns with your internship. If I can do it, you can too! I promise!

Sincerely,

Mandy Edwards