Your mindset shapes the experience

I am already concluding my second rotation soon and I have learned so much along the way. I remember our first days starting the internship when our program director told us to enjoy every experience we get - even if this means just chopping peppers, it may just be the break we need during a hectic day. This has been something that stuck with me throughout all my rotations thus far.

I started out with my food service rotation at Twin Cities Community Hospital. I have to give credit to my preceptor and all the staff there for making it such a wonderful experience. I know that I’m not going to love each and every task, but I would always pick something out of the day I look forward to in order to set the mood. My mindset going into work every day made it that much better. For example, while at Twin, I made so many friends with the staff that I looked forward to going to my rotation to work with them every day.

When reflecting on my overall experience there, the staff really made the long day, busy and hectic days so much better.

Twin Cities food service staff on my last day

It’s not to say that there aren’t going to be hard days. Some days you may question why you are asked to perform a specific task or struggle to understand the purpose and that is okay. It’s okay to not love something too, but just don’t carry it in your heart as a reflection of the rest of your internship. Every day is going to be different; today might not be the best day, but tomorrow will be better.

Reviewing NFPE steps in our didactic class

I am currently in my community rotation at the functional medicine clinic. Although this rotation is virtual, I don’t mind it at all. Lots of people say that they dislike virtual work, which I completely understand, it’s hard to be productive at home, and being hands-on can make the day go by so much faster. Some benefits to a virtual rotation could be:

· Staying in athleisure clothing all day if I’m not meeting patients

· Cook a fresh meal for lunch

· Save time & gas on the commute

· Flexibility in terms of work hours to a certain degree

I’m also able to learn the perks and challenges of telehealth. I also LOVE the topics I’m learning from my preceptor and clinic. So far I’ve been working on holistic care for PCOS, diabetes, and hypertension. I’ve also been able to dive deeper into the world of supplements. Something interesting I noticed from patients at the integrative health clinic is that most of the time, they come in with many questions about nutrition. Often, the patients are very knowledgeable and are curious to learn more. I love that you get to really have an in-depth conversation about nutrition and its effects on their health

By focusing on what I enjoy about each rotation, I feel like I’m having a wonderful time during my internship so far.

Group photo with all 10 interns

I am so grateful for the Cal Poly SLO dietetic internship because we focus so much on wellness. I know dietetic internships can be mentally challenging; we have to learn to juggle work and homework, and for some of us, that means a part-time job as well. My fellow interns have been such a huge support system and when we’re having rough days we’re there to support each other. And it’s this collective mindset that we’re all in this together that really shapes our experience. I know there are going to be harder days to come, but I am very optimistic that I will continue to expand my knowledge through different experiences and make great connections along the way!