Aya Mustafa - Region 4

Hi! My name is Aya, and I am a Sodexo dietetic intern from region 4 based in NJ. I completed my internship hours last week and have a lot to reflect on, so I would love to share some key takeaways from my experience!

• Keep an open mind
  • You’ve definitely heard a thousand times already about how people go into the internship thinking they’ll hate a certain rotation and end up loving it. I was so convinced this would not be me. Before I started the internship, I was extremely hesitant about clinicals, and thought I’d be counting down the days until it was over. However, upon starting the internship, I kept an open mind and was ready to challenge myself to excel in clinicals. I still can’t believe that I’m saying this, but clinicals ended up being my favorite rotation, and I even changed my concentration to critical care to get more clinical experience! A huge thanks to my phenomenal preceptors who supported me every step of the way and made my journey such a memorable one!
• Maintain a growth mindset
  • This internship is a learning experience and everyone you’ll work with wants to see you succeed. To optimize this wonderful opportunity, you need to get out of your comfort zone, take on any new opportunities as they come, be okay with asking questions along the way and with receiving feedback with how you can continue to improve and excel. It’s okay to say “I don’t know, but I’m ready to learn.”
• Take advantage of the flexibility Sodexo’s internship offers
  • The most convenient thing about Sodexo’s internship is that they provide you with a recommended timeline for you to finish your internship by; however, you can adjust the schedule to best meet your needs. For me, I knew I didn’t want to wait until the end to do a community rotation on its own, so I was able to distribute my hours throughout the internship alongside my other rotations. I was also able to finish some rotations quicker by coming in an extra day of the week. On the other hand, if you’re someone who has a part-time job, or feels like they may need extra time to complete rotations, don’t shy away from completing the internship at a pace that’s most reasonable for you!
• Fully experience all your emotions
  • You are going to have a roller coaster of emotions during this internship. You’re going to feel really nervous before trying something new, and then feel super proud after you do it! You’re going to really enjoy a conversation with one of your patients and may get really sad visiting another. You’re going to have days where everything is going easy and you feel calm and days where everything seems to be piling up and you feel stressed. All your emotions are valid, take time to process each of them.

 
Sodexo’s internship exceeded my expectations in so many different ways. You’re going to learn and experience so much! You’ll meet so many wonderful people that are truly invested in seeing you become a successful RDN! Enjoy every moment! You got this! 

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