Camila Rivera - Region 8

Hi everyone!
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My name is Camila Rivera. I am currently a dietetic intern in Orlando, Florida. I am from Miami, Florida, and it took me time to adjust to the environment because it was completely different and I was trying to get to know new individuals. I am half way through my first rotation, which is clinical. Currently, I am doing my advanced clinical rotation. I had completed basic and intermediate clinicals. My next step is staff relief, which I will be performing by myself with the supervision of the preceptor. Previously, I used to work as a diet clerk doing patient service, which I completed before starting the clinical rotation. It was an easy start because most of the things and processes were the same. 

I feel so confident when charting the patient, thanks to my preceptors, because they have taught me so much since day one, explaining the disease and the recommendation for nutrition intervention. My preceptor would ask me, "Why do we provide this recommendation?" depending on the patient's diagnosis and past medical history. It helps me improve my critical thinking about why we are doing this for the patient. It is simply not enough to provide the proper nutrition without first determining whether their diagnosis corresponds with the nutrition recommendation. Don't get me wrong, I was so nervous, overwhelmed, and shy when starting my clinical rotation. The most challenging part for me is asking the correct open-ended question to the patients depending on their diagnosis. The advice I would give to myself and to you is to get out of the comfort zone and experience things, because life is short and we have to take advantage of it. There is no turning back, and we must continue forward. It's okay to make mistakes; I've made them, but I've learned from them. The internship is all about learning new things every day and applying what we've learned in school. I guarantee that you will learn something new in clinical every day. It is a lot of information we need to know at the beginning, but trust me, it’s worth it. It makes me feel confident. I enjoy learning things or even remembering some concepts from the university and being able to apply them in my rotation. The internship definitely prepared us to be a professional in the field of dietetic and nutrition. I would say "everything in life is possible." If plan A didn’t work out, there's always plan B. Never give up easily!

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