Jade Romatowski - Region 9

Helloooo everyone! My name is Jade Romatowski and I am from Region 9W, or the Midwest! I am from Wisconsin, better known as the “cheese state.” I am currently in my community rotation at a WIC facility, which I enjoy so much! Providing nutrition education for young mothers, infants, and little kiddos has been a “blast” to say in layman’s terms.
 
I began my internship in a hospital near Minneapolis, where I had the opportunity to see and be a part of so many unique experiences. This is where I tell you that if you get queasy easy, watching a PEG tube placement is not for you. Anyways, I spent a great deal of time in their ICU, where I was challenged by the high acuity nature. One of the best memories I had was being able to have a conversation face-to-face with a patient who was on the ventilator and receiving nutrition support previously. To know that the regimen I recommended helped foster his recovery was exhilarating.
 
Following the clinical rotation, I moved back to Wisconsin and couch surfed at my sister’s house, where I completed a rotation at an industrial site. This was quite a change of pace from the clinical setting, as I was required to wear a bump cap, steel toe shoes, gloves, and safety glasses. For anyone who is not sure what a bump cap is, it is a hard insert added in a standard baseball cap that protected my head in case something dropped from the sky or something. It was such a cool environment, and I was so blessed to be able to work in that type of setting.
 
Here are some invaluable lessons that I have learned in my rotations:

1. Have confidence. This is easier said than done and I still struggle with this aspect, but you are a NUTRITION PROFESSIONAL. This is your career. Ask questions, own up to your mistakes, and learn something new every day.
2. Take Criticism: I know. We are all type A and strive to impress our preceptors/superiors on a daily basis. Criticism may feel like a punch in the gut when you feel like you are doing great. Just please remember, it does not mean you are bad, it just means you are not perfect.
3. HAVE FUN: This is probably the most difficult piece of advice. Not because the rotations are not fun, but because it can be challenging to not just center focus on the internship projects. Please spend the time at the facilities taking it all in and enjoying yourself.

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