Hello! My name is Sonal Patel and I am a dietetic intern in region 7 in Tallahassee, Florida at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH). I am also in the  master’s program at University of Rhode Island. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my start date was pushed back from September to December. Originally, I was so disappointed I didn’t get to start with the rest of my cohort. My Sodexo director advised me to take advantage of the time I have and work on the clinical packets.  I took her advice and finished all of the packets before starting rotations and know this will prepare me for my clinical rotations later. She also told me not to worry about not starting on time because she knew I would have a great experience at my site, and she has been right!

I started my internship with my management rotations clinical nutrition management, patient services, and foodservice management. My CNM on site has been amazing. She knew I was not from the area and she made me feel at home. I have been lucky that she has shared her knowledge and experiences with me. I have also completed half of my community rotation. I was fortunate enough not to have to find my own community sites. One of the unique aspects of my internship is that I will complete all of my supervised hours at one site.
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I have gotten to be a part of projects from start to finish which would not have happened if I was only there for a few weeks. One experience I enjoyed was during the holiday season. The TMH  Foundation, Second Harvest Food Bank, which is a Feeding America partner, and Sodexo teamed up to host a food insecurity drive for colleagues. I was able to participate in all aspects of the event from the planning and execution of the four distribution days we had. I was able to be a part of a team that adapted to circumstances and changed events for the next time.  This entire process was done over 6 weeks. I would not have been able to do that if I wasn’t at one site.
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One of the most important things I have learned so far is to be adaptable. The internship, like life, isn’t always going to follow a straight path but the more flexible you are, the more you will learn from your experiences. I am lucky enough to have preceptors who have shared their knowledge, experience, and passion for dietetics. I feel lucky to have such a positive internship experience thus far and am excited to see what the future holds! 

​My name is Victoria Martin, and I am a region 11 intern in the Denver Metro area.  I have had the privilege of doing many of my community and wellness concentration hours with Sodexo’s Nutrition and Wellness Center.  This is a unique organization that provides outpatient nutrition education and counseling to people in different settings, such as behavioral health centers and doctor’s offices, with a variety of needs such as cancer, depression, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and liver transplants.  
 
At first, I was nervous to sit down with patients and put into practice my knowledge and education.  However, the more patients that I was able to see, the more my confidence grew.  I was able to practice my motivational interviewing skills and I gained experience in the nutrition care process for a variety of patients.  In addition, I did many group presentations in the behavioral health centers, where I developed appropriate content, activities, and handouts to support those presentations.  I have loved having interactive group experiences which spark conversations with my participants.   It is such a good feeling when people are receptive and genuinely interested in the topics you are presenting, and they want more information following the presentation.  My favorite project so far has been my Cooking for Wellness demonstration.  I recorded a demo on how to cook a butternut squash and couscous bowl geared toward viewers with beginner cooking skills, while sprinkling in nutrition education.  I enjoyed the collaborative experience of this project and learning about the editing and formatting process involved in producing a video for this type of presentation.  It has helped me to become more comfortable with giving cooking demonstrations and I hope to do more of them in the future.

​Hello everyone! 
 
My name is Jaidyn Zapf and I’m an intern from region 11.  I’m currently completing my pediatric concentration, which is my final rotation in the internship.  I have learned so much throughout the internship and I’m so excited to continue gaining knowledge.  Although I’m typically in Denver, Colorado, I was given the opportunity to complete my pediatric rotation at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina.
 
I have been able to work in many different areas in the hospital including general pediatrics, cardiology, hematology, oncology, NICU, PICU, and outpatient services.  I didn’t realize how different this rotation would be; I was expecting to be able to use much of my knowledge from my previous clinical experiences, but kids are definitely a new challenge!  One major difference is the rate of growth.  As adults, we tend to grow very slowly, if at all.  Kids, however, can change significantly overnight.  In some ways this makes it easier, as you can tell quickly if their feeding recommendations are allowing adequate growth or if they may need to be modified.  Growth charts and statistics about growth are major pieces of the nutrition assessment in this population.  In addition, it is vital to have good communication skills as there is quite a bit of communication with other disciplines and with patients and their parents.  I’ve enjoyed this aspect as you really get to know the patients and families.
 
My advice to future interns is to ask your preceptors lots of questions.  Even if it seems like a simple or silly question, they can give you great advice or information about the topic.  I have been able to gain so much knowledge from the people I’ve worked with by asking questions.

Hi everyone! My name is Katelyn Tarr and I am currently a region 12 intern in Los Angeles, California. I finished both my food service management and clinical rotations at Adventist Health, Simi Valley. I am also working on my master’s degree with the University of Rhode Island.

It’s surreal to know that I’m already halfway through my internship! It feels like yesterday I was participating in online orientation, nervous to go to my first site. I started in food service management, and my preceptors immediately made me feel comfortable. After surviving day one, I knew I was going to have a great experience. Each day I got to do something new, and I was able to work with a lot of different people who all helped me grow as a future RD.

After a month in the kitchen and cafeteria, I started my clinical rotation. I was really unsure about clinical at first, because it felt totally new to me and out of my comfort zone. My preceptors were amazing and let me find the learning style that worked best for me. Each day I was able to build off the things I had learned the day before, until I was working just like a full-time RD seeing 8-10 patients a day! When I first started, I was nervous to talk to anyone. By the end of my advanced clinical, I was confidently talking to doctors and nurses about tube feedings and providing diabetes diet educations. It was really rewarding to see just how much I was able to learn and grow in just a few months. 

I never anticipated working in a hospital during some of the worst days of the pandemic, but it just made me love clinical more. Getting to be a part of the ICU/COVID unit team was really rewarding, and it helped me gain confidence in my abilities to handle any situation as an RD.
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I knew Sodexo was the perfect internship for me because it allows the freedom to create your own community and concentration experiences without the pressure of finding a clinical site. Especially during this time, with so many unknowns, having supportive and experienced directors has given me the confidence to adapt to new circumstances and get the best learning experience from this year.  

​Before I began this internship, I did not know exactly what clinical dietitians did in the hospital. Therefore, I wanted this blog post to be about “a day in the life of a clinical dietetic intern” to give people a better understanding of the important role dietitians play in the hospital.
 
When I first arrive to work, I begin screening patients according to my facility’s guidelines. Once I have gathered all the patients I need to see for the day, I begin researching each of them. I look up their principal hospital problem, past medical history, social history, recent or upcoming procedures, diet/supplement orders, medication list, lab/procedure results, skin issues, GI issues, and weight history. Once I have all the diagnostic information, I begin reviewing other providers’ notes on each patient. This gives me more insight into the patient’s history, their current prognosis, and any plans for discharge.
 
After I have gathered all the pertinent information, it is time to go see my patients. I conduct a short interview with my patients to get information about how they are currently doing and if there are any nutritional needs that I can help them with. If I am seeing a patient for a malnutrition consult, then I will do a nutrition focused physical exam (NFPE). The NFPEs are my favorite because I get to touch the patients, and it helps me gain another level of understanding about their nutritional needs.

When I have seen all my patients, I go back to my office to chart on them. This process involves creating a nutrition assessment form in the electronic medical record using the ADIME format. The template is already laid out for me, I just have to make it specific for each patient. I really enjoy creating the assessment notes because it challenges my critical thinking skills as I carefully consider everything that impacts my patient’s nutritional needs. I decide on my nutrition intervention, write my nutrition prescription, develop goals for my patient and decide which factors I am going to monitor & evaluate. When the assessment form is complete, I wait for my preceptor to review and co-sign my note. Then I start charting on my next patient.
 
When I have finished charting all of my patients, it is time to go home for the day!
 
I enjoy each day of clinicals more than any other rotation thus far. I love the hospital setting and the exposure I am getting to medicine. Currently, I am in my second week of advanced clinicals. Today, I had my first TPN patient. Every day, I learn something new about nutrition and medicine. My concentration is Critical Care/MNT, and I cannot wait to delve deeper into nutrition therapy in critical care. I hope this post gave you a better understanding about what dietitians do in the hospital!  ​

​Hello!
 
My name is Kate Zebrowski and I am a region 1 intern located in Natick, MA. I have been working towards becoming a Registered Dietitian since 2014, so it is beyond exciting to me that I am now more than 800 hours into my dietetic internship, and so close to the end goal. It certainly has been a long time coming! I have been fortunate to complete my clinical rotations, critical care concentration, and the majority of my community hours at Beth Israel Deaconess Needham (BIDN) and their Outpatient Nutrition Clinic. My foodservice rotation begins at Brandeis University next week, where I will also finalize my community hours with a focus on wellness promotion.
 
As I reflect on my DI so far, my advanced clinical rotation and critical care concentration stand out. They aligned directly with the second COVID-19 surge, a time when BIDN’s 7 bed ICU was consistently at capacity. A surge ICU for non-Covid-19 patients was even opened in what is typically a post-op ward. Patients were being sedated and mechanically ventilated on what seemed like a daily basis, and my preceptors challenged me to be directly involved in their care. My initial anxieties about assessing these high-risk patients, and calculating (and recalculating) their vital enteral nutrition support, eased as I grew more comfortable with the latest COVID-19 research and standards of care. With the support and encouragement of my preceptors, this very taxing and difficult time for healthcare staff, healthcare facilities, and the nation, turned into an incredible learning experience for me that I will never forget and I know will help me in my future career.

My advice to future interns is to be brave and learn from your mistakes. Also, to be confident in seeking the help and opinion of others - it is a strength and principal of collaborative and integrative health care. You will not believe how far you will come in a short period of time. For example, at the end of my clinical rotation, I had the unique opportunity of managing a new intern for one day. It was a really fulfilling way to wrap up, by being able to offer what I’ve learned and share with her that she’ll soon be in my shoes! ​

​Hello. I am Pia Rahman, a native New Yorker in Region 3 (New York City). Sodexo has given me the opportunity to do my rotations at SUNY Downstate, located in East Flatbush, Brooklyn.
 
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.
 
What attracted me to this program was its innovative approach to learning that allows interns the flexibility to explore their interests. The flexibility of this program has allowed me to spend more time on my interests and learning needs.
 
I am fortunate enough to complete my food service and clinical rotations and concentration at SUNY Downstate. One of my areas of interest is medical nutrition therapy for transplants. During my clinical rotation, I was able to experience how nutrition plays a role in transplant patients. I was given the opportunity to participate in nutrition therapy for transplant candidate selection and post-operation surgery and see long-term transplant patients.
 
I know a lot is going on in the world right now; we are at a turning point in healthcare. This last year has made me understand the importance of public health. This internship has allowed me to serve my home, New York City, discover another part of the city and myself, and understand my purpose here. It has made me realize the importance of nutrition and the responsibilities we, as future registered dietitians, have in our community. 

​Hello! My name is Isobel Bishop and I am a region 5 Sodexo intern. I have finished my foodservice rotation and am currently completing my clinical rotation at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital in Clinton, Maryland. I am enjoying my experience at the hospital and have learned so much from my amazing preceptors!
 
I was nervous going into my first day of my clinical rotation, as I had no prior experience working in a hospital. I quickly realized that there was no need to be nervous. My preceptors and Sodexo internship director helped me to feel comfortable in the transition into my role as a dietetic intern in the clinical setting. I am now more than halfway done with my clinical rotation and have been loving every minute of it! I have enjoyed spending my time working with an excellent inter-disciplinary team, assessing patients for malnutrition, giving diet education, and giving recommendations for nutrition support. One of my favorite experiences so far was when I had the opportunity to watch a modified barium swallow screen, where I saw one of the ways that the speech language pathologists assess patients for dysphagia. I was able to see how a patient with silent aspiration swallows, which was very interesting and helped me to better understand why therapeutic diets are so important.
 
I am confident that I am gaining the knowledge I need to succeed in my future career as a Registered Dietitian and am so thankful for the experiences the Sodexo Dietetic Internship has given me. I am looking forward to the rest of my journey as a dietetic intern and soon-to-be Registered Dietitian!

​Hi Everyone! My name is Ashley Eastland. I am currently interning at Lehigh Valley Cedar Crest Hospital where I am finishing up my clinical/MNT concentration rotations. My journey began back in September when I first started clinical. My first day I was anxious and excited to begin my clinical rotation. I remember feeling like I was going into my first day of high school, not knowing what to expect, but finally being able to say I was in high school.
 
Now to get into more interesting parts of my internship experience.  I’ll never forget my first time practicing a nutrition focused physical exam on a patient. I felt so nervous like I was going into my biochemistry final. My preceptor was very encouraging and the first couple of times actually did the assessment before me and then I would perform the assessment and after leaving the patient’s room we would go over what we thought from the assessment if the patient was mild, moderate, severe malnourished or was properly nourished. This helped me gain confidence in my physical assessment skills and now, when able, I feel confident performing nutrition focused physical exams.
 
Another part of my internship I found to be interesting was the TPN team. At my site, there is a dietitian that is assigned to the total parenteral nutrition (TPN) team daily to see the patients who require TPN. The dietitian puts in order recommendations for dextrose, amino acids, lipids, and micronutrients like sodium, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus which then gets looked over by a PA and the pharmacist. I was overwhelmed with all the components that go into assessing a patient on TPN. My preceptor helped demonstrate what to look for and showed me videos and PowerPoint presentations on TPN basics for me to feel more comfortable. Now, coming to the end of my rotation I am more comfortable and confident in my critical thinking skills about the labs and knowing when and why to increase or decrease the macronutrients or micronutrients in the TPN bag.
 
One message I would like to share with all of you:  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. All of my preceptors have been extraordinary teachers to me. 

​My name is Lauren Perrone and I am from Region 3 (New York City). At this point in time I have completed my patient service management, food service management, community, and CNM rotations. I’m currently in basic clinical at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, located in Brooklyn, NY. Approaching my fourth week at Downstate, I can say I’ve had a very positive experience thus far. It is still early in my clinical rotation, but I have already been exposed to the Med/Surg, NICU, pediatric, and dialysis units. Pediatrics has never been an area of interest for me, but I’ve really enjoyed interacting with the younger population and visiting the babies in the NICU. I’ve also had a significant amount of exposure to diabetic patients, which has been helping me develop my motivational interviewing and educating skills. It has been a gratifying experience being able to educate patients on their ability to use food as a way manage their current disease states. When patients gain that understanding, it is the most rewarding feeling.
 
One challenge that I have faced is this rotation is the COVID numbers rising. I started basic clinical on the Med/Surg floor and it is currently changing into a complete COVID unit. It has been a little scary to be surrounded by the rising number of cases, but my preceptors have done a great job at making sure I am still getting all of the education I need to become a successful RD.
 
As I continue on with my clinical rotation, I am looking forward to the endless learning that is ahead. Each week I feel I am progressing and getting the most out of this experience. The Sodexo DI has really allowed me to individualize my experience and direct my own learning. I am so glad I was matched to this program and can’t wait for the new experiences ahead!