Hi, everyone! My name is Annette, and I am based out of Chattanooga, TN. I am about three months into Sodexo’s distance internship option and am enjoying every minute of it. These past few months have been filled with clinical hours; I’m working at two different hospitals, Erlanger Health Systems and Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation, and I’m slowly learning what it means to be a clinical dietitian.
Let me start by saying that clinical was a path I never seriously considered for myself. To be honest, hospitals scared me and I imagined my days would be filled with recommending Ensures and that was about it. Thankfully, I couldn’t have been more wrong. My days consist of a whole lot more than asking, “Would you like chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry?” and I have found myself being seriously interested in pursuing this path as a career option. I have discovered that I truly enjoy working with patients and researching the oftentimes complicated disease states we are presented with, and I find it rewarding to be able to play a part in the healing processes of these patients.
One of the main aspects of clinical dietetics I have enjoyed the most is the team environment created by the dietitians in the two hospitals I have worked in. Even though each RD is assigned his or her own patients and can choose nutrition interventions based on individual clinical judgement, not a day goes by where we aren’t all sitting in a circle, talking about a complicated case and working through it together. This creates a far more in-depth understanding of the patient’s needs and possible interventions the RD could take and also builds a super unique environment of learning and teamwork.
We all went to different schools and internship programs and each RD has particular interests and specialties, so it is very cool when we can all come together and contribute in our own ways. When a team of RDs is cohesive, receptive to other ideas, respectful of each other, and focused on working together, we can have a far greater impact than if we all operate as isolated individuals. Plus, let’s be real, it’s way more fun.
Two brains are better than one and four brains are better than two. As an intern, I have greatly appreciated witnessing this first hand. It has been a valuable learning experience in how we can have a more meaningful impact when we come together with our differences as opposed to letting them separate us. This is a major reason why I have had such a positive experience during my clinical rotation and I feel lucky to be a part of this type of learning environment.
Let me start by saying that clinical was a path I never seriously considered for myself. To be honest, hospitals scared me and I imagined my days would be filled with recommending Ensures and that was about it. Thankfully, I couldn’t have been more wrong. My days consist of a whole lot more than asking, “Would you like chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry?” and I have found myself being seriously interested in pursuing this path as a career option. I have discovered that I truly enjoy working with patients and researching the oftentimes complicated disease states we are presented with, and I find it rewarding to be able to play a part in the healing processes of these patients.
One of the main aspects of clinical dietetics I have enjoyed the most is the team environment created by the dietitians in the two hospitals I have worked in. Even though each RD is assigned his or her own patients and can choose nutrition interventions based on individual clinical judgement, not a day goes by where we aren’t all sitting in a circle, talking about a complicated case and working through it together. This creates a far more in-depth understanding of the patient’s needs and possible interventions the RD could take and also builds a super unique environment of learning and teamwork.
We all went to different schools and internship programs and each RD has particular interests and specialties, so it is very cool when we can all come together and contribute in our own ways. When a team of RDs is cohesive, receptive to other ideas, respectful of each other, and focused on working together, we can have a far greater impact than if we all operate as isolated individuals. Plus, let’s be real, it’s way more fun.
Two brains are better than one and four brains are better than two. As an intern, I have greatly appreciated witnessing this first hand. It has been a valuable learning experience in how we can have a more meaningful impact when we come together with our differences as opposed to letting them separate us. This is a major reason why I have had such a positive experience during my clinical rotation and I feel lucky to be a part of this type of learning environment.
