
Hello all! My name is Ariana White and I am a region 2 intern based in the RI/MA area. As I approach the last few weeks of my dietetic internship, I have so much to reflect on and so many positive experiences to carry with me.
My concentration is critical care MNT and the clinical rotations are what I have enjoyed the most during this internship. I came into the internship really excited for clinical, knowing I wanted to be a clinical RD. It is crazy to think back to the first few weeks of clinical and how they were tough for me. I doubted myself, and I was hesitant and uncomfortable talking to patients (something I didn’t expect to happen). Then to think about where I am now and how confident and comfortable I feel in the clinical world is just as crazy to me!
I have had a variety of great clinical experiences within the ICU, NICU, and with hemodialysis patients. I have had the opportunity to see multiple procedures as well as gastric sleeve and bowel resection surgeries. The past two months working at the hospital in my critical care rotation during the COVID19 pandemic have been a huge learning curve. I have had experiences I never imagined I would as an intern. I have primarily been working with the ICU patients with COVID19 on nutrition support. I am learning something new every day, and I feel fortunate to work alongside amazing health care professionals from whom I have learned so much over the past seven months I have spent at this hospital. All of these experiences have helped me grow as a person and a soon to be dietitian. If I could give advice to incoming interns, I would say now is the time to try everything; watch procedures in clinical, be creative in community and foodservice. This is your opportunity to find what you really love, kind of like, and dislike!
My concentration is critical care MNT and the clinical rotations are what I have enjoyed the most during this internship. I came into the internship really excited for clinical, knowing I wanted to be a clinical RD. It is crazy to think back to the first few weeks of clinical and how they were tough for me. I doubted myself, and I was hesitant and uncomfortable talking to patients (something I didn’t expect to happen). Then to think about where I am now and how confident and comfortable I feel in the clinical world is just as crazy to me!
I have had a variety of great clinical experiences within the ICU, NICU, and with hemodialysis patients. I have had the opportunity to see multiple procedures as well as gastric sleeve and bowel resection surgeries. The past two months working at the hospital in my critical care rotation during the COVID19 pandemic have been a huge learning curve. I have had experiences I never imagined I would as an intern. I have primarily been working with the ICU patients with COVID19 on nutrition support. I am learning something new every day, and I feel fortunate to work alongside amazing health care professionals from whom I have learned so much over the past seven months I have spent at this hospital. All of these experiences have helped me grow as a person and a soon to be dietitian. If I could give advice to incoming interns, I would say now is the time to try everything; watch procedures in clinical, be creative in community and foodservice. This is your opportunity to find what you really love, kind of like, and dislike!