Hi there, my name is Kaley Birge. I'm a region 11 intern in Northern Colorado. I started my internship in February of this year in food service management. My clinical rotation was scheduled to begin just as the pandemic hit and was unfortunately postponed, which allowed me to complete the majority of my community rotation during this time.
During the quarantine, I worked virtually with the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program for the research and development of a mini lesson series for their nutrition education curriculum. I scripted the storyboards for the lessons to be recorded into videos and distributed to customers. I was also tasked with aiding in the adaptation of the curriculum into an online format so they could continue to provide nutrition education classes. This has been an engaging and fulfilling opportunity to advocate for the community amidst the pandemic!
By the time my clinical rotation could begin, I was more nervous than ever, especially with having less clinical experience than my peers, but my nervousness changed to excitement within the first 48 hours of the rotation. The RDs at the site have been immensely supportive in my clinical experience, guiding me while also pushing me to be independent and self-sufficient. I sincerely couldn't have asked for a better rotation.
Reflecting on what I've learned in the first half of the internship, I would advise prospective interns to not let how much or how little experience they think they have affect their perception of how they'll do in the internship. And if you were like me a year ago, feverishly reading all of these blog posts in hopes of getting a better understanding of what the internship is like, please feel free to reach out to me on any social media and I will be happy to talk to you more about it - it's not as scary as it seems! We are all meant to learn throughout this process, to make mistakes and overcome barriers set before us. This is a good thing and makes us stronger as future dietetics professionals!
During the quarantine, I worked virtually with the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program for the research and development of a mini lesson series for their nutrition education curriculum. I scripted the storyboards for the lessons to be recorded into videos and distributed to customers. I was also tasked with aiding in the adaptation of the curriculum into an online format so they could continue to provide nutrition education classes. This has been an engaging and fulfilling opportunity to advocate for the community amidst the pandemic!
By the time my clinical rotation could begin, I was more nervous than ever, especially with having less clinical experience than my peers, but my nervousness changed to excitement within the first 48 hours of the rotation. The RDs at the site have been immensely supportive in my clinical experience, guiding me while also pushing me to be independent and self-sufficient. I sincerely couldn't have asked for a better rotation.
Reflecting on what I've learned in the first half of the internship, I would advise prospective interns to not let how much or how little experience they think they have affect their perception of how they'll do in the internship. And if you were like me a year ago, feverishly reading all of these blog posts in hopes of getting a better understanding of what the internship is like, please feel free to reach out to me on any social media and I will be happy to talk to you more about it - it's not as scary as it seems! We are all meant to learn throughout this process, to make mistakes and overcome barriers set before us. This is a good thing and makes us stronger as future dietetics professionals!
