Hi everyone! My name is Maggie Carpenter and I am a region six dietetic intern in Elkin, North Carolina. I’m currently in my clinical rotation at Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital.
Going into the dietetic internship can be nerve racking enough, but when you add in the uncertainty of COVID it takes it to another level. I never imagined that I would complete my internship during a global pandemic, but here I am! Although it has presented challenges along the way, I am so thankful to have amazing preceptors and an equally amazing internship director that have provided guidance and support throughout this experience.
At the beginning of my clinical rotation, I wasn’t able to come into the hospital due to the COVID restrictions the hospital had in place for students. Rather than turning me away, my preceptors were able to get me set up to work from home. Although it is not how I envisioned my clinical rotation, I was able to learn and also experience the challenges that many dietitians have faced while working from home during the pandemic.
After a few weeks, I got the best news – I was able to come to the hospital for the remainder of my clinical rotation! As I have progressed through this portion of the internship, I have had the opportunity to work in both the inpatient and outpatient setting. From the beginning, I expressed an interest in oncology and my preceptors arranged for me to work in the radiation oncology clinic at the hospital. I’ve really enjoyed getting to work with this patient population and feeling like I’ve made a difference in how treatments have affected their nutritional status.
I cannot express how grateful I am to have preceptors that have encouraged me and helped me build my confidence as a future dietitian. I’m so happy to have been matched to such a great program that boasts its flexibility and allows me to individualize my supervised practice hours to help me meet my goals!
Going into the dietetic internship can be nerve racking enough, but when you add in the uncertainty of COVID it takes it to another level. I never imagined that I would complete my internship during a global pandemic, but here I am! Although it has presented challenges along the way, I am so thankful to have amazing preceptors and an equally amazing internship director that have provided guidance and support throughout this experience.
At the beginning of my clinical rotation, I wasn’t able to come into the hospital due to the COVID restrictions the hospital had in place for students. Rather than turning me away, my preceptors were able to get me set up to work from home. Although it is not how I envisioned my clinical rotation, I was able to learn and also experience the challenges that many dietitians have faced while working from home during the pandemic.
After a few weeks, I got the best news – I was able to come to the hospital for the remainder of my clinical rotation! As I have progressed through this portion of the internship, I have had the opportunity to work in both the inpatient and outpatient setting. From the beginning, I expressed an interest in oncology and my preceptors arranged for me to work in the radiation oncology clinic at the hospital. I’ve really enjoyed getting to work with this patient population and feeling like I’ve made a difference in how treatments have affected their nutritional status.
I cannot express how grateful I am to have preceptors that have encouraged me and helped me build my confidence as a future dietitian. I’m so happy to have been matched to such a great program that boasts its flexibility and allows me to individualize my supervised practice hours to help me meet my goals!
