Many interns were asked to leave their current rotation sites as the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Sodexo internship directors worked hard to set up online learning options for interns to use to ensure everyone continued to progress in the internship. Online modules and case studies have been provided online. Adapting to difficult and changing circumstances is necessary, and Sodexo has stepped up to the plate.
 
We interns have been working together to provide each other with resources to use at home as they discover new ways to learn remotely. We are hopeful to return to their sites soon, but for now we are learning new ways to work remotely. This is an opportunity for us to learn how to use new online resources and showcase our ability to use technology as a means to spread nutrition related knowledge. Many of us are creating online nutrition content for parents and teachers to use with their kids while they school at home. This is a difficult time for many, but Sodexo and their dietetic interns are stepping up to the plate to make the best of an unprecedented situation!

​Hi! My name is Alicia Woll and I am a region 11 Sodexo dietetic intern located in Colorado. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have had a fun mix of experiences both virtually and on site. Before the pandemic hit, I was able to complete my food service rotation and a small portion of my clinical hours at Platte Valley Medical Center in Brighton, Colorado. My experience at Platte Valley was amazing; I was welcomed with open arms by the entire team. I was encouraged to work as if I was a member of the management team, and all of my preceptors made me feel like a valued, permanent teammate. 

​During my foodservice rotation, I was given the opportunity to work on a few different projects with the team. One of my favorite experiences was being able to work with the oncology dietitian to make high-protein and high-calorie snacks for patients undergoing chemotherapy. We made some tasty oat ball snacks and were able to hand them out to the patients during treatments. It was so much fun getting to offer the patients little tasty treats that not only were good for them but also brightened their days.
​
Due to the pandemic, I did have to leave the hospital early just after starting my clinical rotations. Once I started transitioning to working from home, I was so pleased to have the entire Sodexo internship team supporting me. They provided us with great alternatives to complete our rotations and gain the experiences we needed virtually. I have been able to complete most of my community hours and some of my leadership concentration hours at home.

The flexibility of the leadership concentration has been something I have enjoyed greatly. It has allowed me to explore my leadership skills and knowledge while developing a nutrition education program from the ground up. I am fortunate to be a board member of a 501c3 organization called Cap For Kids. We focus on financially supporting families who have a child undergoing treatments for cancer. We also work to give our sponsored kids hope and cheer by visiting them dressed as their favorite superheroes, princesses, and pop culture characters. The leadership concentration has empowered me to develop unique ways to aid our sponsored families and spread nutrition knowledge to the world. Learning how to effectively teach people about nutrition has been challenging, and I am looking forward to continuing to learn more about becoming a nutrition leader of the future.
​
I am eager to start back in the hospital for clinical rotations in mid-May. However, until then, I am grateful for all of the guidance and support the internship directors at Sodexo and my preceptors have provided. Thank you all for being a constant encouraging presence and being so invested in the success of your interns. Your leadership in times of uncertainty is an inspiration to me and something I hope to model in my own leadership style. 

​Region 1 intern, Alicia Bell, signing on!
 
I am originally from Arizona, but moved to Massachusetts to complete my internship. The moment I found out I had been accepted into my internship I was extremely happy and excited to begin this journey I had worked so hard for. However, it meant I was leaving all of my family, friends, and the place I had called home for 23 years of my life. I am a big family person and have always been 10 minutes to 2 hours away from my family and now I was going to be a 6-hour plane ride away. This was scary to me and so crazy to think about!
 
My first couple weeks working at the hospital in Massachusetts were exhilarating but also very different. I was totally out of my element and was finding it hard to adjust. However, the team of dietitians at the hospital were absolutely wonderful in helping me find my place there. I remember a day during my bone marrow transplant week where I was feeling overwhelmed and anxious. I was unsure how I was going to get through the day. I know everyone reading this post can relate to these feelings! However, my preceptor took the time to take me for a walk and just talk it out. We went on a long walk around the hospital, got tea from the cafeteria, and did not stop until I felt better. I was so amazed that she would take the time out of her busy schedule to help me out, and I am so grateful for the advice she gave to me.  
 
While I am currently working from home, I can honestly say I miss the dietitians I was with every day and the support they gave me. However, now I am happy to give them support as they work tirelessly to help treat COVID-19 patients. They are doing a fantastic job! 

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!

Hi everyone! My name is Alyssa Houghton and I am an intern in region 1 and completing my master’s degree through the University of Rhode Island. I began my internship in September of 2019 at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Utica, New York. At first, clinical was the rotation I was least looking forward to because of how intimidating it seemed. However, I quickly came to realize that was not the case. I truly enjoyed every minute of my 5 months spent learning basic, intermediate and advanced dietetics hands on.
 
After I finished my clinical rotation, I went right into my long-term care rotation. Although this rotation was short and sweet, I enjoyed the slower pace of long-term care. It was nice that I could sit and build relationships with residents even in that short amount of time.
 
Next came my foodservice rotation, which I was fortunate enough to complete before COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the globe. I completed this rotation at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate New York. This was by far my favorite rotation, and I am not sure if it’s because I was unable to complete my community and concentration rotations in a more traditional way.
I enjoyed working with the students and putting on different events while being able to show my creative side. I quickly came to learn that a campus dietitian wears many different hats, which I think is great. It allows a lot of diversity within the field and definitely keeps them on their toes.
 
Unfortunately, due to the circumstances, I am not able to complete my community rotation traditionally. I, like many of my fellow interns, am working diligently on webinars and different assignments to complete my community rotation. I am beyond grateful for the outpouring of support from not only my preceptors, but also all of the directors of the many regions of this internship. Without their continued guidance, this would not be going as smoothly as it is.
 
On another note, I originally was going to complete my concentration rotation with a Diabetes Outpatient Clinic that was based through Albany Medical Center. This was not able to happen because of the pandemic. However, with the help of my director, I was able to choose a new concentration that I would be able to complete on site. I began my concentration rotation of Senior Living about two weeks ago and could not happier. It was not my first choice, but I have grown to love it.
 
With that being said, my advice to future interns is to remain open-minded, you have no idea where this journey is going to take you. So, buckle up, and trust that everything is going to be just fine.

Hey everyone! My name is Alyssa Newberry. I’m a region 10 intern, located just north of Houston, Texas. I initially chose to apply for the Sodexo Dietetic Internship because of its flexibility and the option to stay close to home. I had no idea that I would actually be completing a good deal of my internship from home! With the unprecedented situation created by COVID-19, I’ve had the opportunity to see just how flexible Sodexo and I can be. Fortunately, prior to working from home, I had time to complete my food service management and wellness concentration rotations.

I completed my food service management rotation at CHI St. Luke’s Hospital in The Woodlands. The Sodexo team at CHI provided such a strong foundation for the rest of my internship. I was quickly welcomed into the management team and given all of the support I needed to learn as much as I could. Because of my accounting background, I had so much fun working with the retail and marketing manager to determine the café’s average food cost, investigate the efficiency of the register system, and help implement some changes to improve reporting. The CHI team was and continues to be incredibly enthusiastic about working with me, as I have returned a few times to work with the CNM when she has bariatric outpatient appointments.
​
For my wellness concentration, I was able to work with a Sodexo Corporate account at The Friedkin Group, where they had never hosted a dietetic intern before. I helped the café meet all of the qualifications to become Silver Certified with the Mindful program and worked with the chef and general manager to provide a healthy cooking demonstration for the employees, which the client thoroughly enjoyed. Thanks to the relationships I built with the client during my wellness rotation, I was able to spend some extra time with the company providing one on one nutritional counseling to their employees. This counseling was promoted to employees as a limited time free benefit. And because I had the opportunity to see a handful of employees for initial and follow-up visits, I had the chance to see their progress and assess my own effectiveness.

At the end of January, I began my clinical rotation with HCA Houston Healthcare Conroe. I could not believe my good luck in being placed with another amazing group. They have already taught me so much and helped to build my confidence in my ability to complete nutrition assessments and give education in an inpatient setting. I can’t wait to get back to the hospital to finish out my time with them!

To all new and future interns, remember that even when there aren’t extenuating circumstances like COVID-19, it’s important to stay flexible and use your strengths to get the most out of each rotation during the internship! 

​Hi everyone! My name is Morgan, and I am a region 5 intern. I started the internship in fall 2019, and am finishing up amidst the Covid-19 crisis. I was able to complete my FSM, patient services, and clinical rotations in person. The support and encouragement us interns have been receiving from our directors during this crisis is really something to brag about! They work so hard for us to have the best experience possible. I want to start this post by shouting THANK YOU to all of them!
 
Now, I want to talk about the Professional Research Project (PRP). This is the biggest project Sodexo interns will complete during their internship. It involves writing an 8-10 page research paper, putting together a PowerPoint presentation, and presenting a 45(ish) minute presentation in front of other interns and registered dietitians. As an intern, knowing this project is on the horizon is quite intimidating. It can be overwhelming thinking about how to start and finish it. Here are 5 tips for upcoming interns on how to tackle this project:
 

1. Choose a topic that is interesting to you. If your greatest interests do not reside in clinical, that is OK! Choose an interest and I guarantee there is some connection between it and something clinical - you might have to get creative. Talk to your director; they are happy to help you solidify your topic.
2. Collect all of your research first. Read through each of your articles one by one and highlight important pieces of information within them. Trash pieces that are not offering you what you need. Quality over quantity.
3. Organize your articles by the information they offer you, and then begin writing your paper in chunks based off of each “category” you have. Chip away at this and before you know it, your paper will come together!
4. Ask professionals that are familiar with your topic to review your paper. My husband reviewed my paper and gave me great feedback in terms of grammar, but I also had two RDs who work in the field of my topic review my paper. The feedback they provided me really helped take my paper to the next level.
5. Practice, practice, practice your presentation! Practice on your own. Practice in front of roommates, friends, family. Practice! And know that it is more than OK to have notes/note cards with you during your presentation to help you to remember specific things you want to say.

 
Once you get over the hump of starting, this project can be a lot of fun! You are learning about something that is interesting to you and sharing that information with others. You got this!

​Hi everyone! My name is Anne Mammone and I’m an intern with region 4. I started my internship in February after having just moved from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. I started at a long-term care facility where I completed my basic clinical and long-term care rotations. I really enjoyed starting my clinical rotation at this location, as it is a slower pace than an acute care hospital, which gave me the opportunity to really improve upon my patient assessment skills. By the end of my basic clinical rotation, I felt more than ready to pick up the pace at an acute care hospital. I no sooner started my intermediate clinical rotation at Nazareth Hospital in Philadelphia, when the COVD-19 pandemic began. I completed about 3 weeks of that rotation before deciding to stay at home to quarantine until further notice. During this time, my directors have gone above and beyond to make themselves available to me and the other interns to help us get through this time.
 
From the few weeks that I was able to be on site for my intermediate clinical rotation, I was already experiencing growth in my clinical skills, as well as improvement in my time-management skills. By the end of those first few weeks, I was able to see up to 4 patients of various disease states each day for new assessments or follow ups, in addition to performing any education consults we received that day. I was learning so much from the dietitians each and every day.  With that being said, my internship looks a lot different now than it did during the first 2 months. I am taking this time to work from home on assignments, simulations, and attending webinars to continue progressing through my internship. I am thankful to have had some on-site experience prior to this pandemic, as I can use this time to continue to grow in my knowledge through the online resources that Sodexo has provided to us.  My directors and fellow interns have been my support system thorough all of this.  Our directors made sure that we had more than enough resources to help us to continue our internship virtually, without falling too far behind our intended graduation date. We have implemented additional Skype meetings so that we can ask our directors any questions, share any concerns we have, and just talk to other people that are going through the exact same experience.
 
Although this is not how I expected the beginning of my internship to go, Sodexo has provided us with a magnitude of resources and support so that we can progress with our internship virtually.  My advice to future interns would be to roll with whatever comes your way! Take the opportunities you have on-site and try to learn as much as you can from the individuals you have the chance to work with.  This is YOUR chance to take in as much experience as possible. Be thankful for the amazing opportunities this internship is providing to you! 

​Hi! My name is Brandi Sze, and I am a region 3 (NYC) Sodexo Intern and on the MS Track with URI. Quick backstory: before I was accepted to Sodexo’s dietetic internship, I completed my undergraduate from Rutgers University in May of 2018 and worked as a diet clerk in NYU Winthrop hospital for more than a year. I highly recommend gaining some clinical experience because it prepares you for the hospital setting-- intense and fast-paced.

I was in the middle of my advanced clinical rotation at Flushing Hospital Medical Center when COVID hit and definitely miss it! All my preceptors are extremely knowledgeable in their specialty and are constantly teaching me new materials. I saw various procedures and surgeries because of them. I also did my food service rotation at the same site, which allowed me to form a relationship with the food service employees, understand how their operation works, and form relationships with the dietitians and CNM. When it was time for me to come back to the same site for clinical, it was a smooth transition. Currently, I am finishing up my community rotation online with All Access Dietetics learning about social media and blogging. Other sites that I have been in for my community rotation are food banks, soup kitchens, schools, and community centers. Getting exposure to various community settings is a great way to learn how to tailor each nutrition education as each group of individuals have their own set of problems and needs! ​

My favorite rotation I did thus far was my wellness rotation, in which I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Orlando, Florida to be with Sodexo Magic - Disney World! I had originally chosen MNT as my concentration but when the opportunity presented itself, I knew I had to take it. My biggest advice is to be open-minded. I thought I wanted to be a clinical RD long-term but after my experience working with the wellness dietitian, I’m not sure anymore. At Disney, I loved how I was able to show my creative side, go on site visits, do a smoothie bike event, and expand my network. I didn’t understand the benefits of corporate wellness until now. What makes Sodexo’s internship great are the countless opportunities you will receive and how the directors are always seeking for more. Because of Sodexo, I was able to intern with one of the most well-known corporations, gain a ton of clinical experience, work to obtain my Master’s degree, and tailor my internship to suit my interests. ​

​Hi everyone! My name is Jessica Weistuch and I am a region one dietetic intern based in Connecticut. I am supposed to be in my food service/concentration rotations with East Hartford Public Schools. With the COVID-19 pandemic, I have had to make a few adjustments by doing my hours from home. Before the pandemic, I was able to work with the school registered dietitian in East Hartford in doing production records, a waste study (consisting of three days, three separate weeks), and food samplings within different schools in the district. Based on my experiences, even though it was only for a few weeks, I highly recommend getting some hours working in public schools to all the new interns out there-- especially since it is becoming more and more popular!
 
Prior to this rotation, I did my clinical rotation at a long term care facility called Elim Park in Cheshire, CT. Although this setting is not common for interns for clinical, this experience taught me just as much as a hospital would have. I did nutrition assessments (including calculating needs), interviewed residents, did MDS assessments, discharge summaries, quarterly notes, and annuals. I also had the opportunity to witness two FEES tests on residents within the facility. I was able to make relationships with the APRN, speech therapists, physical therapists, nursing staff, cooks, dietary aides and the general manager in addition to the three registered dietitians who were my preceptors. In Elim Park, only one dietitian was on staff each day, which left me with plenty of responsibility and room to improve upon my skills. The workload each day was tough, but we always got through each day together and worked as a team. My favorite part of this experience was the independence I was given. As the months trickled down, I was able to do up to nine nutrition assessments daily among other tasks. This experience led me to be more confident in myself and my knowledge in the dietetics field. 
 
In between all these hours, I did my community rotation hours, primarily with SNAP-Ed and ShopRite. For SNAP-Ed, I went to sites all around Connecticut, and I was able to participate in nutrition educations to a variety of populations and settings (including parent-teacher conferences at school!). Although I enjoyed completing my hours with SNAP-Ed, I think I enjoyed the hours I spent with ShopRite a bit more. I was lucky enough to intern for two registered dietitians: one in Manchester, CT., and the other in East Hartford, CT. My favorite activity I did with these two registered dietitians was going to an elementary school and teaching eight different classes about MyPlate and how to make a fruit English muffin pizza. Each class rotated between my room and other rooms that included these two dietitians and another intern. I absolutely loved teaching these kids and seeing their expressions!
 
All the preceptors I have had throughout this internship have been wonderful. They all pushed me to be where I am today and taught me so much. I have maintained the relationships I made in my clinical rotation at Elim Park and they continue to want to help me grow and see my progress. Now, I am approaching the end of the tunnel: graduation. Without the assistance of my preceptors and everything they have taught me, I do not think I would be where I am today.
 
For all of the future interns who are nervous for their coming experience — just know, I was in your shoes (and so were all of your future preceptors). We are all in this together and have the same goals — to become a registered dietitian. I advise all of you to make as many connections as you can throughout your rotations and to never give up! Everyone has days that they feel they cannot do it anymore — including me. Now, I am advising all of you to keep calm, push through, and be the best intern you can be so you can achieve your goal of being an RD!