​Hi everyone! My name is Deb Miller and I am a region 1 intern in the Greater Boston area. I am currently at the end of my advanced clinical rotation at UMass Memorial Health Alliance in Leominster MA, where I will also be continuing my CCU concentration! I have been lucky to experience many different opportunities while being at this location. The acuity of the patients is very high, allowing me to see a variety of disease states, and utilize my knowledge and skills from the clinical packets and put in to practice. I have enjoyed working with many members of the interdisciplinary teams and observing how each different role integrates into the patient’s care. I have observed a bedside swallow, trach suctioning, read X-rays, and have a PEG procedure viewing planned to observe in the next few weeks! The nutrition staff has made me feel like I am a key part of their team, making me feel prepared to be an entry level dietitian. I have been able to learn so much that I am so grateful for.
 
While I have been completing most of my clinical hours, I have also been able to connect with other RDs and gain some community experience. I have done a presentation at Leominster high school, a presentation for post heart transplant patients at the UMass Medical school, and I was able to spend the day with a corporate RD at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. During this experience we had a table of recipes, cooking demos, and samples on how to make classic holiday dishes a little healthier. This was an amazing experience because I was able to ask the RD about her day to day life which entails more business and sales tasks such as pitching to potential clients.
 
To future interns, don’t be afraid to ask questions! Now is the time that you are able to see and experience anything that you are interested in. Many preceptors will be happy to help network or set up opportunities that will provide you with different experiences. Also, always say yes to any opportunity you are offered, as you may never have the chance to do it again.

​Hi everyone! My name is Meghan and I am a Region 1 intern (MA). I am currently in middle of my intermediate clinical rotation at Winchester Hospital (Winchester MA) and loving it! The beginning of winter has brought a lot of diverse and high acuity patients to the hospital, allowing me to further develop my knowledge and skills. I have had the opportunity to train in the oncology center and collaborate with the outpatient RD, ensuring continuity of care for our patients after they are discharged. I was also able to observe a modified barium swallow and study the patient’s x-rays, with the help of a speech pathologist, to recommend an appropriate diet order. I am looking forward to strengthening my MNT knowledge, recommendations, and patients’ experiences over the next three months!
 
Prior to starting my clinical rotations, I completed the majority of my community hours at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) working with their campus RD. While on campus, I was able to counsel students and staff on various nutrition topics, from general healthy eating to eating disorders to new onset diabetes. It was surprising to see how many individuals are unfamiliar with nutrition basics, highlighting a knowledge deficit and need for our expertise in this population today. Another responsibility of mine was manning the fueling station – educating student athletes on appropriate pre- and post- workout snacks, as well as meal composition and timing before performance. Throughout my time at SNHU, the RD and I were able to create some popular tabling events for the students, such as Sustainable Snacking and Farm to Table Apple Day. I had a wonderful community experience and was able to see a different realm of school nutrition that I was not expecting!
 
My advice to current and future dietetic interns: Don’t be afraid to ask questions/look things up! I am constantly researching conditions and their respective MNTs, as well as medication interactions. Our preceptors do not expect us to know everything regarding nutrition; they are there to answer questions and help for a reason. Asking questions shows preceptors your willingness to learn and prepares you to be a great RD!

​Hi everyone! My name is Leah Kern. So far, I have completed my food service management rotation and I am currently in the middle of my wellness concentration rotation.
 
For food service, I was at a corporate account in Manhattan called Soceiete Generale. To be honest, I really did not like the experience at first. I was frustrated because I felt like I couldn't see how it would be valuable to be an RD in the food service management role. Though I was frustrated, I went in every day with a goal to talk to the employees and customers, getting to know as many people as possible.
 
With time, I came to realize the different ways that an RD could use their nutrition knowledge to influence the kinds of food being offered at the account. Additionally, the RD acts as the point person to answer any questions about the food including allergens, dietary restrictions, and mindful options. If customers want to understand what makes something mindful, an RD is the perfect resource!
 
Though I’m glad I got to learn how an RD plays a role in food service management, this was not the main lesson I took away from this rotation. The most valuable experience I had during my food service rotation was getting to know the employees. Most of the employees at this account had been working there for 4-5 years (since it opened). So, coming in as the new intern was pretty intimidating. I realized it would take time for them to warm up to me. They all have their routines and they work together in such an unspoken flow. As a result, I knew at first, I would have to just observe.
 
Each day, I would get to know one or two employees. I asked them where they are from, how long they’ve been with Sodexo, if they’ve moved positions within the company, etc. With time, the employees got more comfortable around me and in no time, we were joking and having fun together.
 
From this experience, I learned the importance of getting to know your employees (and/or coworkers). Though it was intimidating at first, ultimately people are just people and they want to feel seen and heard. If you ask someone their story- even if it's just a few questions- it shows them that you see them, you hear them. This is one way you can establish a mutual respect, which is crucial between a manager and their employees.
 
I went into food service expecting to learn how to manage a kitchen, write a budget, and price out a menu. Though I certainly learned all those skills, the most valuable skill was one I never expected to learn: The value of taking time to get to know the people you work with.
 
Though English was a second language for a lot of the employees, we worked to understand each other. We stumbled through, laughing at the inevitable misunderstandings, until we eventually got the point across.
 
I will never forget the importance of this skill in my future work endeavors.
 
Here is a photo of myself and one of my favorite people to work with at the account. 

​ Hello everyone! My name is Diana Fleeter and I am a dietetic intern in region 3. I am currently in the midst of my advanced clinical rotation at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Lenox Hill is a large acute-care hospital with over 450 beds and 9 full-time dietitians on staff. I have gleaned such wonderful knowledge from my experience on the cardiac, GI, surgery, oncology, and general medicine floors. Leveraging my clinical experience, guidance from my preceptors, and the Sodexo pre-clinical assignments, I have been able to conduct nutrition assessments, provide nutrition education, and work with patients effectively in various disease states. It has been so impactful to work with patients and establish their nutritional goals and needs and make their hospital stay just a little bit brighter. One of my favorite aspects about working with patients is meeting with them just before they are discharged. Often times they are post-op patients or patients who are finally on the mend, and they are eager to gather as much nutrition and food-related knowledge before being “set free” on their own. I have especially loved working with these patients providing extensive diet and nutrition education before they depart the hospital.
 
Additionally, I have enjoyed meeting and working with members of the interdisciplinary teams, including doctors, nurses, and speech pathologists to deliver effective patient care. I just spent the past two weeks in the Surgical and Medical ICUs (SICU and MICU) and really enjoyed learning the intricacies behind critical care nutrition. So far, I have attended ICU rounds, seen a stage 4+ wound debridement, watched a FEES speech and swallow study, and witnessed a patient get intubated. I have also conducted more than 20 nutrition-focused physical exams on patients, and I now understand the importance of these physical exams when assessing for malnutrition in the patient population. I am looking forward to heading to the Neonatal ICU next to learn how to apply the nutrition care process to newborn babies and their parents.
 
Thank you to Sodexo for providing me with a wealth of wonderful opportunities—I feel prepared and excited to start my career as a future RD!

​My name is Pam Harrison and I am a region 4 intern currently completing my LTC rotation at a senior living community. If you had told me in my undergraduate college career that I would be concentrating in senior living during my dietetic internship, I wouldn’t have believed you! I always enjoyed learning in medial nutrition therapy, but I never would have thought that this area of dietetics would excite me like it has during my internship. While in this rotation, I have learned that caring for the elderly population is very different in a skilled nursing facility/LTC than what I had experienced while working before my internship as a dietary aide in the hospital.
 
During my DPD program, I learned about the different diseases and their nutritional implications, however, in the senior population I learned that resident preferences frequently take precedent! I am so interested in this area because I feel that dietitians play a huge role in finding the balance between providing evidenced-based care for residents’ health conditions and providing them the best quality of life. I have enjoyed being a part of care plan meetings, where I am able to hear of residents’ medical histories and see the dietitian’s recommendations actually making a difference in resident lives.
 
One of my favorite experiences from this site is that I have been able to diagnose protein-calorie malnutrition through performing nutrition focused physical exams and the use of a dynamometer. I have been able to educate the residents and their families on a dynamometer tool and how the data it provides helps me understand the nutrition status of the resident. I feel empowered using the dynamometer while performing the nutrition focused physical exam with the residents, because it shows them that I have an important role in their care and I’m not the food police! I have been able to educate my preceptors on what I have learned about the new International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative while in this rotation, as it is new to them too! I am excited to begin my next rotation at the hospital where I will see another side of medical nutrition therapy, but this rotation has exceeded my expectations and opened a possible career path that I may not have really considered otherwise!

I have just entered my advanced clinical rotation at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center (JHMC) and I have been able to see a wide variety of patients ranging in diagnoses and cultural background. At the beginning of my basic clinical rotation I had the chance to sit in on palliative care meetings with the attendings, residents, case managers, and hospice nurses who gather to discuss patients who are currently receiving these services or are in the process of making the transition from the hospital setting to hospice services. Attending these meetings has shown me how important it is to communicate face to face with interdisciplinary fields. I find it can be easy to misunderstand the intentions of other clinicians if your only resource is the EMR, but when you come together as a team, you can hear the background and gain a better understanding of the decisions made by each profession. I also enjoyed seeing the passion behind each profession and how much they care for their patients and their families through such devastating times.    
 
Although I have gained immense knowledge across all areas of clinical nutrition, malnutrition was briefly touched upon during my undergraduate courses. I am learning so much more about how malnutrition presents in many forms across a variety of populations and various clinical conditions. I have learned how to identify the etiologic factors that are responsible for causing malnutrition to be present in patients. Having the opportunity to perform Nutrition Focused Physical Exams (NFPE) allows me to develop the skill of identifying fat and muscle loss, while asking opened ended questions has helped me to derive a clearer food and nutrition history from the patient. Sifting through these factors to determine a malnutrition diagnosis and PES statement(s) also helps me develop a proper plan for monitoring and evaluation.  

Overall, I have loved going into each day knowing I’ll learn something new. Along the way it has been helpful to have a little message board with a “To Do List,”  and it has been motivating to keep a countdown of hours left after each week.  I can’t wait to see what is in store for the rest of my clinical rotations, the rest of my internship, and then my career! 

Hi everyone! My name is Stephanie Chapa and I’m a Sodexo dietetic intern in Austin, Texas. I am currently in my basic clinical rotation at St. David’s North Austin Medical Center. I have the pleasure of being able to complete all my clinical rotation hours at this facility and have been able to complete my food service rotation here as well. During my experience as a dietetic intern, I have already learned so many new things and continue to learn new things every day. I have also had the opportunity to apply the knowledge I have been building for years in preparation for this internship.
 
One of my favorite experiences so far has been my Retail Marketing and Wellness Project. Prior to my project, I had been working in food service for a few weeks, and I had noticed there could be an increase in the variety of plant-based foods. I had the opportunity to discuss my potential project idea with the CEO of the hospital, and he was more than enthused with the thought of helping his staff have more nutritious options. I went forward with the idea and decided to do a taste testing of three plant-based recipes to determine which samples would be best to sell. I was able to successfully complete my “Powered by Plants” project with the help of several staff from the kitchen such as the executive chef, retail manager, and even my preceptor.
 
The project also gave me the opportunity to interact with physicians, nurses, physical therapists, guests, and even patients, which has helped me familiarize with the hospital staff and enhanced my communication skills. I received raving reviews of the taste testing event, and I am still receiving compliments of the plant-based recipes during my clinical rotation.
 
If you are looking to apply for a dietetic internship or are a current intern, my advice would be to go into every experience during the internship with an open mind and readiness to learn. I never thought prior to my food service rotation that being a food service dietitian would be an option for a future career, but I would now seriously consider it. This is the time to go out of your comfort zone, try new things, and ask questions. ​

Hi! My name is Stephanie and I am a dietetic intern in Region 2 in Rhode Island. I am three months into my clinical rotations and just began working in the intensive care unit this week! Initially, I was ecstatic my first rotation would be clinical. I was eager to resume working in the fast-paced, unpredictable clinical environment that I grew fond of while working as a diet technician in undergrad. However, this time I’d be wearing the hat of an “RD-to-be” as a member of the multidisciplinary team. In my internship thus far, no two days have been the same; I wake up and go to work every day knowing that I will leave with a completely different experience under my belt. I feel lucky to have received an abundance of knowledge, support, and guidance from nine unique, highly skilled dietitians across two hospitals: Kent Hospital and Women and Infants Hospital (WIH).
 
Like anything new, it took time to effectively navigate the electronic medical record and decipher physician notes to gather pertinent information. My first few weeks allowed me to find my bearings, shadow my preceptors to learn effective interviewing techniques, and properly complete thorough nutrition assessments. Each week I became more confident and before I knew it, I could operate more independently with additional responsibilities. I have learned how to screen the floors and prioritize patients for the day. I have regularly attended ICU and oncology rounds, observing first hand how each discipline is involved in decision making to improve patient outcomes. I have provided nutrition education to patients with congestive heart failure, diabetes/gestational diabetes, and discussed breastfeeding education with new mothers. I have helped a malnourished patient with Crohn’s disease understand how to modify his diet during flare-ups, while encouraging PO intake. I have helped newly diagnosed cancer patients prepare for chemotherapy treatment through nutrition education and symptom management. In addition, I collaborated with an outpatient dietitian at WIH to develop several educational materials for her office. It was incredible to watch these materials come to life and effectively convey messages about carbohydrates, portion sizes, and balanced nutrition to newly diagnosed diabetics during one-on-one counseling sessions.
 
My advice for current or future interns: never hesitate to ask questions! All questions are valid, and your preceptors will be happy to answer them! Keep a notebook with you, jot down your thoughts and refer to them often. This is a practice I started from day one, and my curiosity has connected me to resources, invitations to partake in events and seminars as well as potentially observe inpatient procedures in the future. Just remember that our internships are an opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them. You build upon your knowledge one patient at a time through the exposure to a myriad of cases, varying in complexity. And it is with each new case you will fine-tune your skills and practice using your clinical judgment to provide the best possible care to your patients.

Hi everyone! My name is Anna, and I’m a Sodexo dietetic intern in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Region 9).
 
I’m currently in my clinical rotation at Mercy Hospital and loving it – something I honestly did not expect just three months ago! The first couple weeks were a learning curve; I had never worked in a hospital, and it took me a while to get the hang of patient charting. Fast-forward to week four of my rotation, and I was already able to see patients on my own! Luckily, I have a team of seven wonderful RD preceptors who have been patient with me through the learning process and simultaneously push me to work independently and use critical thinking to problem-solve.
 
My favorite part of clinical, especially at a smaller hospital, has been the ability to follow up with patients and watch their nutrition improve during admission. I love to see patients’ eyes light up while they proudly tell me they are feeling stronger and ate all their meals and supplements that day, when just a few days earlier they felt weak and had no appetite.
 
I’ve also gotten exposure to a variety of other disciplines. So far, I have watched a live barium swallow study, shadowed a respiratory therapist, taught a Lung Power class to outpatients with COPD, and I regularly attend ICU rounds with other clinicians. Before my rotation ends, I hope to observe a PEG tube placement and mixing of a custom TPN with a pharmacist.
 
My advice to future interns is to be endlessly curious! Ask questions, look up conditions and medications you’re unfamiliar with, and consider how you can improve the patient experience. A dietitian’s role in the hospital is unique and necessary – remember, you are a vital component of the treatment team! Also, don’t be afraid to speak up if you want to see certain procedures or shadow other disciplines. The internship is your time to explore the dietetics field as a whole, so take advantage of this time to learn more about your specific interests!

Hello everyone! My name is Hannah Koester and I am a region 12 Sodexo dietetic intern. After orientation in Denver, I moved 2 hours north of San Diego to a small town called Hemet. Clinical was my first rotation of the internship. In the beginning, I was nervous, excited, and overwhelmed. There was a little bit of a learning curve to this new lifestyle. I had to readjust to a new living situation and create a new routine with the internship.
 
Within the first week, all my clinical fears were instantly put at ease. I was able to get my feet wet at the hospital with patient services prior to basic clinical, so I knew how the kitchen ran, met the staff, and mastered the hospital layout. I was also fortunate enough to work with another intern that was finishing her rotations and was on her way out. I was able to learn from her and put my fears at ease. Now, I’m over half way through my clinical nutrition rotation and I’ve found most of my worries were for nothing.
 
If you find yourself anxious or worried about clinical, here’s some pointers I would like you to remember.

1. You will be given what you CAN handle: You will only start out with a few patients. I started by seeing 1-2 patients a day. This gave me ample time to research, calculate needs, and possibly give nutrition education if the patient was appropriate and wanted it.
2. Say “Yes” to new opportunities: There may be extra opportunities offered to you by the hospital. It may mean extra work, but it also means more experience and possibly hours to count towards other rotations, such as community. I was fortunate to team up with another intern and create a booth on diabetes education for a middle school health fair. It was a good opportunity to connect with locals and promote healthy eating to adults and children as well as exercising/improving my teaching ability. Embrace unplanned opportunities.
3. Use your resources: If you feel uncomfortable, ask to observe or for help. You are there to learn. You’re not expected to know everything. Use facility, Sodexo, and past school resources. Don’t just lean on the dietitians, ask other clinicians questions, if appropriate. Which leads me to the next tip..
4. Get comfortable being uncomfortable: You will be wrong at times. You will exercise new techniques and put stuff into practice you have never done before. You will get better every time you push yourself out of your comfort zone. Do things that scare you.
5. You will never be alone: If you have any questions or concerns, there will always be a team of dietitians there to support you. Even during that terrifying staff relief rotation, there will always be help. Though, by the time you get to staff relief, you won’t even recognize yourself because you will have already grown so much as a nutrition professional.