Hello everybody! As internships and the MS program winds down, I wanted to reflect on some of the lessons that I have learned throughout this journey. First of all, the Sodexo Dietetic Internship has provided me with such invaluable experiences. With all of the resources available, there seems to be unlimited possibilities for learning and expanding our internship opportunities. I have heard other interns describe the incredible experiences that they have had. Although I did not venture into anything exceptionally unique, I did vary my experiences to try and see and cover as much as possible. Choosing the Leadership concentration definitely allowed me to capitalize on the flexibility and experience the variability of opportunities available to interns. I decided to meld together the wellness and culinary programs in order to develop, promote, and advance corporate wellness within a couple different professional sites. I had the opportunity to work with a Sodexo marketing team and develop nutrition materials to expand my impact on corporate wellness. Overall, this internship has provided very real and transferable experiences that stretch far beyond clinical practice. It has helped me build an extremely solid technical foundation and create a fairly expansive professional network.
Through my own experiences, and from what I have learned from preceptors and other interns, I have developed some advice for interns as we turn to our future. First, you definitely get out what you put in. This does not only refer to internship activities but prospective jobs and opportunities. It is easy to get into a monotonous routine, perform similar tasks, and remain stagnant in your efforts. The more effort you put into what you do and the more you try to vary your experiences and tasks, the more you can learn and the greater the payoff. Second, I challenge every current and future intern and RD to look beyond traditional roles and experiences. Keep an eye on the future and continue to be innovative in your work. I chose to research and focus my PRP topic on Telehealth and Telenutrition because I feel this is an incredible way to expand our scope of practice as nutrition professionals. Be creative no matter what type of role you find yourself in. Continually challenge the status quo and try to bring something new to the table. Each and every one of us has put in the effort and gained the necessary knowledge to better those around us. Use these skills to advance yourself while also improving the field. Remember to be assertive, be strong, and be confident no matter what you do. Be the change you want to see.
Through my own experiences, and from what I have learned from preceptors and other interns, I have developed some advice for interns as we turn to our future. First, you definitely get out what you put in. This does not only refer to internship activities but prospective jobs and opportunities. It is easy to get into a monotonous routine, perform similar tasks, and remain stagnant in your efforts. The more effort you put into what you do and the more you try to vary your experiences and tasks, the more you can learn and the greater the payoff. Second, I challenge every current and future intern and RD to look beyond traditional roles and experiences. Keep an eye on the future and continue to be innovative in your work. I chose to research and focus my PRP topic on Telehealth and Telenutrition because I feel this is an incredible way to expand our scope of practice as nutrition professionals. Be creative no matter what type of role you find yourself in. Continually challenge the status quo and try to bring something new to the table. Each and every one of us has put in the effort and gained the necessary knowledge to better those around us. Use these skills to advance yourself while also improving the field. Remember to be assertive, be strong, and be confident no matter what you do. Be the change you want to see.
