Hello! My name is Sydney Campman, a Sodexo dietetic intern from region 10 in Dallas, Texas. At the beginning of my internship, I really didn’t know what to expect and, of course, that causes some anxiety. Fortunately, my first rotation was in food service at the hospital so I spent the majority of my time being able to question, observe, and learn from the professionals in the kitchen and cafeteria. I met so many incredible people, and I am so thankful that Sodexo allowed me to complete my patient services, clinical rotations, staff relief, and clinical nutrition management at the same site. I spent approximately 6 months at my clinical site, and it was truly the greatest dietetic internship experience, mainly due to the support and on-the-job training I received from my amazing and talented preceptors. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t always easy, but I grew more than I thought I could due to their guidance and encouragement.
Following that experience, I had heard that “clinicals” is the one rotation that scares interns the most, so I was nervous. However, by the end of my intermediate clinical rotation, I ended up loving it more than I ever imagined. During my basic clinical rotation, I started out seeing two patients on my first day, then moved up to ten patients by the end of advanced clinical. Typically, I would plan to see five ICU patients in the morning, then the rest of my patients after lunch. As I soon learned, it’s good to plan, but the ICU floor is a busy one, so best laid plans didn’t always work out. I learned that flexibility is the name of the game in a hospital. In the beginning, counseling ten patients seemed impossible. However, I eventually got the swing of things, and then it became part of a natural routine. I really started to look forward to working with the patients and helping them understand their nutritional plans.
For the last four weeks, I have gotten the opportunity to intern with sports dietitians to complete my leadership concentration. Obviously, there are numerous systems and diverse needs that are ever-changing with nutrition in the athletic world. I was amazed to observe that the sports dietitians work night and day to provide the athletes with the appropriate plans and counseling required, which seemed totally exhausting. Nonetheless, I learned that it is an extremely rewarding career as you build relationships and watch the growth of each of the athletes. It was inspiring to see the athletes that appreciated and listened to/followed the sports RD’s recommendations. As a result of my experience at this rotation, I was able to create multiple educational handouts that were beneficial to the athletes, witness DXA scans, be a part of interdepartmental meetings, made more smoothies than I can count, and listen in on consultations with numerous athletes in different sports.
Sodexo has provided me with the greatest practical learning experience in my educational career. I have one piece of advice for any intern and that is to take everything in, take it one step and one day at a time, and let yourself enjoy this experience. It seems overwhelming in the beginning but, by the end of your internship, you will wonder why you were ever sweating it! You’ll be amazed at how much you have learned. Best of luck!
Following that experience, I had heard that “clinicals” is the one rotation that scares interns the most, so I was nervous. However, by the end of my intermediate clinical rotation, I ended up loving it more than I ever imagined. During my basic clinical rotation, I started out seeing two patients on my first day, then moved up to ten patients by the end of advanced clinical. Typically, I would plan to see five ICU patients in the morning, then the rest of my patients after lunch. As I soon learned, it’s good to plan, but the ICU floor is a busy one, so best laid plans didn’t always work out. I learned that flexibility is the name of the game in a hospital. In the beginning, counseling ten patients seemed impossible. However, I eventually got the swing of things, and then it became part of a natural routine. I really started to look forward to working with the patients and helping them understand their nutritional plans.
For the last four weeks, I have gotten the opportunity to intern with sports dietitians to complete my leadership concentration. Obviously, there are numerous systems and diverse needs that are ever-changing with nutrition in the athletic world. I was amazed to observe that the sports dietitians work night and day to provide the athletes with the appropriate plans and counseling required, which seemed totally exhausting. Nonetheless, I learned that it is an extremely rewarding career as you build relationships and watch the growth of each of the athletes. It was inspiring to see the athletes that appreciated and listened to/followed the sports RD’s recommendations. As a result of my experience at this rotation, I was able to create multiple educational handouts that were beneficial to the athletes, witness DXA scans, be a part of interdepartmental meetings, made more smoothies than I can count, and listen in on consultations with numerous athletes in different sports.
Sodexo has provided me with the greatest practical learning experience in my educational career. I have one piece of advice for any intern and that is to take everything in, take it one step and one day at a time, and let yourself enjoy this experience. It seems overwhelming in the beginning but, by the end of your internship, you will wonder why you were ever sweating it! You’ll be amazed at how much you have learned. Best of luck!
