Hello everyone! My name is Taylor Sidney. I am a current Sodexo distance dietetic intern and URI master’s student from San Diego, CA! I recently completed my clinical rotation at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, CA, and I have now switched gears as I am beginning my first week of the food service management rotation at Point Loma Nazarene University here in San Diego. Needless to say, I love the flexibility that the distance program offers. Not only have I been able to complete my rotations close to home, but I have also had the opportunity to make some amazing connections with professionals in my area.
Thus far, my internship experience has been nothing shy of eye-opening. The clinical rotation was the rotation that I was most nervous about as I began my dietetic internship. I never saw myself going the clinical route, but not long after I began working, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed being in the hospital setting and how much I enjoyed applying everything I learned in school. I was accepted by the dietitians with open arms and quickly became a valued member of their team, not to mention the broad spectrum of exposure that I received while in this rotation! I watched a barium swallow, tackled full floors of dietary consults, and even went into the OR to observe both a robot-assisted sleeve gastrectomy and a roux-en-Y gastric bypass revision surgery. However, my favorite part of the clinical rotation was my time spent working in the Intensive Care Unit. I attended daily rounds and weekly trauma rounds as an important piece of the critical care team. This is where I felt my decisions made the most impact on each patient’s care.
My time in the clinical rotation was a good reminder to remain open-minded throughout the internship process. We are being given the opportunity to work in these different settings with a variety of people to promote our own professional growth. With how much I have learned in my clinical rotation, I cannot wait to see how much I grow as a professional in the rotations to come!
Thus far, my internship experience has been nothing shy of eye-opening. The clinical rotation was the rotation that I was most nervous about as I began my dietetic internship. I never saw myself going the clinical route, but not long after I began working, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed being in the hospital setting and how much I enjoyed applying everything I learned in school. I was accepted by the dietitians with open arms and quickly became a valued member of their team, not to mention the broad spectrum of exposure that I received while in this rotation! I watched a barium swallow, tackled full floors of dietary consults, and even went into the OR to observe both a robot-assisted sleeve gastrectomy and a roux-en-Y gastric bypass revision surgery. However, my favorite part of the clinical rotation was my time spent working in the Intensive Care Unit. I attended daily rounds and weekly trauma rounds as an important piece of the critical care team. This is where I felt my decisions made the most impact on each patient’s care.
My time in the clinical rotation was a good reminder to remain open-minded throughout the internship process. We are being given the opportunity to work in these different settings with a variety of people to promote our own professional growth. With how much I have learned in my clinical rotation, I cannot wait to see how much I grow as a professional in the rotations to come!
