Overall Internship Reflection
I had an absolutely incredible internship. Looking back to where I began I am amazed at how much I learned. Every single day taught me something new. Since August I feel I have learned more than any number of classes could have taught me. I was able to have excellent preceptors and co-workers who were all eager to help me learn and help prepare me for my career.
Food service was a great experience and helped me prepare for the rest. From working with dietitians to chefs I picked up skills that I will use in all aspects of my life. Each day brought a new exciting opportunity. Whether it was doing internal food safety inspections or helping determine the nutrition values in food, I was constantly learning.
Clinical always had me thinking. Each day brought new challenges, and some days I felt I had learned a year’s worth of information. I was able to work with a knowledgeable and diverse group of dietitians who let me learn from them. I was able to learn about every condition that they saw, and learned from each of them what to include in a chart note. I learned to dig a little deeper and always talk to the patient. I learned that to be a clinical dietitian involves a sharp mind.
My community rotation was a good one to end on. I was able to take things I had learned from all my experiences. I was able to see countless clients and learned how to interact personally with each one. I saw community programs that I had previously not even heard about. I was able to do staff relief that allowed me to understand what it requires to be a WIC dietitian.
I learned so much from my internship. It taught me more than I could ever have learned from classes alone. At the beginning I was overwhelmed by how much I needed to do and how much I had to learn. Now I feel confident entering the work force as a dietitian and feel like I can do any job I decide to take. My internship was a wonderful and priceless learning experience,
Food service was a great experience and helped me prepare for the rest. From working with dietitians to chefs I picked up skills that I will use in all aspects of my life. Each day brought a new exciting opportunity. Whether it was doing internal food safety inspections or helping determine the nutrition values in food, I was constantly learning.
Clinical always had me thinking. Each day brought new challenges, and some days I felt I had learned a year’s worth of information. I was able to work with a knowledgeable and diverse group of dietitians who let me learn from them. I was able to learn about every condition that they saw, and learned from each of them what to include in a chart note. I learned to dig a little deeper and always talk to the patient. I learned that to be a clinical dietitian involves a sharp mind.
My community rotation was a good one to end on. I was able to take things I had learned from all my experiences. I was able to see countless clients and learned how to interact personally with each one. I saw community programs that I had previously not even heard about. I was able to do staff relief that allowed me to understand what it requires to be a WIC dietitian.
I learned so much from my internship. It taught me more than I could ever have learned from classes alone. At the beginning I was overwhelmed by how much I needed to do and how much I had to learn. Now I feel confident entering the work force as a dietitian and feel like I can do any job I decide to take. My internship was a wonderful and priceless learning experience,
Community Reflection
My community rotation truly allowed me to see multiple programs throughout the community as well as become well acquainted with WIC. I learned what being a community dietitian involves, and what resources there are.
I had the opportunity to work with one of the largest counties in the state. Being so large they have a variety of resources for the community. I spent most of my time with WIC, but also spent time rotation through other programs. I was able to go on a home visit with some county nurses to see how the “Prenatal Plus” program works. I was able to see a restaurant inspection, and learn what truly goes into them and what things are not scored as part of the inspection. I was able to spend a day with the SNAP-Ed/EFNEP program to see what types of education they provide to their clients as well as what types of community outreach they do. I also was able to go to multiple county meetings and learn about the county’s strategic planning and budgeting.
At WIC, I was able to do staff relief and see numerous high-risk clients. I was able to follow all of the dietitians in the WIC program, including one who specializes in special needs kids. I learned more about breastfeeding and pumping than I had known before, and was even to work with two IBCLCs during my time with WIC. The opportunity was incredible to learn how to interact with this population. I enjoyed how different every day was and how every person is unique.
I really enjoyed my time in my community rotation. I am so glad I was able to be exposed to so many different programs. I am so glad I was able to end my internship on such a positive experience.
I had the opportunity to work with one of the largest counties in the state. Being so large they have a variety of resources for the community. I spent most of my time with WIC, but also spent time rotation through other programs. I was able to go on a home visit with some county nurses to see how the “Prenatal Plus” program works. I was able to see a restaurant inspection, and learn what truly goes into them and what things are not scored as part of the inspection. I was able to spend a day with the SNAP-Ed/EFNEP program to see what types of education they provide to their clients as well as what types of community outreach they do. I also was able to go to multiple county meetings and learn about the county’s strategic planning and budgeting.
At WIC, I was able to do staff relief and see numerous high-risk clients. I was able to follow all of the dietitians in the WIC program, including one who specializes in special needs kids. I learned more about breastfeeding and pumping than I had known before, and was even to work with two IBCLCs during my time with WIC. The opportunity was incredible to learn how to interact with this population. I enjoyed how different every day was and how every person is unique.
I really enjoyed my time in my community rotation. I am so glad I was able to be exposed to so many different programs. I am so glad I was able to end my internship on such a positive experience.
Clinical and Outpatient Reflection
It is amazing what I have learned in 12 weeks since beginning my clinical rotation as well as the one week at an outpatient center. I feel like every day I needed to go in with an open mind to learn. By approaching each day with this eagerness, I was able to learn and pick up on so many tips that I will use in the future. At the beginning of my rotations, I really had no idea what to do. Classes can only prepare you so much for what you will see once you get to the hospital. With dietitians who wanted me to succeed and were willing to teach me, I was able to quickly learn how to do the job of a clinical dietitian. By the end they trusted me with half the hospital to do.
When I started, I was given every tube feed or TPN consult that came down. I would figure out what I would do, then another dietitian (who had already worked them up) would discuss with me what they did, and if they were different why. By the end, the dietitians almost always approved and used my recommendations for tube feeds, as well as for most TPNs. I learned more about nutrition support than I thought I would know at this point, and would feel comfortable making recommendations if I were to get a clinical job at the end of my rotation.
I think I took longer to write notes my last week than I did my first. I learned to pay attention to more details, and learned to always try to talk to a patient or their family. I was proud of the notes I finished toward the end of my internship, and felt like I was able to do quality work.
I was able to sit in on multiple outpatients with different dietitians. I was able to see a variety of counseling needs. After watching so many different sessions, I feel like I have a better idea of how to do outpatient counseling in the future. It was great to be exposed to everything from diabetes to cancer to eating disorders, and I found the things we discussed in those outpatient settings to help during my charting on inpatients.
I really enjoyed clinical and the challenges it presented every day. I feel like working in a hospital would always keep me on my toes, and always be a challenge. I learned so much, and look forward to what my community rotation will bring.
It is amazing what I have learned in 12 weeks since beginning my clinical rotation as well as the one week at an outpatient center. I feel like every day I needed to go in with an open mind to learn. By approaching each day with this eagerness, I was able to learn and pick up on so many tips that I will use in the future. At the beginning of my rotations, I really had no idea what to do. Classes can only prepare you so much for what you will see once you get to the hospital. With dietitians who wanted me to succeed and were willing to teach me, I was able to quickly learn how to do the job of a clinical dietitian. By the end they trusted me with half the hospital to do.
When I started, I was given every tube feed or TPN consult that came down. I would figure out what I would do, then another dietitian (who had already worked them up) would discuss with me what they did, and if they were different why. By the end, the dietitians almost always approved and used my recommendations for tube feeds, as well as for most TPNs. I learned more about nutrition support than I thought I would know at this point, and would feel comfortable making recommendations if I were to get a clinical job at the end of my rotation.
I think I took longer to write notes my last week than I did my first. I learned to pay attention to more details, and learned to always try to talk to a patient or their family. I was proud of the notes I finished toward the end of my internship, and felt like I was able to do quality work.
I was able to sit in on multiple outpatients with different dietitians. I was able to see a variety of counseling needs. After watching so many different sessions, I feel like I have a better idea of how to do outpatient counseling in the future. It was great to be exposed to everything from diabetes to cancer to eating disorders, and I found the things we discussed in those outpatient settings to help during my charting on inpatients.
I really enjoyed clinical and the challenges it presented every day. I feel like working in a hospital would always keep me on my toes, and always be a challenge. I learned so much, and look forward to what my community rotation will bring.
Food Service Management and Long Term Care Reflection
It is amazing to me how much I have learned over the past 3 ½ months. I thought when I started at the school district that I had a pretty good idea of what I would be doing for my rotations. Looking back, there was so much more to learn than I could have imagined. I found myself using knowledge from every area I had studied in school, as well as realizing that there are some things you can only learn from experience.
Starting with food service management was eye-opening. There are so many details that go into food service, no matter the size of establishment. I thought the order I did my rotation in was perfect. I started with a school district. I did a lot of office work here, but also spent a large amount of time out working with people. I learned to appreciate the amount of work a production kitchen does, as well as learning to use some of the larger equipment I had not used before. It refreshed me on everything from knife skills to how to wash 100 pounds of potatoes. Then I went to do my long term care rotation. This was a clinical rotation, not a food service rotation. However, the location only has one dietitian who oversees the clinical and food service aspect. This allowed me to both get the clinical experience and see how long term care facilities work as well as overhearing discussions about the kitchen and seeing how they choose to conduct their kitchen. Next I headed to a different long term care facility to do more food service. It was helpful that I knew how long term care facilities work, and was able to see more of how the clinical and food service teams work together. This was a much larger facility, and had more dietitians and staff. I did a lot of hands-on experience, and came to appreciate all the skills that chefs have. I was glad I had already had time recently in a kitchen where I didn’t feel as inexperienced as I might otherwise have felt. Following this time, I went to the largest university in the state. Everything I had learned from my rotations leading up to this point were helpful. It was incredible to see such a large facility and how it worked. I did a lot of management tasks, and became a part of the management team. I worked on very professional projects, taught classes, and helped with a large number of food safety audits. I do not think you can understand what it takes to run such a large facility without experiencing it first-hand.
During this time, my culinary skills have improved. I’ve been tutored by executive chefs and executive sous chefs. My ability to do food safety audits has increased 100 fold. I feel if I needed to I could go in any facility and be able to conduct an audit that would be at least as detailed, if not more, as a health department audit would be. I became very proficient and comfortable talking to management staff and doing research that could be used to support projects. I learned to respect everyone, from the dishwasher to the executive chef, and learned that you cannot have a successful operation without every level of staff.
One of my largest strengths was my ability to become comfortable fairly quickly with any environment. I also was confident speaking in front of groups, which is a skill I used at every rotation. Two things my preceptors noted was I should ask more questions and be willing to speak my mind more. I think often rather than asking questions I try to observe and figure it out, but I found if I asked questions, I would learn things that were impossible to find out through observation. I still need to work on learning to speak my mind more and be willing to give suggestions. I often reserve these, not wanting to be inconvenient, but I think there is a balance I can learn.
I honestly loved my food service and long term care experience. I would not change anything about how it was organized, and felt every day was useful. I gained so much knowledge and perspective, as well as learning new skills. I look forward to my next two rotations and all I will learn with them.
It is amazing to me how much I have learned over the past 3 ½ months. I thought when I started at the school district that I had a pretty good idea of what I would be doing for my rotations. Looking back, there was so much more to learn than I could have imagined. I found myself using knowledge from every area I had studied in school, as well as realizing that there are some things you can only learn from experience.
Starting with food service management was eye-opening. There are so many details that go into food service, no matter the size of establishment. I thought the order I did my rotation in was perfect. I started with a school district. I did a lot of office work here, but also spent a large amount of time out working with people. I learned to appreciate the amount of work a production kitchen does, as well as learning to use some of the larger equipment I had not used before. It refreshed me on everything from knife skills to how to wash 100 pounds of potatoes. Then I went to do my long term care rotation. This was a clinical rotation, not a food service rotation. However, the location only has one dietitian who oversees the clinical and food service aspect. This allowed me to both get the clinical experience and see how long term care facilities work as well as overhearing discussions about the kitchen and seeing how they choose to conduct their kitchen. Next I headed to a different long term care facility to do more food service. It was helpful that I knew how long term care facilities work, and was able to see more of how the clinical and food service teams work together. This was a much larger facility, and had more dietitians and staff. I did a lot of hands-on experience, and came to appreciate all the skills that chefs have. I was glad I had already had time recently in a kitchen where I didn’t feel as inexperienced as I might otherwise have felt. Following this time, I went to the largest university in the state. Everything I had learned from my rotations leading up to this point were helpful. It was incredible to see such a large facility and how it worked. I did a lot of management tasks, and became a part of the management team. I worked on very professional projects, taught classes, and helped with a large number of food safety audits. I do not think you can understand what it takes to run such a large facility without experiencing it first-hand.
During this time, my culinary skills have improved. I’ve been tutored by executive chefs and executive sous chefs. My ability to do food safety audits has increased 100 fold. I feel if I needed to I could go in any facility and be able to conduct an audit that would be at least as detailed, if not more, as a health department audit would be. I became very proficient and comfortable talking to management staff and doing research that could be used to support projects. I learned to respect everyone, from the dishwasher to the executive chef, and learned that you cannot have a successful operation without every level of staff.
One of my largest strengths was my ability to become comfortable fairly quickly with any environment. I also was confident speaking in front of groups, which is a skill I used at every rotation. Two things my preceptors noted was I should ask more questions and be willing to speak my mind more. I think often rather than asking questions I try to observe and figure it out, but I found if I asked questions, I would learn things that were impossible to find out through observation. I still need to work on learning to speak my mind more and be willing to give suggestions. I often reserve these, not wanting to be inconvenient, but I think there is a balance I can learn.
I honestly loved my food service and long term care experience. I would not change anything about how it was organized, and felt every day was useful. I gained so much knowledge and perspective, as well as learning new skills. I look forward to my next two rotations and all I will learn with them.