Written by: Whitney Mirgeler, Class of 2022
DICAS is complete, you’ve matched to your preferred dietetic internship, made it through orientation and now you’re navigating through the various rotations. You have experienced a variety of emotions up to this point and have been making do with what you can. You’re learning to juggle your various responsibilities from family life, work, or school life along with the responsibilities of the internship. Just the same, your preceptors are working to navigate their various responsibilities while helping you meet the required competencies and develop and grow your skill sets. What do you do when you find yourself in a tough predicament? Whether it’s misunderstanding the assignment, feeling overwhelmed with the projects required, or simply just having an off day, how you handle things can drastically change the outcome of the situation. The following are some tips on how to get tough when the going gets rough during your internship:
1. Acknowledge the problem
Getting honest with yourself about what the problem is will help you set up a game plan on how to address the issue. The last thing you want to do is allow the issue to fester and become bigger than it needs to be. Accepting any personal responsibility for the situation will allow you to formulate a game plan for the next steps. Addressing the problem will show your level of maturity in a workplace setting which is always a welcomed attribute.
2. Communicate with your preceptor
Once you’ve had a chance to calmly assess the situation. Ask to meet with your preceptor to clear up any miscommunication. If possible, meet in person or via video to avoid further miscommunication. Effective communication includes stating the facts of the issue while calmly listening to what the other person has to say. Keep an open mind during this discussion, sometimes instructions or feedback may have been presented poorly the first time around. Keep in mind that preceptors are humans too and can make mistakes. Ask questions, take clear notes, and don’t forget to reach out to your cohort for support if needed.
3. Correct the problem
Work with your preceptor to create the next steps. Offer compromises, if you feel short on time clearly state what you can complete of the project in the amount of time remaining and offer to leave directions of completion if unable to finish its entirety. Ask questions to clarify the assignment, and offer other ideas if the topic or project appears to be too big or complex. Remember, it’s the intern’s responsibility to ask questions early and often as they arise. Don’t squander time at the beginning of the rotation this can help avoid problems in the first place.
4. Reflect on the situation
As much reflection you will be asked to do throughout your internship, take the time to reflect with yourself and your preceptor when problems arise. This can provide clarity on how the problem started and help you avoid similar mistakes in the future. Again, preceptors are humans too, and can learn so much from the experiences of their interns. Give them grace along with yourself and leave the problem in the space where it was resolved. Dietetics is a small world, and you want to avoid unnecessary gossip in other rotations.
Learning to overcome adversity and work through problems in a mature manner will benefit you greatly in your future work as a dietitian. Be calm, give yourself time to process the situation, and work with your preceptor, director or cohort as needed when working through difficult times in the internship. Remember, you can do this, and you are not alone!
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Things I learned during the Maricopa County Department of Public Health Dietetic Internship
Mentorship. It’s no surprise that interns are expected to be mentees and soak up as much information as they can while working with preceptors. What I didn’t realize was how the information presented to me was going to help shape me to become a mentor in the future. At the end of each rotation, we had the opportunity to reflect on our experience with those preceptors, taking what worked and what we would do differently to heart. Not only am I ready to be an entry-level dietitian but I feel confident with the skill set to work with interns in the future and be a great mentor, paying it forward and helping to advance the field of dietetics.
Creativity. Going into the internship I felt I lacked creativity. I could come up with ideas but executing them to the degree that I felt confident with was another story. Thankfully the internship provided many tools to help get the creativity flowing. I’m so thankful for my cohort as well who were willing and quick to affirm my ideas and help make them better. Taking risks can feel scary but the boost they provide your confidence will only help your skillset.
Determination. This one may feel like a given; we’ve worked so hard to get to this point in our dietetic journey. It’s easy to feel like “I’ve made it” but it’s not a time to rest. The internship provides vast experiences in the world of dietetics that you’re constantly being challenged, learning, and growing. Determination was key to making it through some very challenging projects. I had an experience in my food and nutrition management rotation where my standardized recipe was being questioned. The recipe was a little complex with getting the nutritional content right and instructions for staff on how to prepare it. Overhearing the conversation about how it wouldn’t work within the menu cycle was enough to give up and start over. Instead, I was determined to show how this recipe could work and continued. The students who completed the taste test validated my hard work when most of them shared they loved it. I learned a lot during this process that I may not have otherwise learned if I gave up.
Project management. As future dietitians we learned about the many hats we may choose to wear. From clinical dietitians, public health dietitians, or diabetes educators, one hat continued to show throughout each rotation and that is project management. This is not just having the ability to manage your own projects within the rotation but working to lead a team to complete tasks. We had many opportunities to take the lead and practice our skills in project management. We learned to manage program budgets within the various Food and Nutrition services programs, collaborate with each other on policy presentations and analyze data and formulate goals for program improvement with the various rotations.
Humility. Being a dietetic intern can be a humbling experience. We are put in a variety of rotations and work environments that we may not have previously experienced. Being humble throughout the internship is important. It’s ok to not have all the answers. Being humble and open to learning will allow you to receive information in a new way. You may find that every day you’re learning something new and being challenged to think of things in a new way. Being humble will allow you to experience new perspectives and allow for innovation within the workplace helping to build lasting working relationships with preceptors. You may even find a job offer at the end of the rotation!
Dedication. Again, this may feel like a no-brainer. We made it past DICAS, the interview process, and were matched to the internship. The work does not stop here! This is where it all begins. Interns are not just dedicated to the work they are doing within the rotations, but we need to be dedicated to our routines, habits, and goals. I found that when I dedicated my efforts to my routines it helped me feel I had a better work-life balance. One of the first tips our director provided us with was finding healthy coping mechanisms. The days that I was dedicated to my morning routine of walking my dog and scheduling breaks were some of the days I felt the most confident in my work and I was able to learn more. Be dedicated to yourself and your goals!
Initiative is a must when completing the dietetic internship. There were so many quick, one-week rotations that you sometimes did not have the time you wanted to complete tasks. Getting started early, completing things without being told, and signing up early for those additional projects on the side will help you gain confidence as your skillset begins to build upon each other. You may feel less anxious and have the capacity to absorb more information as time goes on!
