The Dorm Dietitian

[thedormdietitian]

Why I’m Leaving the Field

Hi everyone!

It’s been quiiiiiiite a while since I’ve posted on here, and I’m really sorry about that! One perk of quarantine is that I’ve had a whole lot of extra free time, so here we are.

In my last post (done almost 2 years ago....how?!), I shared my thoughts on the lack of jobs for dietitians. Well, shortly after posting that, I was fortunate to land a job in the world of inpatient dietetics. It was in my dream area and I was thrilled to a) have a full time job and b) have it be in the area I have my degrees in. In today’s rather pathetic millennial society, I recognize how lucky I am to have a job that fits both of those categories. But anyways, as you can tell by the title of this post, I will (hopefully) be leaving this job, and this field, soon.

I’ll try to keep this post short and sweet, but I have to admit that I never thought I would actually be writing this. I was a young, spry 18 year old when I decided on this career. I was slightly obnoxious over how proud I was for never changing my major and I always knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. Maybe this is payback? I truly thought this was the career for me and I didn’t let anything get in the way of that. There were many times during both undergrad and grad school that I wanted to quit, but I did not let anything get in my way. I was so beyond determined to hurry up and graduate and start my dream career, and I was ecstatic to land the job that I did.

Now that I’m looking back, I realized this career wasn’t for me during my internship. On my second day of my clinical rotations, I cried on my whole drive home. After a whole two days at my rotation site, I knew didn’t chose the right career. I’ve never told ANYONE this because I was so embarrassed that it took me years of schooling to realize that; and here I am, in a coveted and competitive internship, realizing that this wasn’t what I wanted. So, I sucked it up and just told myself I was overreacting, and that there was no way in hell I would quit the internship because I was lucky to be there. It took me quite a while to grapple that idea. 

Now, to get to the why am I leaving the field? I’ve been at my job for a while now. Again, I realize, especially now, how fortunate I am to even have a job, let alone contemplate a career change. But, if this helps anyone thinking of becoming a dietitian, then I’m glad I put this out here. Here are the reasons why I am leaving the field:

-We have to get permission for EVERYTHING. This is possibly what bothers me the most. Everyone I work with has advanced degrees, tons of experience, and credentials, yet we have to ask permission to do the very things that we’ve been trained to do. Want to order a vitamin level? Call the doctor. Want to change tube feeds because the patient is off the ventilator? Call the doctor. Want to correct your patient’s diet order? Call the doctor. At my hospital, we are the only group of providers that has to get permission to do anything. I see MDs order speech evals, or PT/OT evals, and they just say “evaluate and treat”. No physical therapist is calling the doctor to see if it’s ok to do this certain exercise on a patient. Even if we get an order for tube feeds, we have to call the doctor (who ordered the consult) to see if, yes, they truly want tube feeds. Doctors don’t have a clue what exercises should be done, just like they don’t know what tube feeds a patient should be on. I’m not slamming doctors at all; that’s why different specialties and careers exist. But why can’t dietitians be treated like other professions? It’s ridiculous to call to get permission to DO OUR JOBS.

-The pay. I knew I wouldn’t be a millionaire as a dietitian, but I didn’t think the pay would be that dismal. Sitting in the office everyday, at least one person complains about not having enough money. Our raises are very small and are automatic; we get them each year whether we are good at our job or not. There are no incentives to perform better. I’m a strong believer in working hard because that’s what you should do, but it gets pretty dang annoying to see people in other careers who get lucrative bonuses for simply doing things required for their jobs. At my workplace, you don’t get extra pay if you get your CNSC/CDE/etc, see extra patients, come in early, or anything else. Your pay doesn’t change except for your yearly raise. Hearing my coworkers complain about money on the daily really starts to get to me, especially after working so hard to get here. A few of my coworkers have worked at my workplace for 30+ years and don’t even come close to making $70k. Hearing that they can’t afford to do needed house repairs, or fix their cars, or even go on vacation with their kids gets really depressing. I even have a coworker who has to give up her shift if her mom can’t watch her kids because she can’t afford to pay for childcare. You wouldn’t think any of those things would be a concern working in healthcare! Dietitians work insanely hard to even become a dietitian, and our jobs are demanding. Our pay needs to reflect that. See my previous post for salary comparisons in healthcare careers. I had a professor in undergrad who said dietitians will only be successful financially if their spouses are the breadwinners. I brushed her comment off at first, but after working in the field, SHE WAS RIGHT. I have a lot of coworkers, and the ones who are truly happy in this field are the ones that have spouses who are breadwinners. Because money DOES matter. I want to be able to take care of myself, buy things I need, fix things that break, and yes, go on vacation. I don’t even have kids yet, but the number of times I’ve already thought about not being able to afford things for them freaks me out. I’ve known dietitians who work for WIC who are on WIC themselves.That is not even slightly ok. I am not shaming those who use WIC; but to be a dietitian and meet the salary requirements for WIC is mind-boggling. Your education is an investment; you want a solid return on that investment. If you’ve ever paid for a dietetic internship, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

-Lack of leadership. Sorry, but I can’t stand the Academy. Using my example of physical therapists again, their “academy” fought for them to raise their pay and to improve the field, and they did. The only advancement in our field is the new “RDN” credential, which, frankly, just brings more confusion on who we are and tacks on the word “nutritionist”, something that 99.9% of dietitians hate being called. The Academy is also requiring all RD’s to have Masters degrees by 2024. I interviewed for quite a few jobs, and having a Masters does nothing for your duties/responsibilities, and results in a very minimal salary adjustment. We can do better. Making it even harder to enter into this field or slightly changing our name won’t help anyone.

-Lack of support for the field. Excluding FNCE, have you ever been to a dietitian conference? They’re usually in a random hall at hospital. Have you ever seen a conference for other health professions? They’re usually at a gorgeous resort on an island. Because of our poor pay, very few dietitians are actually able to support their profession financially. This results in lackadaisical events that are frankly depressing to be at. It’s not about the glitz and glamour; its about supporting the profession and being enthusiastic about it. These events that are held should make people want to join our profession, not run the other way. 

-Job outlook. As a clinical inpatient dietitian, I don’t see my exact position being around for much longer. Especially with losses in revenue amongst hospitals due to COVID, I truly (and unfortunately) think this position will eventually be phased out. In my city, a lot of hospitals have already started cutting their clinical inpatient diet techs, and I think dietitians are next. And it kills me to say that, because our job is needed. But since nurses can (and have) been doing our educations, pharmacy can order TPNs, and residents can stumble through ordering tube feeds, I think our job has shifted into the “not really necessary but nice to have” category. Which really, really sucks. But even in the few years I’ve been a dietitian, I’ve seen the shift. I think outpatient and community RD jobs will always be there, but I think inpatient dietitians are going to be a thing of the past very soon. Starting your own business has become more popular. If you can make it work, go for it. There is a dietitian “business coach” who started her own Instagram business after realizing clinical just isn’t where it’s at, and that new clinical jobs are becoming few and far between. And honestly, she’s right. Post-pandemic, look at the number of job opportunities in your area. It’s a shrinking number.

So that’s that. I’m sure this came off as negative, but someone needs to be telling others this. As much as I love nutrition and am passionate about helping those improve their health with nutrition, this career just isn’t worth it. I hope to always use my RD roots in my next career and I don’t regret the years of schooling I’ve done. But if you’re considering this route, I want you to recognize that this career isn’t even close to what your professors have chalked it up to be. If anything, if you are in college right now, GO SHADOW. Shadow inpatient, shadow outpatient, go see what the job is like. See how happy they are in their jobs, learn their salaries, learn what they love, what they don’t love, and truly see if you can see yourself in this job. That’s what I would tell my 18 year old self, and it’s what I’m telling you as well. 

xoxo,

The Dorm Dietitian

[thedormdietitian]

The Dietitian Profession Needs to Step It UP.

Hey everyone!

It’s been 2 months since I graduated with my Master’s degree and passed my RD exam, and the job hunt struggle is r e a l. I know it’s not easy to find a job, let alone a good job, but it is definitely harder than I thought it would be, and I’m realizing some things that I want to share with everyone about the profession itself. Please note I am only talking about the clinical field of dietetics and what I am noticing where I live, and also my experiences during my internship and applying for jobs. If it’s different for you, that honestly is fantastic, please share with me.

I knew I would never be a millionaire when I decided to pursue a career as a dietitian. However, some postings have a salary of $11-12/hour, with a Masters preferred. What?! I worked quite a few retail jobs in my time and made more than that. So it’s extremely frustrating and disheartening to see so many jobs that pay similar to a job where you only had to go to high school to be qualified, when I killed myself for two science degrees and a 1200 hour unpaid internship. To study biochemistry, organic chemistry, anatomy, physiology, medical nutrition therapy, go through a whole lot of loops to land an internship, etc, was not easy and not done in vain. I definitely enjoyed it and wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t love it, but it was a lot of hard work with a lot of sacrifices involved. When I was researching careers in high school, the salaries for a RD were actually pretty substantial, so I’m really not too sure about what happened. No, it’s not all about money, but I do want to be able to support myself and pay rent, pay for food, and have a decent lifestyle, so it does matter (no socialism on this Tumblr page, folks). There was a study where I live that you need to be making at least $19.50/hour to afford rent. And no, I don’t live in California/Boston/New York. That’s just for rent, not other bills or food or anything else. That’s pretty sad when your profession involves food and you can’t afford it for yourself!

Compared to other medical professions with similar education levels/backgrounds, the pay for a dietitian is quite honestly pathetic.

Average salary and education level of other medical professions (credits to google; salaries are averages for the state where I live):

Medical assistant: $30,199-34,177; associate’s degree

Nurse (RN, BSN): $67,014-85,163; bachelor’s degree

Respiratory therapist: $38,936-74,442; associate’s degree

Phlebotomist: $22,170-40,089; certification program

Physical therapist: $58,190-122,130; doctorate

Pharmacist: $84,597-134,289; doctorate

Audiologist: $67,582-111,150; doctorate

Occupational therapist: $81,690-119,720; master’s

Speech pathologist: $66,920-116,810; master’s

Physician assistant: $65,620-142,210; master’s

Registered dietitian: $39,157-56,336; bachelor’s (soon-to-be master’s)

Also, I want to note that each of these professions is extremely different. Yes, they all work in a clinical setting and take care of patients, but would you want your respiratory therapist drawing your blood? Or your phlebotomist doing physical therapy for your knee? So why is it that nutrition is so easily passed off to other professionals? That alone is what further discredits our profession, since that is basically telling everyone else that our job is replaceable, when it’s not. I can’t tell you how many times when I was shadowing RDs in undergrad or during my internship that “oh, pharmacy is taking over their TPN” or “nursing will do their education” were frequent occurrences. That is totally fine for others to help out every now and again, but we wouldn’t ask the respiratory therapist if we could handle vent settings for your ICU patient today, would we? ;)

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I had two professors during undergrad that I will always remember. Both have taught me things that I will always carry with me throughout my journey as a RD.

-One professor was absolutely perfect, had the coolest job in the clinical field, is extremely classy and professional, and is simply awesome at what she does. She was the ONLY professor who taught that as dietitians, you need to make your worth known. Document all of the relevant nutrition diagnoses, get those nutrition-focused physical exams done, speak up during rounds, be involved, etc. No other professor during undergrad OR grad school taught that, and to be frank, very few dietitians that I saw during my internship actually did all or any of that. This drives my point I made above – it’s imperative that we don’t let others take over our job and to make ourselves present at work, because this profession is valuable and we need to make sure others know that.

-Another professor who was more on the eccentric side, but had a cool career before she started teaching. She said that dietitians will never be paid well because most dietitians “are shy, quiet and timid so they don’t speak up about their pay, and their husband is the breadwinner so it doesn’t matter what they earn”. Unfortunately this is true for most of what I’ve seen. I’m nothing close to a man-hating feminist -- I would absolutely love to have a husband and have him have a great job – but I also want to be adequately compensated for my work. And I think that accepting these jobs with salaries of $11-12/hour also hurts our profession, because that is saying that low pay is acceptable and sets the precedent for the pay of other dietitians.

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I can’t finish out this article without mentioning The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The Academy also reeeeeally needs to change their game. The Doctors of Osteopathic medicine recently put out an extremely fantastic campaign promoting their profession. It was simple, but impeccably well done. Instead, to promote our profession, the Academy decides to slap “nutritionist” onto our credential, something that a) most dietitians don’t like to be called and b) only further confuses people between what a dietitian is vs a nutritionist. I’m sure we will never have billboards like the DO’s (because, oh yeah, we have no money), but we can be doing more to promote ourselves.

 I hate for this to sound so negative, but it honestly is. To go through a Bachelor’s degree, an unpaid internship, and for most, a Master’s degree, we need to come together and improve our profession. Because America (desperately) needs our profession and we worked hard for it.

Xoxo,

The Dorm Dietitian

[thedormdietitian]

How I Went to Grad School Without ANY Student Loans

Hi everyone!

Happy Thursday! I’m back, for this random yet important post. There was a YouTube video put out by a popular user who was basically crying about how she was in so much debt, all from student loans. I am extremely grateful to say that I do not have any student loan debt, and I wanted to share some things with everyone about how and why now that I’ve graduated from grad school, debt-free. And remember, I’m a dietitian, not a financial expert ;) And I’m also not some holier-than-thou-look-I-don’t-have-loans betch, I’m just trying to help you.

For undergrad and/or grad school:

-If you have the opportunity to live at home, DO IT. I am beyond thankful that my parents are the best people on this planet and allowed me to live at home for both undergrad (with the exception of my freshman year, since I went to a different school 2+ hours away from home that year, and hence the name of this blog) and grad school. Is it what all the cool kids do? Nope. But thankfully I had that opportunity and it saved soooo much money. Plus I actually liked it (helloooo homecooked meals, my puppies, and non-community bathrooms). Dorms and apartments around where my school was were ridiculously expensive, so that alone saved at least $30k when considering all the years. But obviously if you go to school out of state, that’s not an option. So listen to my other ideas ;)

-There needs to be at least a few sacrifices. For example, I never studied abroad, which probably makes me exceptionally lame in millennial culture but again, it saved me a ton of money. Although I was butthurt about it initially (like whyyyy am I the only person my age on all of Instagram who hasn’t been to Rome?!), I’m glad that I saved that time to graduate early, and besides, I’m sure Europe is more fun when studying isn’t involved. I’m not denying you cultural experiences and all that, but maybe save it for a time where you can actually pay for it (because yes, a euro is actual money).  Or if you must dip your toe in a different culture, nix the Netflix account or stop eating out so much.

-Try to work. I know school is really freakin’ stressful and all that, but if you can snag a part time job or a nannying gig, do it. Yeah, most of my Friday nights were spent with people under the age of 10, but whatever. Or try to get a job at school, I was a teaching assistant and learned a ton while making money (and I was already there, so yay for no commute!).

-Look for scholarships e v e r y w h e r e. It’s practically free money! The essays might be annoying but that was how I paid for all of grad school. Sometimes your school might have their own scholarships, so go for those too!

-State school is (usually) the way to go. I’ve gotten a lot of crap for going to a “state school” and I totally had my heart set on a private school out of state, but for the most part, I’m glad I stayed in-state (if I went there, I’d likely be the person on YouTube crying about my loans). Not perfect by any means, but looking back financially, it was a smart choice. And the field I’m in isn’t super into where you went to school, which helps. However, if your field is wanting to only hire Ivy League grads, you do whatcha need to do. Or if you get a ton of scholarships for your dream school, GO, for goodness sake.

-Pick a major that will make you a decent living and minor in what you love. Please don’t be that poor sap who majors in underwater gender art studies and then complains when they can’t find a job. That’s just how the world works, so make sure you can find a job that will cover your bases and assets. Be creative on the weekends.

-If you’re still in high school, sign up for all the dual enrollment and take all the AP classes you can. I got to graduate a whole year early from undergrad because of this, and it saved an entire year of tuition/gas/stress-induced online shopping purchases.

If you have to do loans, that’s totally understandable and I know some people have to (and I might be going back to school in the future, and will most definitely be doing loans for what it’s for. But that’s another day, another blog post). But please:

-STAHP using your loan money for alcohol/a trip to Cabo/a bigger apartment/that really cute headboard. I have a friend who is $250k in debt for just undergrad because she took out extra loans for a bunch of extremely unnecessary stuff. Don’t do that! Your 40 year old self is going to hate you!

-Do your research. Talk to banks, read articles, make sure you know exactly what you are getting into. Don’t sign your life away like you’re The Little Mermaid.

So that’s my advice! Anyone else have tips for reducing or avoiding student loans?

xoxo,

The Dorm Dietitian

^who, as of yesterday, is officially a dietitian!!!

[thedormdietitian]

What I Learned from my Dietetic Internship

Hey everybody!

It’s been a while, hasn’t it?? 

Hope you’re all doing well! Can’t believe I only have 5 weeks left of my dietetic internship. It went fast, but at the same time, I feel like I’be been in it for FOREVER. I know the DICAS deadline was just a few days ago, so I thought I’d do a little write up of everything I’ve learned throughout this crazy process in order to prepare you for what is to come ;)

1. You’re not going to love every rotation.

There were a few rotations that I absolutely dreaded. I would just sit in my car in the parking lot until theeee last possible second before I had to go in. There was even one day during my 2nd week of my internship were I just came home crying due to frustration (not my finest moment). But guess what? It doesn’t last forever! Some days just feel so long, but you have to remind yourself that you aren’t going to be there forever and that better rotations are ahead.

2. You will find things you had no idea you would love.

My first day in the ICU, I was absolutely terrified. I didn’t want to look at anything (I clearly didn’t make this obvious to my preceptors, but I was definitely freaking out in my head) and I went home thinking about every single patient I saw that day. I hated it! But guess what? That ended up being one of my favorite rotations once I got used to it. I even spent a few extra days there since I ended up loving it so much. Don’t make up your mind about things right away!

3. Your preceptors are either the best people ever, or the worst.

I’ve had preceptors who are absolutely incredible, and I’ve also had some that don’t really care all that much. Some preceptors you will look up to, while others will be reminders of how you don’t want to be. You don’t have to be best friends with the tough ones, but remember to always write a thank you card. And bring cake to your favorite ones, because nothing says “I love you, please hire me in the future” like a nice piece of cake ;)

4. Treat yo’self

You’re working your butt off, so remember to give yourself a little something now and again. Your budget might be close to nonexistent, but a little coffee, pair of shoes, or a new pair of workout pants can do wonders. 

5. Remember to workout!

I was worried about finding time to workout during my internship, because that was literally the only thing that keeps me sane. There are days when I would wake up at 5am just to haul myself to the gym. You might be half awake, but it’s really the best way to start the day and you won’t have to worry about doing it later when you get off. And if you can’t make it to the gym, Tone it Up YouTube videos were my saving grace.

6. You don’t know everything.

Of course you want to impress your preceptors, but don’t do it by spouting off everything you know about a particular subject. There are times where you just need to be quiet and listen to what they have to say. There is a time and a place to show off what you know, and they probably won’t be too eager to teach you if you come off as a know it all. On the other hand, don’t be afraid to ask questions. I probably asked 100 questions every single day during my clinical rotations. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know, right? 

7. Nobody knows everything.

At the same time, it’s also important to remember that nobody knows everything, so don’t be shy when you’re asking questions or too intimidated by someone. Some of my preceptors who have been in the field for 30+ years still have to look things up if they aren’t sure on a subject. Better safe than sorry! Nobody is impressed if you pretend you know something and then screw it up because you were too afraid to look it up or ask.

8. Reach out to others where you are working at.

During my clinical rotations, I learned so much from doctors, nurses, PTs, etc. You might be afraid at first to talk to others outside of your preceptors, but you can really learn a lot from them. I loved going to rounds during my clinical rotations, because each profession got to share so many different things that I learned so much from. 

9. Take opportunities!

I had a couple opportunities to scrub into a few different surgeries, and I am so glad I did! I used to be so freaked out and intimidated by anything surgery related but now I wish I could go back to school and be a surgeon (transplant surgeon especially. But that’s another day, another blog post ;). The first one I scrubbed in on, I was convinced that I would just pass out...or throw up. I was shaking for the first 20 minutes I was in there. But it was seriously the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! It gives you a whole new perspective and appreciation for the miracle of medicine. 

10. Don’t have the “I’m working for free” attitude.

Seriously, just don’t. Yes, you are technically working for free (or in many cases, paying to work there), but don’t have that mindset. You’ll just get resentful and hate everything. You’re working for experiences that will make you an excellent future dietitian #amiright

11. Have fun with your fellow interns.

Get to know the other interns in your group. My internship group did our grad school work first, so we got to know each other in our classes. But during the internship, we met every so often for happy hours and it really made it a good experience since we were all mostly friends and it was fun to blow off steam with others who know exactly what we are going through.

12. Enjoy yourself, take pictures, have fun!

Your internship doesn’t last forever (hallelujah), so be sure you are making the most of it. Take pictures, say yes to anything that comes your way, make connections, and leave a good impression.

So that’s that! Crazy that I’m almost done. 

Anyone out there apply to internships this round? Let me know!

xoxo,

The Dorm Dietitian

[thedormdietitian]

What I Learned in Grad School

Hi everyone!

So sorry it’s been a long time since I’ve posted! As you can tell from the title, I’m in grad school...and definitely learned a lot. I’m in a combined dietetic internship and grad school, so this year I did my coursework and a research thesis. It’s been quite a ride! I decided to write down all of the things I found out, since a lot of it threw me for a loop. So if you’re going to grad school soon, this post is for you!

1. TIME. MANAGEMENT. I cannot stress this enough. Buy a planner, because it will be your new best friend. I found it best when I had each week planned out so I knew everything I had coming that week. Slacking off isn’t a thing in grad school...it will come back and bite you in the butt, big time.

2. If you have to work, get a job in an area that doesn’t involve what you study. I could have gotten a job as a diet tech or something else, but I decided to work at a gym instead. A lot of my other friends worked nutrition jobs and ended up being super burned out. I loved working at a gym, and the free membership was great with my grad school budget (and saved my sanity at times). It might not help your resume much, but it’s a nice break from the books.

3. Be a teaching assistant. My school offered a TA program where if you worked for a professor for so many hours a week, you got a discount on your tuition and a paycheck. That was a definite perk for me, but it was also a fantastic learning experience. I was the TA for a medical nutrition therapy class (which was my favorite class in undergrad), and I learned a lot. Teaching others is the best way to teach yourself! It helped me get over my fear of speaking in public, I built a great relationship with a wonderful professor, and I can probably teach your dog how to calculate a TPN. And those paychecks are great.

4. Take breaks. There were times I completely overloaded myself, and the burnout is real. Try to make time for yourself, even if it’s a 15 minute workout video or a quick walk around the block.

5. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. This was a lesson I really learned this year, and I’m glad I did. I was usually one to shy away from asking other people for help, because I didn’t want them to think I couldn’t do or handle something. Take it from me, don’t do that! 

6. Go shadow someone who has a job in your desired field. When I was up to my eyeballs in things I really didn’t love and was ready to quit, I shadowed an RD who works in the field I want to be in. That will help remind you to keep going! 

7. Make time for your family! I’m sure I drove mine nuts with all of my ranting or having them read copy after copy of my thesis, but take time for them.

8. Practice what you preach. We are studying to help give others a healthy lifestyle, but don’t forget to do that for yourself! If you’re eating a crappy diet or not exercising, you aren’t doing yourself any favors.

9. Don’t say yes to things you don’t really want to do. This was another hard lesson for me to learn, but your time is too valuable to waste. Your sanity will thank you.

So that’s that! I still have a thesis to finish and a summer school class but I see the light at the end of the tunnel :) 

What have you learned in grad school? Any advice for others?

[thedormdietitian]

When You Become Your Own Patient

Hey everyone! So it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted. Like, more-than-a few-months while. I’m super sorry, but in these past few months, I’ve been sick on and off, had surgery, started graduate school, started a new job...lots of things going on! Not that I’m one for excuses, but boy, life can throw you for a curve sometimes.

What I’m writing about today is something that I’ve been struggling with lately. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition after having surgery a little less than a month ago, and along with the diagnosis, came a whole lot of dietary restrictions that I now have to follow. As of late, I can’t eat any more dairy, wheat, or red meat. I’m not allergic to them, but my condition is super sensitive to these foods. When I found that out, I was thinking “this will be easy! I’m (almost) a dietitian, after all”. But I’m also world’s most pickiest eater and nothing makes me happier than an occasional bowl of mac and cheese or a slice of pizza. My dietary preferences pretty much resemble that of a 7 year old, just slightly healthier. Frozen yogurt, pizza, whole wheat pasta, Caesar salad - all of my favorites, all things I can’t eat anymore.

So now what? 

I ask myself that pretty much every time I open my pantry, looking for what is acceptable for me to eat. I used to work in a doctor’s office and gave people who have food allergies or dietary restrictions advice all the time, so I thought it would be no big deal adjusting to my new diet. Oddly, whenever you’re told you can’t have something, you want it even more. I can’t even tell you how many times this past month I’ve dreamed of an In n Out hamburger (I maybe had one once every 6 months or so pre-diagnosis...but apparently this is now all I want). So I figured I’d do my homework like I did every time I talked to patients, create some meal plans, and be off with my fine self. Until I tried to find recipes that were easy to make, satisfy the whole wheat-free-gluten-free-dairy free requirements, and is something that I like. Well, other than salads and smoothies, I was at a loss. I tried some wheat/gluten free products, but they don’t really taste the same, and vegan cheese makes me want to vomit. I didn’t know what do do with myself. I felt like a failure as a dietitian, and I haven’t even taken my RD exam yet. I became my most difficult patient! Maybe I’m just hangry but it’s been a huge struggle. 

I’m almost 1 month post-surgery, and things have gotten a little better. I’ve found some easy recipes and figured it was best to focus on the things I can eat instead of what I can’t eat. It also further emphasized (for me) the impact that diet has over health outcomes. My condition isn’t as severe as others, like diabetes or heart disease, but it definitely is responsive to diet. I have to remember that yes, it does suck not being able to eat these things, but having surgery again would suck a whole lot more. Most importantly, however, it’s given me such a great perspective of what it’s like to be a patient. It isn’t as easy as it seems to make these changes, and this will definitely stick with me as I go through my internship and career, interacting with patients who have to change their diets. 

Have you ever had this experience? Let me know!

xoxo,

The Dorm Dietitian

[thedormdietitian]

I’m Back!

Hi everyone!

I finally got my password back so I’ll be posting a lot more! Quite a few things have happened between now and the time I last posted so I can’t wait to update you all.

xoxo,

The Dorm Dietitian

[thedormdietitian]

where do you buy nice dress/professional clothes? i don't want to blow all of my money but want to look nice.

I love Loft (they have 50% off a lot) for tops - they are easy clean (no dry cleaning or anything like that) and they hold up very well. For pants, I’ve had the best luck with Old Navy’s pixie pants because they are very affordable, look nice, and fit very well. 

[thedormdietitian]

Hi! I study nutrition & I hated biochem & organic chem. I'm going to start my dietetics internship soon so I was wondering how much of chemistry do you need to understand to do the internship well? I honestly won't review it if not needed :D thanks!

Hi!

I haven’t started my internship yet either but from what I’ve heard, you should be fine! A couple of friends told me that metabolism is good to know but nobody is going to ask you to balance equations or anything like that, especially if you are in a hospital or school. I think it would be different if you were in research though.

Good luck!

[thedormdietitian]

For experience, I just finished my first year @ uni. Is it too early to start getting experience in the dietitcan or health field

Great question!

I don’t think it’s ever too early to start getting experience. In addition to looking great on your resume, you can start to get a feel for what area of nutrition or health you’re interested in and make connections that will be beneficial for years to come. Some of the volunteer experiences that I’ve had were some of the highlights of my undergraduate career and helped open up some doors…it is definitely worth it! Good luck :)

[thedormdietitian]

Hey! I want to become a dietitian.. but really want experience in a health related setting, preferable with nutrition or food. Where should I look, or what helped u with getting some exp. under your belt?!

Good question!

I made sure to get experience in almost all (major) areas of nutrition (clinical, food service, community). For clinical, I reached out to doctors and PAs in my area asking if they needed help around the office. Fortunately I found a doctor who let me work in his office as well as counsel patients, which has been my favorite experience and furthered my love for the clinical side of dietetics. For food service experience, I took a job at a local frozen yogurt shop where I learned about food safety, budgeting…all that fun stuff. I volunteered at a school to help with their nutrition classes to see the community aspect of nutrition and loved that as well. Utilize your professors because they probably have a lot of connections that can help get your foot in the door. Do you have a large hospital or school district nearby? Check them out for jobs too. It’ll probably take a lot of emails, phone calls, and patience but it’ll be worth it!Good luck!

[thedormdietitian]

how did you decide on nutrition as a major

Good question!

I love helping people so I knew that I definitely wanted to do something that involved that. I originally wanted to be a psychiatrist (I was obsessed with the TV show Frasier and I figured that I would love the career based the show. Not the best judgement), but I looked more into it and decided that it wasn’t for me. I looked into business too because I liked that as well, but I also wanted to be a journalist. In high school I did dance competitively and realized how important nutrition was as a dancer. I also have a best friend with severe food allergies that made me interested in nutrition as well. My mom told me I should look into nutrition when it came time to apply for college and I didn’t even know you could major in that at first, but I looked more into it and loved it! There are so many different components to it with science and health and psychology, and there are even business routes you can take so it was really a combination of everything I love. I couldn’t have made a better decision :)

[thedormdietitian]

i remember you said you have like 5 jobs when it comes to actual work, volunteering, and school stuff. how do you manage that?????

Lots of coffee and lots of agenda-ing :) And basically no sleep, ever. But it’s worth it in the long run!

[thedormdietitian]

hey i just read your dicas experience and I did dicas too! i applied to six programs, how many did you do?

I applied to three! I went back and forth on the number of programs but I really love the three I applied to and would be thrilled if I got matched to any of them :) Good luck!

[thedormdietitian]

What are your thoughts on herbalife products?

I don’t really like them, there are so many other (and better) ways to get all of your protein and nutrients than from a shake.

I actually had a Herbalife shake once and not sure if it’s connected or not, but I got a huge migraine after drinking it. I looked up the ingredients for the shake base and it listed fructose as the first ingredient (actually causes weight gain if consumed excessively, even though they market themselves to work for weight loss). They also use soy protein isolate (extremely processed), more sugar, silicon dioxide, and sucralose. Definitely not the best way to get your vitamins and protein for the day!

[thedormdietitian]

i just basically read your entire blog (love it btw). I saw that you mentioned that you're graduating a year early....HOW? i'm starting college next year so that would be fantastic.

Hi!

Thank you :) So yes, I am graduating a year early! My high school offered dual enrollment so I took a few classes to help get some of the general courses out of the way. I also took some AP courses and got test credit for some more general classes. I transferred schools after my freshman year, but the semester before I made sure I took courses that would transfer over and even took an online course from a community college on top of my regular classes that I knew would transfer over and it was a course I knew I needed. 

Thanks for asking!

[thedormdietitian]

My DICAS Experience!

Hey everyone!

So the applications for dietetic internships were due about a week ago and I wanted to share with y’all my experience and what I wish I would’ve known as I went through this process.

So for those of you who aren’t familiar, if you want to apply to a dietetic internship, you apply on a website called DICAS. DICAS is a general application, similar to the Common App you might have used for college. Once you create an account, you’re brought to a page where you can see your application and fill out the sections. You fill out contact info, school info, your course list...all the basics.

There is also a section that your DPD director fills out regarding your course list and if you haven’t completed your degree yet, a letter of intent. Ask for this early! The last few sections are for your resume, personal statement(s) and experiences.

So for about three months, you’re stressing over every section, chasing around everyone you know to read your personal statement, and praying that your application will be one of the chosen.

So how exactly does it work? Here we go...

Resume

For DICAS, you create one resume that will go to every site you applied to. There are about a thousand different tips out there on how to do your resume, but it is pretty much up to you. I had mine as two pages because I felt that I had a lot of experience that I wanted to highlight. If you want it to be two pages, make sure they are both full pages and not the awkward one-and-a-half. Also be sure to sell yourself! When you describe your duties for a position, try to make it unique to you and not something that everyone else can put. When you finish your resume, make sure you convert it to PDF when you upload it to DICAS or be prepared to start crying because your formatting is off. DICAS doesn’t support some formats so just be safe and PDF it.

Personal Statement

The personal statement is like your expanded resume. You get the opportunity to show off your skills that you’ve gained and “prove” to the program that you are their perfect fit. This step took the longest for me. You are limited to 1,000 words and you are given a list of questions that you need to answer. Have your parents read it, your teachers, your friends, your mailman....just get another set of eyes on it! It may seem perfect to you but it is always great to have someone else offer suggestions. I would start this early so you have enough time to make it perfect!

Everything Else....

-Order your transcripts EARLY! I can’t stress this enough. You only have to send them to DICAS (unless a program says otherwise) but it can take a while to get them sent and uploaded. It took mine three and a half weeks to be scanned in so you definitely want to have some room.

-Start scouting out potential writers for your letters of recommendation. The general requirement is 2 professors and 1 employer. Ask them early and provide your resume.

-Don’t start DICAS until it opens up for the cycle you are applying to. I started my application in spring before the fall cycle was over. I felt so punctual until everything got deleted...so don’t be too early :)

-Look for programs early on. It never hurts to start looking around for potential internships and you can do as much research as possible. I called all of the directors for the programs that I applied to, which is a great way to get all of your questions answered.

-The Applicant Guide to Supervised Practice will give you great insight into what each internship is looking for.

-Head on over to All Access Internships to find out literally everything you need to know about internships, applications, and career inspiration.

Once you press submit, take a deep breath, pat yourself on the back....and wait until Match Day.

xoxo,

The Dorm Dietitian