More Than a Checklist

Making the Most of Opportunities During Your Dietetic Internship

By: Elise Rodriguez

I love lists, and most of all, I love checking things off my list. My planner has boxes to check off when I’ve completed an assignment or activity, and it feels AMAZING to check one off. Many people, including dietetic interns, love lists too, which is why my internship gives us checklists for each rotation. They are great because they help give some guidance into what we should be completing at each rotation and what competencies we are meeting when we do complete a task (and they know the joy we have when we check something off our to-do list). However, the checklist is just the beginning of the experiences you will have during your internship.

It is very easy to look at a checklist provided for a rotation and feel a sense of being overwhelmed. Sometimes there can be a lot, so it is easy to get caught up in just completing the list and finishing the rotation.

My challenge for you is to look beyond the list.

The checklists for your rotations are helpful and you will learn a lot from them. However, there is much more to learn than what is on the checklist. Every location and rotation where you are placed has unique opportunities that you might not get somewhere else. These opportunities may not come later, even if you are at the same place for another rotation.

This time is unique and valuable, so use it!

I have learned this first hand from my own internship experience. Like I mentioned, I am very checklist driven. I stuck to my list for the first couple of rotations because I wanted to make sure I got everything I needed to do completed. Then I had a preceptor tell me, “Don’t worry, you’ll get the checklist done. Remember it’s what you’re learning from your experiences here [like patient interaction and charting] that will really stick with you when you start working as a dietetic professional.”

I realized then that it was the opportunities between the lines of the checklist that were the memories and experiences I’ll never forget. For example, during my cardiovascular rotation, our checklist included to observe surgeries or procedures, but it only required one. To complete that requirement, I went to the cardiac cath lab at my hospital. I was scheduled to observe a routine stent procedure. Instead, someone with a NSTEMI, or heart attack, came in and they had to perform an emergency stent. Instead of leaving after that procedure was done, I stuck around to ask questions and I asked if I could stay for the scheduled stent procedure. The doctor agreed and before I knew it, another person with a NSTEMI came in. I got to see two heart attacks and two peoples’ lives saved because I asked to stay.

Another opportunity I had was to do rounds in the Neonatal ICU (NICU). If you have ever been in a NICU or have been on rounds (especially in a teaching hospital) you will notice quickly there is not a lot of space in the patients’ rooms for all of the rounding team to get into the room, let alone see the child. There was a baby on our rounding list that was born at 23 weeks gestation, but unfortunately I was unable to see him because of the number of people that were able to go to the room. After rounds were over, my preceptor asked me if  I wanted to go back and see the baby. I could have turned down that chance and moved on with my day. Instead, I said yes and saw the tiniest baby I have ever seen. My preceptor and I talked about his case, and I was able to ask questions about how nutrition support and vitamin supplementation was helping this little child grow. I fell in love with the NICU that day, and that experience has given me a goal for where I want to work in the future.

These experiences (and many more) are moments I will remember for the rest of my life, and they are so unique to my internship year. I could have easily passed on some of the opportunities, finished my packet earlier than I did, and completed what I needed for that rotation. That would have been a perfectly fine option, but instead I chose to look between the lines of the checklist and experience moments of learning that are far beyond what I could have imagined.

I heard it said that it is up to you to make your internship experience what you want it to be. By sticking to the checklist, you will learn a lot, but you risk the chance of missing out on an incredible opportunity. I think back to those rotations where I could have turned down those opportunities and I realize that I learned so much more from my rotation because of those experiences. You never know how those experiences can shape and influence your interests and future career.

As I am coming up on my last couple of months as an intern, these are the things I continue to keep in mind during my rotations. I don’t want to miss so many learning opportunities because I was too focused on the checklist.

You won’t regret the opportunities you take, only the ones you don’t. This is your internship. These are your learning opportunities. Embrace these chances with open arms, and say yes to the opportunities that come your way.

References:

Checklist picture: https://ceriusexecutives.com/the-ceos-checklist-for-operations/

Opportunity picture: https://www.cuinsight.com/take-opportunities-when-they-arise.html

Baby picture: http://www.irishprematurebabies.com/HelpAdvice/FeedingIssues.aspx