For the last four months, I’ve been working on something pretty exciting.
When I graduated from my nutrition program, I wrote, very emotionally and fairly defensively, about not being a Registered Dietitian. I wrote about how, even though my original intention in starting school was to become a dietitian, I had discovered that in order to do the type of work I wanted to do (teach people eating competence) I did not actually need to be one. And that some of the things I’d encountered along the way — including the research my peers have done on the experiences of dietetic internship applicants — made me question whether I wanted to be one.
However, at the end of November 2013, I attended a lecture at my alma mater given by a nutrition professor who’d greatly encouraged and inspired me when I was a student. It was my first time back on the university campus since graduation, and I wasn’t sure how I would feel. It was a wonderful evening. The lecture was great, of course, but I was surprised how affected I was by seeing former classmates who had since moved on to being dietitians, catching up with former professors, and meeting new RDs and dietetic interns who were promoting Health at Every Size in their work.
That evening, after reconnecting somewhat with the world I’d left behind, I started to seriously consider applying for a dietetic internship.
First, I love clinical nutrition. I did not know when I began studying nutrition whether I would enjoy clinical subjects at all. As a student, I looked forward to them as a sort of litmus test of whether this field was really for me. It turns out that I did well in those clinical courses. No one was more shocked than me, I assure you. I enjoyed calculating TPN requirements and enteral feeds, even. My experience in the working world bore that out: I really do love clinical nutrition, even though it is not entirely what I came into this field to do.
Second, becoming an RD would solve the difficulty of trying to explain to people and the media exactly who I am and what I do. My position right now, as someone with an accredited degree, specific training, and years of experience — but without that overarching credential — makes this surprisingly confusing. I want it to be clear.
Third, one major reason I did not apply for internship immediately after graduating was because it is beyond me financially. I’m simply not in a position to not work for nine months without any financial aid. This prevented me from applying for a very long time. Ultimately, I decided it was worth it to see if I even had a chance, and then find a way to raise funds.
Fourth, I want to learn more. Nutrition is an ever-changing, complex field. I want to understand it better, have more intensive training, and have the resources to remain current with the research. As a dietitian, I will be able to do this by being a member of my dietetic association and by completing the continuing education requirements that all RDs must fulfill.
The fifth, and most important reason: I originally entered nutrition as a way of doing something positive for fat people. After teaching eating competence for four years, I feel I can serve people in a broader way if I am a Registered Dietitian. I can continue to teach eating competence, but I can also address clinical nutrition concerns when they arise. I am especially interested in finding out how eating competence might be combined with certain therapeutic strategies, as for diabetes.
So, I applied. I went through the fairly harrowing process of gathering references (four wonderful dietitians and one doctor were very helpful with this, you know who you are!), researching internship programs, writing letters, and restructuring my resume. I applied for several programs, I was called for interviews and, two weeks ago, I was successfully matched to an internship.
It was a bittersweet moment, because, on the morning I received the offer, I knew that many qualified and deserving nutrition students were staring at a rejection letter and experiencing the despair, the intense emotional pain, and the personal sense of having done something wrong that comes with it. To those students: you did nothing wrong. This is not your fault. There should be an internship spot for every student who meets the requirements, and I believe there should be financial aid to allow students of various income levels to train as dietitians.
Sadly, I am not in a position to change those things, but while I go forward with joy and excitement to attempt this thing that seemed so impossible to me, I will not forget the very deserving students who have to make other plans.
For now, I must turn my attention to fundraising so that I have the best possible chance to make good this opportunity I’ve been given. The last four months have been a wild ride, and things are only going to get more intense. I hope you’ll wish me luck.
Comments
84 responses to “Why I’m doing a dietetic internship.”
Here’s wishing you the very best of luck, Michelle! You’re doing what’s right for you and I know you’re going to kick serious nutritional butt!
Thank you Twistie! I really apppreciate it.
Congratulations on taking that big step!
Another advantage to the RD designation is that it may help people be able to access your services financially by having them covered by insurance. My benefits from work include coverage for a dietician but not for any other sort of nutrition professional (naturopaths aside).
Woohoo! I’m so very happy for you =) and for everybody that are and will be touched by your intelligence, kindness and compassion.
Also, you need a donate button on your blog ;-)
I second this!
I hope that your fundraising plans include a way for readers to contribute. I am sure I am not the only one who has learned a lot simply reading your words.
Thank you very much. I’m currently thinking I may write up a little guidebook based on what I have learned over the last 4 years, teaching eating competence, and offer it as a reward for donations. That way people will get some value in return, rather than just donating out of the goodness of their hearts.
That’s an awesome idea. I would definitely buy one.
I agree, I think that’s a great way to approach it.
I would donate anyway, but I support this idea wholeheartedly! I would buy multiple copies to give to friends/leave lying around. :)
That is a great idea.
Have a wonderful year! All your experience is going to be incredibly valuable during the internship and beyond. Looking forward to your influence expanding further with this additional credential, and your readers hope you will post once in a while about your year.
Actually, I don’t think I will be blogging about my internship, just for privacy and confidentiality reasons. There will be lessons I will learn and they will inform my ideas about nutrition, no doubt, so it will probably shape my writing unintentionally.
Congratulations, Michelle! I really admire committment to always explaining your reasons for the choices you’ve made. And your work on this blog has meant more to me than you could ever know. Thank you for your strong, thoughtful, and gracious words. And good luck with your internship–not that you need it.
Good luck! I’m sure you’ll find a way to make it all work!
I have really enjoyed following you blog and was initially attracted to you by the I am not a dietitian approach. As a dietician myself, I was so touched by your post about why you are “not a dietitian” I could feel the frustration of the program and the process, and I also struggled financially, professionally, and emotionally to obtain and compete the dietetic internship. I once again am touched by your passion as you take the next step in your career. I am revitalized by your drive and motivated to continue being an advocate for what I believe in. I wish you the best of luck and a long and successful career! ~
Best of luck to you with this big step! I think you’ll be fantastic, and I’m looking forward to reading about your experiences.
This is great, I understand how you feel about wanting to do more but realizing you need to go a step higher in order to be better understood or taken more seriously as an educated expert. I’m really excited about you training to become an RD because of your experiences as a nutritionist and really listening to people about how and why they eat the way they do. I have yet to find an RD here in BC who understands the challenges of eating healthy for Crohn’s disease & ostomies without the pat answers of “just eat more salads,” “why don’t you eat more vegetables?” and my favourite, “what’s Crohn’s disease?” I look forward to reading about your experiences, and your idea of a book to raise funds to do your internship sounds great; I would be most interested in this!! Good luck, I know you’ll be awesome!
Oh my goodness, more salad and vegetables for Crohn’s disease! I’m actually really interested in IBDs and would love to learn how to work with people who have them. Thank you so much!
Huzzah! So happy you worked so hard for this opportunity. I know you will do amazing things with what you learn and that it will open more doors for your message of compassion, healing and health. Yay!
Awesome job! I enjoy reading your blog posts and know you will contribute greatly to the profession. There is a great need for people with your critical thoughts!
Congratulations Michelle. We need more RDs like you in our field who understand and are advocating for eating competence and HAES. Well done and good luck in your program.
Your blog and tweets reveal such depth of understanding whilst considering the scientific it was a waste for you not to complete the clinical part of your qualification. As a dietitian involved in student training (in the UK the internship is a ‘sandwich’ of clinical experience during the third year of a 4 year degree) I love it when someone with your ideas and personality rock up, as they always add additional perspective and help revise practice for the benefit of the patients. I hope you enjoy it! (but remember, there’s always one or two dinosaur dietitians in every dept who will refuse to engage with modern thinking, will always do what they’ve always done, and dislike students having an opinion that exceeds their levels of comprehension or knowledge. These are thankfully in the minority. You will recognise them when you come across them, just bear in mind you’re not working with them forever!)
This makes me feel really hopeful, thank you so much!
They anything like the dinosaur doctors out there? Ugh.
That’s pretty amazing! I just started my dietetics degree AZ state university, it is going to be a couple of years if things go according to plan. I was very unsure about going into Dietetics only because the idea of not receiving income for a year or two was really scary to think about but I think if I work hard enough I might be a bright spot. Clinical nutrition is a lot to take in also I have a starting class that is kind of rough for me right now because the introductory class I took like 3 years ago was not very informative of what I was getting into. I have no idea of what I want to do after either, because there is a wide range of usage as a RD and I might just possibly go do a DTR since it has less time in internships and possibly wait out a couple years to become a fully Registered Dietitian so many choices. I guess those choices come to you when you finally get a certain point of your life. But who knows some are lucky and some aren’t? If I didn’t pursue this I don’t think I’m talented anywhere else. Ha! Congratulations! You will be awesome! :D
Good luck, I know the program isn’t easy, and making those decisions about where you want to end up isn’t easy, either. But I’m also sure the skills you learn in nutrition can transfer to lots of different fields – understanding biology and chemistry, knowing how to read and understand research, etc. Those are valuable things. I worked as a diet tech for quite a while, and I really loved it, though we don’t register our diet techs up here. Thank you, and good luck to you.
You are amazing and you will continue to be amazing in a new way now!! Congratulations!!!
That is fantastic news! I’ve learnt so much from your blog, and sometimes the truth is, those couple of letters after a name may open more doors and get the common sense that I find here more widely distributed. Congratulations and well deserved Michelle.
Congrats! How exciting :)
Unfair though it is, credentials matter. Having those letters behind your name will give you more credibility to share your message, which makes it a worthy hoop to jump through. Best of luck with your fundraising, and congratulations!
Sounds like a great decision, Michele. Go for it!!!
Have fun with this and congrats.
I’ve always found your posts lucid. My favs are “Gym Class” and “If only poor people understood nutrition.”
This all sounds very exciting. Yay! Also, you could make some sort of t-shirts maybe?
Hahaha, what would you recommend I put on a t-shirt?
“Eat food. Stuff you like. As much as you want.”
How many street fights do you think it would start?
A great slogan! And maybe a couple of fights…. Or maybe… “fat is the new strong” ??
Actually, in all seriousness, I would love an “Eat food. Stuff you like. As much as you want.” T-shirt.
I think lots of people would be too puzzled by it to pick a fight.
That’s probably true.
I would love the socio economic healthy eating tips. But also eat food, stuff you like, as much as you want. I work in public health and I would totally wear it in to work and get into fights!
I would totally buy at least one shirt with that on it, if it comes in my size (3x). I would probably also buy one for my mother and for at least one other person I know.
You don’t know me. I don’t think I’ve ever posted here before but, when I was stuck in eating disorder hell, your blog was a voice of sanity in a fucked up world.
I echo those who suggest a donate button. I’m sane, stable, happy and well, and your blog was one of the tools I used to get here. I’m in a position to give back; please make it possible for me to do so.
This means a lot to me, and I’m really glad you’ve found my blog helpful. Congratulations on your recovery.
I agree completely. Michelle, your blog has done so much for getting me to where I am today and I’d love to be able to help you to get to a position where you can help even more people. T-shirts (in every size? ;D), books, or even a simple donate button…
Omg Michelle, congratulations!!! I am so happy for you :) that’s very exciting! You don’t owe us any explanation but it’s nice to be able to read about your journey of how you’ve ended up here :) I truly wish you all the best. Definitely on board with any fundraising stuff, love the idea of the guidebook and the tshirts!! (My vote is for eat stuff…)
Laurin :)
Thank you, Laurin!
Congrats! I recently found out I am doing an internship too and can echo the feelings of mixed emotions of being happy for myself but knowing that it was not happy news for all on March 10. Perhaps I will see you in September! Best of luck!
Congrats! I’m in my dietetic internship right now, and I feel so blessed to have been chosen for an internship. And I agree, the system really does need restructuring to make internships available for all eligible applicants!
Dear Michelle
Congrats for getting into a program! I feel I gotta say, the financial hardship is brutal (your idea to fund it with your work experiences is awesome) and you will go crazy from all the weight-focus you will encounter. However, getting all the clinical exposure will be exciting and your amazing work thus far will put you well ahead of the counseling skills that most RD’s that will preceptor you have.
I hated all the red tape of the internship and non HAES stuff I had to get through (this was 10 years ago) but for all the reasons you mentioned, it will be worth it in the long run. If you ever need a RD to vent to (you will :) send me a note!
Ps: you will be able to help people with diabetes, GI issues, etc learn Intuitive Eating! I work exclusively with ED’s, diet-trauma, etc however people often have other stuff going on so you get to help from both ends and it is an art but can be done.
Best
Tracy
Thank you, and thank you for giving me some insight on what I’ve gotten myself into. I’m really looking forward to it, though I know it will be very challenging. I’m really lucky to have a supportive coordinator, and at least a few of my preceptors will be doing HAES-oriented work. Thankfully, working in endocrinology for a while got me pretty used to more traditional settings. I’ll definitely get in touch if I need words of wisdom :)
Michelle,
This was so inspiring to read. I am currently a senior about to graduate with a degree in nutrition, but I opted not to apply to a dietetic internship…not for now at least. I am going to take some time off and clear my head to hopefully find which direction I want to go. But I have to say, as I was reading this post I found a lot I could relate to; I love nutrition for many of the same reasons you mentioned. It fascinates me how quickly the field is evolving and I would love to be apart of that. But at the same time, I can completely relate to the economic hardship being a major obstacle. I also feel as though I’m a little worn out and maybe some time off is all I need. Either way, I just wanted to thank you for writing this post because I found it really helpful while I’m trying to make these major life decisions.
Best of luck to you as you pursue your RD, it sounds like you really deserve this!
Meg
Congratulations on finishing your degree soon! I can understand taking some time to rest and figure stuff out.
Good for you!! Congratulations and good luck <3
I refer my clients your way and the reports I receive back are all glowing (of course). I have been thrilled to be able to send those with restrictive eating disorders to someone who knows her stuff but has not osmosed the fear of food that permeates so much of nutritional sciences education these days.
I am excited for you and I am excited for all your current and future clients too. If you fundraise, let me know and I’ll be there with whatever-sized T-shirt might be available to order :-)
Thank you, Gwyneth. I also refer a lot of people to Sara Upson at http://www.mysignaturenutrition.com (for those needing clinical support) and I’ve heard great things.
Thanks Michelle! And congratulations on your internship! I enjoyed most of my internship and thought of it as a series of hoops I had to jump through to get to my end goal. That thought really helped me to get through some of the less stellar times, like when my preceptor thought that weight should be lost at ALL costs and I argued that it was more dangerous to lose the weight than to keep it on : ) That part did not go over so well! That being said, I was surprised how many RDs were familiar with HAES & the ones that weren’t, I was able to share HAES with them. I suspect that you will actually help to enlighten a lot of preceptors about HAES, which is amazing! Unfortunately…they might feel a little threatened by all the amazing work you have done- but remember- just a series of hoops to jump through and there is an end in site! I’m happy to chat more or lend a friendly ear if needed!
Thank you, that is incredibly reassuring. I’ll definitely get in touch. I can only imagine what it would have been like to argue over weight loss with a preceptor! Thankfully, one of my preceptors will be a wonderful RD practicing HAES in a family health team, and I’m very excited about that. I don’t know who the others will be, but I can be very sweet and docile when required :)
I just read your “Not a Dietitian” post and even as I’m currently in an internship right now, I absolutely believe it is professional hazing. Sure, it’s grueling, and you learn a lot and all that, but it pretty much is professional hazing. That was an absolutely apt term.
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry! But I hope you survive alright.
Perhaps I am irrationally hopeful, but I think my internship is going to be difficult, but good. And luckily I think my past experience in food service means I can handle any amount of hazing. Spending like 2.5 years in a hairnet in the basement of a hospital, getting yelled at over the phone, made me tough. One time a patient threatened to machete me, true story.
Trigger warning.
Hmm. This guy is speaking for “free” at UofCalgary next Wed. It’s in conjunction with his new book: Lose it Right: A Brutally Honest 3-Stage Program to Help You Get Fit and Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind.
I think he’s a representative of the same-old, same-old. I got the info about it from the alumni email newsletter, and my dad (of course) is going. I can’t imagine he’ll give out real health advice, since it’s not about health, but physical appearance.
All I ever needed was your blog, Michelle, and it’s a breath of sanity in this world of crazy ideas. Have you heard of this guy before? Seems like every Tom/Dick/Harry is writing a book about how slovenly we are.
If it’s brutally honest I wonder if he’ll point out that even if you do everything exactly right there’s still no guarantee, and small likelihood, that it’ll work? Because that kind of honesty can be pretty hard to take.
Or maybe he means it’s time for the blame game?
No, I’ve never heard of this guy or his book, but I see it has reviews from people like Yoni Freedhoff (who has his own book out now), which gives me mixed feelings. From the description, it sounds like it could be a potentially more accurate source of info on weight loss compared to many popular diet books, and I would be especially interested in reading his critical analysis of the products on offer from the diet industry. But it sounds like his recommendations are likely things we’ve all heard before – eat less, move more, slow and steady wins the race. He may back them up with research, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are any more likely to work for the average person than they ever have been. Also the fact that he calls his program “The Virtuous Cycle” makes me raise my eyebrows a bit. It’s an unnecessarily moralistic term to use in regards to an eating and exercise program. But since I haven’t read the book, I can’t say much for sure, except that this is unlikely to be a HAES-themed read.
Lastly, I wouldn’t rely on my blog as the source of all nutrition information, though I do think the things I’ve written about are sorely neglected and needed in this world. But I have not written on a wider range of nutrition topics (even though I would like to) because, frankly, the internet is a scary place. That is the primary reason I don’t blog more often. In this culture, it’s really easy for a muscley bro-dawg to put his picture on the cover of a diet book and speak in an authoritative tone about what other people should do with their bodies. People will listen to him and take him seriously, at least until some other muscley bro-dawg takes the stage. For a fat lady like me (nutrition degree or no), writing about nutrition is like wearing a “Kick Me” sign. I am getting over this, believe it or not, but it has taken the better part of the last year and I’m still not entirely where I want to be.
Tell me to be more brave and I will try.
Well I don’t rely solely on your blog, but yes, I’ve been reading your posts from the beginning over the last year, to see what I missed. Very useful stuff, especially concerning the social factors of disease, which I think is missed in the “FAT PPL ARE GUNNA KILL US ALL” craze. I also like Sandy’s blog, which has links to so many other things.
I’m just glad there are people like you out there who can boil down the issues to the simple, instead of these convoluted things diet gurus like to do.
I’m not going to tell you to be brave, I’m only going to hope that you continue to take on exactly what you can – and want – to take on, and be true to yourself. We are blessed to have you in this world, and to be able to read what you write. You are a shining light, and it is only a shame that ignorance and prejudice need to be fought. When you write things that don’t support the prevailing view that humans need to be oppressed and have their choices stripped from them (for their own good!)… Well, the body-hating, fearful status quo doesn’t let go so easily, and fear leads to hatred (thank you, Yoda for your wisdom). But you bring sanity to a crazy-ass world, and if you do that in whatever capacity you can I, for one, remain an avid fan.
Well, I remain an avid fan either way!
Are you the Chris Gregory who used to post here? Or another Chris? I’ve read your blog a couple times. Very good stuff there.
Thank you! No, I’m a different Chris.
Aw, thank you, I really appreciate this.
2nding what Chris said.
Ok there are 2 reviews on Amazon.ca for this book. Both give 5 stars, one says it’s “not a diet, but a lifestyle”. *eyeroll* We all know that one.
I looked at the table of contents in the preview, and you are right: he does like the tortoise and the hare metaphor alot. “Slow and steady.” And this Virtuous Cycle: sounds an awful lot like 7 deadly sins all over again. I saw you had posted on twitter (I didn’t know you had a twitter until today!) in a conversation that lead to other tweeters comparing modern society to the 7 deadly sins, and “cleanses” are equivalent to “humoric imbalances”. :P
Haha, I hadn’t quite made that far of a leap, but the logic is identical.
I know, right!?
I won’t tell you to be more brave. But I will tell you that I brag about my blog crush on you all over the interwebs, I link back here frequently (possibly obsessively), and I quote “All food contains nutrients. Nutrients are good for you. No really. I’m serious” until (some) people run screaming at the site of me.
I am also telling you that I am so stealing “muscley bro-dawg” and slapping it right into rotation.
So thank you for what you do, and I’d be more than happy to see more of it.
This is very nice, thank you so much.
Best of luck Michelle, I think it’s a really brave and true decision. You have helped me so much (I not only no longer have food anxiety, but I can debate with people who believe in the OBESITY EPIDEMIC!11 without getting triggered, can draw boundaries around people commenting on my eating etc.) and I have no doubt that as a dietitian you will use the professional credibility and new powers for yet more good! Thank you for all that you do, and all that you are. :)
Congrats! Where will you be interning? I support your decision and suggest you consider crowd source funding, that online resource to get money with a pitch, which no doubt your followers would support. I get quite distressed about many of the messages put out by our field, but being vocal with a credential is the only way to fix the system. Best of luck.
Congratulations! I think the book is a good idea.
Thank you! I’m quite nervous about putting a book together, but oh what the hell.
Congratulations on getting into an internship. I feel like we are on the same path, and I completely relate to you. I actually found your blog a couple years ago by typing into google “I don’t want to be an RD”. Your post I found made me feel so much better, I wasn’t the only person who went through a BS in Nutrition only to find myself with no funds or desire to go the internship/RD route.
Now almost 3 years later I put aside my reservations and matched to an internship (I’m in the US). I will be taking out a HUGE student loan to pay for it, but in the end I truly believe that it is for the best. Having a career I can grow and learn in will be so fulfilling.
I’m excited to read about your journey.
Wow, congratulations!
Congrats! We need more RDs who are focused on HAES or focus on HOW to eat (vs exclusively WHAT to eat). I just heard Marsha Hudnall speak on binge eating disorder a few weeks ago, and she was awesome! A few of my preceptors in the internship would put clients coming in for weight loss on 1200-calorie meal plans and wouldn’t even pick up on the disordered eating clues from them. The eating skills are so much more helpful than just talking about calories, what to eat, etc.
As someone who will (likely) be doing an internship or alternate (ISPP) as a non-traditional RD candidate, I look forward to hearing about your internship experience.
I had also made the decision, consciously, for financial, philosophical, and vocation reasons but have hit a point where not becoming an RD would render my PhD far less useful.
I now see that you aren’t planning to post on it, which I absolutely understand in terms of actual day-to-day work, but I’d still find it interesting to hear how the overall experience(s) shapes your thinking and perspectives on food/nutrition.