Choosing My Own Path



 

         The UMD Dietetic Internship is composed of many different rotations.  Some weeks you'll be in Baltimore City and the next the heart of DC.  So be prepared to travel, sit in the wonderful DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) traffic, and download podcasts to listen to or find your favorite local radio stations.  While I'm not a fan of long commutes, I found the multiple locations in this program allowed me to have a wide range of experiences.  My first few weeks consisted of community based rotations.  A week at DC School Lunch and one at the Department of Aging.  My final community rotation was set to be at DC Food Bank.  While it sounded like a fun rotation, being a Baltimore girl at heart, I wanted to complete one of my community rotations closer to home.  I knew the organization Moveable Feast was one interns had rotated through in the past, so with an email to Phyllis and a few days of crossed fingers, I was on my way to Moveable Feast for a two week rotation. 



       Moveable Feast is a non-profit organization that was created in 1990 to provide meals for people suffering from HIV and Aids in the Baltimore Metropolitan area. Along with meals, clients receive groceries, transportation to medical appointments, and nutrition counseling. The organization has expanded to helping people with other life challenging conditions throughout the counties surrounding Baltimore all the way to the Eastern Shore. While here, I worked with three dietitians, two which happened to be University of Maryland College Park dietetic intern graduates. Alongside the dietitians I was able to observe in-home nutrition assessments and I completed phone nutrition assessments of clients. Every day amazed me, hearing new clients' stories and seeing how much of a difference these meals made to their nutrition.
        My time at this rotation allowed me to see how great the need is for dietitians in the community setting.  Anyone can provide others with food, but a dietitian can provide nutrition that helps support and heal.  While many of our rotations are set in stone, we have the opportunity to work with different programs because we are not a site based internship. If there is a specific community site you want to work with talk with Phyllis (way ahead of time of course), and see what she can do. Remember this is your internship experience and you have to get as much out of it as possible. Work with organizations that excite you, network like crazy, and allow yourself to be open to opportunities you never thought were possible.