Diastance orientation 101

When you choose a dietetic internship, most of them have been doing this for long enough that they know what they are doing, and Iowa State was no exception.  It was great to be able to follow the instructions and not have to navigate any scheduling or admin waters.  They reached out immediately after match day with a webinar to spell everything out for us! (what we needed to go/purchase/schedule/study in the 10 weeks before orientation). We were also immediately placed into groups, which divided up the ~85 total interns into groups of 20-25, and assigned an individual instructor as sources of support throughout the internship process.

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During the weeks between match day and orientation I actually lost some of my clinical rotation. (Unless paperwork is signed, the preceptors can pull out-but don't worry! It's not super common).  My individual instructor was SO helpful and sent me a bunch of possible sites in the areas I was willing to travel to.  Once I found a replacement,  she immediately got moving on the legal process.  Speaking of the legal process, once you are matched, that is out of your hands.  I emailed and asked if I could help with anything and was told to relax while I still could!

Heads up-the money starts to get spent right away.  before orientation get ready to pay:

• Tuition (apply for FASFA if your program qualifies)

• Updated vaccines, TB tests, and certifications (save your receipts if you want to use this all for next years taxes)

• Textbooks

  • Save your undergrad books! I'll say it again-SAVE YOUR UNDERGRAD TEXTBOOKS!

  • If your program recommends the pocketbooks, try and find some used ones. I honestly didn't touch mine at all during the rotations, I am glad I didn't spend any money on those.

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We had a few weeks of quiet-then started to connect via Facebook as we were working on an assignment and figuring out travel/lodging for orientation.  If you want to review your textbooks then go ahead, but if you are coming from your undergrad recently, or studying for the DTR, you should be fine with the case study as your review.

The week before orientation we were sent an email with all last minute reminders (I.E. don't lug your heavy books to Iowa and please be ready for freezing temperatures), as well as a pre-survey which asked a lot of really great introspective questions regarding our level of confidence entering this process.  I loved that they took that into consideration! 

Orientation week!

Day 1:

You're going to dive RIGHT in-no time to waste!  We started with introductions and started the different training modules.  (motivational Interviewing, communication, nutrition care process, etc).  The Ghana group split off to see the travel nurse for the vaccines and Ghana specific info.

That first night we picked up groceries, then back to our on campus apartment to have dinner, finish the case study and start to get organized.

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Day 2:

Computer stuff: How do we submit all our assignments? What even are our assignments?

Iowa color coded everything for us, and it is a god damn work of art.  It's SO user friendly, they divided everything into each rotation, so we could all have our own personalized due dates!  If you thought you were a type A person, you've never met the dietitians at ISU.  They make it very clear that we need to plan ahead and communicate our needs.  We talked about how evaluations and weekly reflections work, they seem to really focus on making sure that you not only finish the internship, but feel prepared when you do.

In the evening, I started inputting each assignment into my planner (s) week by week so I could get a sense of what I needed to do.  We did the math and there were about 150 assignments to complete in total.  Sounds overwhelming until you divide it up by week-only about 5-7 assignments per week!  Making the schedule cohesive and work with your brain is KEY in this internship!! I was able to get ahead of schedule this way, and I highly recommend it. 

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KanBanFlow.com was the holy grail of organization for me - if you are a visual person, I highly recommend trying out this free to-do/organizational website! Six years after my internship and I would STILL recommend this as a form of organization.

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Day 3:

Reviewed PES writing and NCP, learned how to use the eNCP.  That is an AWESOME resource.  I definitely recommend paying for that.  More organizing at night.

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Day 4:

Reviewed TPN/EN in the morning, and Jean Inman after lunch. She is INTENSE and hilarious.  She will tell you this, but don't try to comprehend anything she says, just highlight and come back to it later!

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Day 5:

Jean Inman all morning, i.e. more intense scribbling, post it notes and highlighting.  I would absolutely recommend meeting her if you can-she is so funny and genuinely wants us all to pass! (and was thrilled when I emailed her telling her so). 

Orientation week is SO fast paced, be ready to write a ton and listen as best you can.  

Ask questions, if you leave confused then it's only your success that will be effected! Exchange phone numbers and start to make acquaintances so you can reach out when things get stressful.

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Most of all, you've already gotten the worst part over with! You've already been accepted, you already have the skills to kick this internships butt (and feel confident while doing so!) so get out there and do it!