Introduction to my blog :)

I'm Brittany- a Dietetic Intern with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. I decided to start a blog to document my experiences as an intern, and hopefully help future interns with this whole crazy process. I'll also enlighten those who are reading this about my career and what it takes to become a Registered Dietitian. 

First- I need to set some acronyms I will use from here on out. 
DI= Dietetic Intern
FDACS= Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services 
RD=Registered Dietitian
There will be plenty more to come...

For those of you unfamiliar with RD's here is some helpful definitions. According to Wikipedia "Dietitians are experts in food and nutrition. They advise people on what to eat in order to lead a healthy lifestyle or achieve a specific health-related goal. Dietitians work in various different capacities in the field of healthcare, food service, corporate setting, and educational arenas". 

RD's have a more complete education related to nutrition, where as "A nutritionist is a person who advises on matters of food and nutrition impacts on health. Different professional terms are used in different countries, employment settings and contexts — some examples include: nutrition scientist, public health nutritionist, dietitian-nutritionist, clinical nutritionist, and sports nutritionist". In my world there is a HUGE difference between RD and a Nutritionist, so please don't confuse these! 

So where do I stand in this world of nutritionist and RD's? I am considered a nutritionist at the moment because I have taken nutrition classes. Any one that takes a nutrition class can call themselves a nutritionist. However, in order to become a RD, I have to complete a dietetic internship then take an exam and only then, after I pass, can I add 'RD' after my name. 

As an undergraduate at the University of Rhode Island (URI), the in -state university I chose to go to school at, I started out as a Nursing student. I realized within my first year at school that nursing wasn't my career path that I wanted. I knew I wanted to do something health care related and I wanted to work with people- not sit at a desk all day. 

I had a meltdown the summer after my freshman year because I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I  spoke with career services and took a career exam. I based my fall classes off the results of the exam- nutrition being one of those classes. I realized this was the career for me. I'm pretty sure I didn't realize I would still be in school 5 years later... I completed my sophomore year at URI and did a national exchange at the University of Hawaii (UH) for two semesters- my entire junior year. I took summer courses and graduated on time (within 4 years) from URI with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics. So therefore I can call myself a nutritionist.

My senior year at URI I applied for dietetic internships. I applied for 5 or 6 internship, paid at least $50 a piece for the applications, had to pay for a matching program ( it was roughly $600 total I spent), only to find out two months later in April 2010, that I wasn't matched with any programs and I had nothing planned for after graduation. 

I then had another melt down and had no idea what to do with my future. Thank goodness for my exchange to Hawaii because one the Chef who taught my food service management class in Hawaii encouraged me to apply to the graduate program at UH. He wrote my a recommendation letter for the program. I was accepted into the food science master's program withing a few weeks. I started the the coming fall. I had somewhat of a plan again.  

UH proved to be a challenge, there were many ups and downs with the program. I ended up changing into their Master of Science in Nutritional Sciences program where I finished my degree summer 2012. 

Still, I can only call my self a nutritionist, but this time I'm Brittany Pond, MS. One step closer to "RD" I guess. February 2012, I applied for 5 dietetic internship programs, again paying a few more hundred dollars only to find out April 2012 that once again I was not matched with any programs. 

In March 2012 I had an interview with one program- I had to be up at 3:30am to do an interview for 5am with an east coast internship.  I thought I was going to get into that program and I was absolutely devastated when I didn't get in. I was full of doubt and miserable. Twice I did not get into an internship and I figured 'RD' was not my path. 

I just thought about finishing my MS degree and getting through the rest of the semester. Well.. Things changed three days after I was not matched.  I received a call from the internship which interviewed me! One of the selected interns turned the acceptance down (kind of a big no-no/taboo in the dietetic world). I couldn't have been more happier to be accepted! My dreams of being and RD were coming true! 

So my very long winded story was to explain that dietetics is a tough field to get into. There is only about a 50% match rate for internships. For me, getting to this internship program has taken a while and I've dealt with ups and downs but I've worked hard to to get to where I want to be. I know everything will be worth it in the end.