Why I Became a Registered Dietitian & How I Did It
I often get asked how I chose this career path of becoming an RD and how I chose to get my Masters in Public Health. So if you are still in undergrad, thinking of a career change, or overall interested in the process of becoming a RD – then this post is for you!
I grew up in a very healthcare focused family – mom was a nurse, dad is a physician, one of my aunts was a nurse, and my grandfather was a physician. I have always been in awe of healthcare and the human body. I knew I wanted to work in healthcare in some realm but was not always sure how. It is all I’ve known and grown up around. I even grew up going to church on Sundays with my family and then afterwards going to work with dad. This meant I sat in the ICU with all of the nurses while my dad made rounds on his patients. The hospital setting is weirdly comfortable to me and this is where my passion for caring for others began.
Fast forward a few years to starting college – I went to Auburn University (War Eagle!) and started out as a nursing student. I assumed nursing was the best route for me (and didn’t even know what a dietitian was at the time). I had to take Intro to Nutrition for nursing requirements and fell IN LOVE with the material. I couldn’t learn enough about nutrition and approached my professor after class one day to find out if I could minor in nutrition. Well Auburn does not offer a minor in nutrition but I wasn’t going to stop learning, so I became a double major and added on Nutrition-Dietetics. I eventually transitioned over to just Nutrition-Dietetics and completed a minor in Human Development & Family Studies, which I focused on the child/adolescent age groups.
During my sophomore year of college, I discovered I wanted to work with children. Just a couple of days before Christmas of 2012, my aunt, uncle, 3 cousins, and grandfather were on their way home from driving around to see Christmas lights. A reckless and distracted 18-year-old ran a red light and hit my family’s van. My 9-year-old cousin, Abby, was life-flighted to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and later determined to no longer have brain activity. My aunt courageously made the decision to donate Abby’s organs and she was able to save 6 lives that day. The care my family received at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and watching the healthcare team work together is what ignited my passion for wanting to work with children.
It came time to apply for internships and to go through DICAS. With all of my hard work throughout college and a little bit of luck, I matched with my #1 choice, UTHealth in Houston. I still remember running around my house screaming when I found out I was REALLY going to be a dietitian. My dietetic internship was paired with a MPH. I chose to get my MPH rather than a Masters of Science in Nutrition to gain more knowledge in a different area, some variability, to make myself more marketable, and because as much as I love the clinical setting, I firmly believe in the need for public health. In just a few years it will be required to have a Masters degree in order to sit for the RD exam.
During college, I had met another RD who went through UTHealth as well. She told me about this fellowship that was only available to 1 UTHealth intern during their second year. It is a Neonatal Nutrition Fellowship for three months in the Neonatal ICU. I remember thinking, THIS is it. So when I started my second year at UTHealth, I put in an application for the fellowship, and GOT IT! So I completed 11 weeks of clinicals working with adults and then moved into the NICU for three months. My NICU fellowship was one of the greatest experiences I had during my internship and I learned more than I ever imagined I would. At the completion of my fellowship, I moved back to Atlanta, studied A LOT, and passed my RD exam. So there’s my how – now why?
I fell in love with nutrition during college and knew that it was the place for me. I love working in the hospital and helping people in that aspect. There is nothing more fulfilling than your patient who is receiving chemo and unable to handle the smells of anything long enough to eat until you suggest putting a lid over their protein shake to mask the smell and they can finally eat. There is nothing like coming in to work first thing in the morning and seeing one of your patients got a heart transplant during the night, going to see her, and she is already awake and talking because her nutrition status was SO GOOD before transplant. Or the man who needs to reduce his salt intake but has low income and can only afford canned vegetables, so you teach him how to rinse the vegetables from the can to take away most of the added salt. The people I have met and the small differences I have been able to do for them, is what this is all about for me.
I am so in love with my career as a Registered Dietitian and wouldn’t change it for the world. If you have questions about becoming a RD or any of my experiences please reach out to me! My hope is for everyone to find their passions in life the way I have found mine.