Featured Intern: Preparing for the Clinical Rotation

 Going into the clinical rotation of the internship is usually the part most interns look forward to, right? So, naturally, we would all love to be as prepared as we can in order to have the best experience possible. Currently I am preparing for my clinical rotation at Grady Hospital in Atlanta and I will share my tips with you:

1. Have confidence (this is the most important!) and ask questions.
2. Stay calm. I use the stairs when I need to take a peaceful breather and get out any frustrations or nerves. The elevators are always full and could take 10 minutes to get where you want to go.
3. Get the ADA’s Pocket Guide to Nutrition Assessment. You can keep it in your lab coat/scrubs and refer to it. ADA also has other pocket guides. Another helpful book is one for drug-nutrient interactions.
4. Make your own pocket guide. Buy a small notebook that can fit in your lab coat/scrubs and print out reference charts/information to paste into your book. Additionally, write down questions you have as they come along so that you can ask later. What to include:
a. Lab values
b. Most common medications (what they are, generic/brand names, and nutrient interactions)
c. ADIME information
d. SOAP note information
e. Common conversions and formulas (BMI, Significant Weight Loss, Adjusted Body Weight, etc.)
f. Medical terminology abbreviations
g. Common diet orders
5. Stuff your pockets with: Small calculator, black pens, hand sanitizer, your pocket guides. And I keep my valuable items (cash, ipod—yes, I use this during my lunch break to do some tweeting and blogging!) on me to decrease the risk of anything getting stolen.
6. Don’t take anything personally when a preceptor/nurse/doctor/whoever has a grumpy/despondent/annoyed attitude. We all have hectic lives and personal lives after all. Just think in your head, “It’s not me that’s the problem”.
7. Make a friend (fellow intern, nurse, etc). It’s a wonderful thing to share a laugh with someone during the day. But don’t get too friendly, this is not Grey’s Anatomy.

Other than that, have a wonderful time learning new things for the first time and expanding your knowledge! The hospital I am going to in Atlanta is joked about as the place where they send gunshot wound victims and homeless people. So I will keep everyone updated about any interesting stories I come across in these next few weeks!