"Be A Better Preceptor" Weekly Wisdom

Have you been or currently are a preceptor for future dietitians?

I have been a preceptor since I started my first job out of my internship. I knew it was something I wanted to do after I had such a great experience with preceptors in my own internship. I also knew it was a key component to the success and future of our profession. We can't make this profession survive and thrive without preceptors. 

Over the past few months, I have seen a lot of things that have upset me when it comes to interns and other dietitians speaking up about their internship and experiences. I am grateful these topics are coming up, as there is a need for reform of the internship process and programs. I am also saddened there are MANY people having bad experiences in what should be the part of their education preparing them for their first job and looks into what being a dietitian is. 

There is NO room for bad experiences in an internship and working with a preceptor. 

If you are not being the BEST preceptor that you can be, meaning a preceptor who is educating, helpful, attentive and being an all around mentor for an intern, then you need to STOP doing it. If you dread when an intern starts because it will slow your day down and will decrease productivity then do not say yes when a program calls you. You are doing a disservice to the intern who has paid a lot of money to learn everything they can from you. The person who has agreed to be there for them, with them in this experience. 

On the first day an intern is with me, I tell them I want them to have a good experience. I do not expect them to do my work and be there for 12 hours a day. I want them to get what they want to experience from their time from me, ask questions, have conversations and give them time to work on the 800 assignments they have to do along being with me. I want them to know I am here for them and will support them along this stressful time, but will always be honest with them. And at the end of their time with me, I hope they learned something and had fun. 

There is a need for change in our whole internship process, but let's do what we can right now to be great preceptors and lead our future dietitians in the right direction. 

#embracthehellyeah

~AE

"Social Media Mania" Weekly Wisdom

Who else out there falls into the social media black hole?

It truly is a black whole. You click on one video, 2 hours and 16 videos later, poof! That time is forever gone. This is exactly why I spend very little time on You Tube. Not because I don't like it but because I correlate it to a shopping trip to Target. You go in to watch one thing and leave 2 hours later having watched 50 things. 

I grew up when there was no social media (thank goodness). I didn't have a computer or a phone when I was in high school and most of college. Think of all the time I had then! I was wealthy with time. Within the last few years, I found myself getting stuck in social media mania, playing the comparison game, having anxiety if I did have the perfect post go out, and feeling I always needed to be doing more. 

I have stopped all of this nonsense. 

Social media has so many wonderful qualities, I have met some of the most wonderful people and look forward to meeting more. I have gained knowledge about many thing that interest me. I have had the ability to share my conversation with amazing humans across the world. But social media also has that sneaky dark side which has been very troubling to me lately. I can tell it is affecting my mood and my sleep - which is not good. Just like everything else in life, I have had to set up boundaries with social media and it gave me so much life back!  With time being our biggest currency, going down the social media rabbit hole really does not have a place. 

I ask you to be careful with yourself on how you use social media in your life. To think it did not exist not that long ago and what was once trending on platforms to use does not exist anymore. What will happen in the future? It's all going to change...so be ready. If you're putting a lot of your time into social media, really calculate your return on investment. You may be missing out on things bringing true value and meaning to your life. 

#embracethehellyeah

~AE

"Life is Short" Weekly Wisdom

When was the last time your body reminded you of your age?

It was 3 weeks ago for me. I had done a few silly things, like slip down a few stairs, not stretch well before my first round of golf, increase my weights during strength training and baked a cake for 3 hours. And the perfect storm happened...to my back. First it was a strange twinge in my lower back, which turned into my whole middle back seizing up and then ending with a large sneeze one morning before work, resulting in a fractured rib. 

W. T. H. 

I am a young lass, so I thought - until my body reminded me I am not. Three doctor visits, muscle relaxers, epsom salt baths, daily stretching, a round of steroids and currently now on week two of physical therapy and I am gradually starting to feel like myself again but with a completely different mindset. 

I have got to slow down my body. It cannot go full force without pause and intention. I must stretch for at least 10-15 minutes before I head out for a round of golf. I must not exercise like I did in my twenties and most of all, I probably should ask for help when I am broken instead of thinking I can do it all myself. 

Life is short and I want to be in the best shape I can be to live it without having to take a 3 week sabbactical from normal activity. I've done a great job of slowing down when it comes to packing my schedule full of activities but I have not done a great job at slowing down my physical body. This was the wake-up call I needed and for you, a friendly reminder to be kind to your body. Life is short and your body has to make it through to the end. It doesn't need to go through a daily beating with any activity you are not fully enjoying for any amount of time you like. 

Just remember to stretch. 

#embracethehellyeah

~AE