Monday, May 11, 2009

The Road to Here


So, a little about myself. I have a BA in literature and writing that led me into 18 years of doing things like: writing copy and directing photo shoots for a mail-order catalog; editing, publishing and writing for a monthly arts and culture paper; designing and programming websites; then, very incongruently, providing clerical support and doing billing for a home health agency.

Somewhere in there I began to notice my food. I noticed that what I ate affected the way I felt and looked. I noticed how so many modern diseases were connected with poor diet. I also noticed that there were bigger issues with food than what to have for dinner. Thanks to several people who happened to be right where I needed them with a timely bit of advice or information, my interest in food and health was nurtured, and I ended up here at Bastyr University, getting my Masters degree in nutrition.

In case you haven’t heard of it, Bastyr is a university of health sciences that offers a “multidisciplinary curriculum in science-based natural medicine.” The university trains naturopathic physicians, and also has programs in nutrition, exercise science, acupuncture and Oriental medicine.

Bastyr has a fantastic nutrition program with faculty who are very dedicated to training their students in “whole foods-based” nutrition, while still giving them the down-and-dirty biochemistry of nutrition and preparing them for work in acute clinical settings. Bastyr also has a dietetic internship with a focus on… you guessed it, natural medicine!

I was very fortunate to have been selected for the 2009-10 internship at Bastyr, and now here I am, between my Masters degree and my RD license, just itching to get started.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Welcome to DIY!

This is a highly specialized blog, possibly only of interest to students who are in the midst of a didactic program in dietetics and looking forward to the internship application process next year, or who, like me, will be beginning a dietetic internship in 2009-10. It might also be interesting to those of you who have already completed your internships and are now officially RDs (congratulations!), about to start your careers in this challenging field.

I'm going to document my DIY -- dietetic internship year -- to provide a little insight into the process for those who are anticipating it themselves, to act as a companion for those who are going through it along with me, and to elicit advice and nostalgic commentary from those of you who have finished your internships.

It'll be a slow start, since I'm still in the last quarter of my masters program. Check in now and then over the summer as I write about getting ready for the internship, and by late September I'll be going full-force as my internship begins.

Be well!