Dietetics interns give back to preceptors
DIP students bake pumpkin bread as special thank you to mentors who advised them during pandemic
Shelby Bratcher |
COVID-19 has taken its toll on everyone this year, especially the dedicated professionals working in hospitals and health care facilities. Each year, Lipscomb University’s Dietetic Internship Program gives back in a special way to their preceptors to say thank you for their dedication, time and support. In the midst of COVID-19, this year’s “thank you” gifts were needed more than ever.
The interns made 85 loaves of pumpkin bread to deliver during the holidays to their preceptors, many of whom voluntarily took on the extra load of mentoring two dietetic interns in the fall semester due to the uncertain future circumstances during the pandemic. Some even did so in the midst of department downsizing, as Covid-19 has resulted in organizations shifting their priorities in patient care, said Anne Lowery, director of the Dietetic Internship Program.
Thanks to the willingness of these partners with Lipscomb, the 2021 cohort of dietetic interns have been able to stay on track to receive their required practice hours by the completion of the program.
The gifts were sent to more than 16 different sites, including hospitals or other clinical and community organizations, and included spice tea mix, snack bars and hot chocolate as well as the pumpkin bread.
“All of our clinical preceptors have felt the impact of the pandemic yet continue to contribute to the future of our profession by training and mentoring Lipscomb interns. The added stress and change are the main reason this year’s pumpkin bread project was so necessary.” Lowery said.
“They take time out of their schedules to give the interns individual practicum experiences to build us into fantastic future registered dietitians,” said Alexis Trice (’20), a dietetics intern from Antioch, Tennessee, who worked on this year’s pumpkin bread project. “Our preceptors go out of their way to make sure we have a valuable learning experience during our internship. They serve as not only a preceptor but as a mentor and even a friend at times.
“Doing this project also reiterated skills I learned during undergrad regarding food science, food safety, and food production” said Trice.
Although many alterations had to be made throughout the past year, the interns’ appreciation for their mentors never wavered. “Because of [the preceptors], we are able to learn and grow into the dietitians we hope to one day be,” said Rachel Hickman (’20), a DIP intern from Memphis, Tennessee.
