Day in the Life: My Dietetic Internship

About Me

Follow along on a day in my life as a Mexican dietitian during my master’s internship. My name is Lorena Lee and I was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico. This summer I am completing my internship at Culina Health. Before I tell you about how a day in my life looks, I’m going give you a little bit of context. 

I graduated from my Bachelor of Science in Nutrition in 2018, in Mexico. To get my credentials I had to complete 540 hours of practice in clinical, food service and population health areas of study. I conducted a research study for my thesis presentation and passed the national exam. As soon as I graduated, I started working conducting nutrition workshops in the kitchen. In 2021, my focus started to shift into hormonal balance and fertility. Five years later I decided to pursue my masters in Public Health and get my credentials to become a Registered Dietitian (RD) in the United States. 

My Journey to Culina Health

The Interview Process

I am in between my first and second year of my master’s at New York University, and in order to graduate, I have to complete 180 practice hours. I first heard of Culina Health from one of my professors at school. She connected me with them and after some back and forth emails and a lot of patience, I got an interview! I was so happy when I spoke with an RD at Culina Health and realized there is a place for me to do exactly what I want to, and at the same time comply with all the requisites from my masters, and is also aligned with my longer term goals of becoming a registered dietitian in the US. It was not easy to find an opportunity that checked all the boxes, and I’m so glad I found a unicorn internship!

Components of my Internship

I completed my practice hours in just 9 weeks, working 20 hours per week. As Culina Health is a virtual nutrition care clinic, all of my work was remote, which gave me the flexibility to work on my own schedule and wherever I was. This was important for me as I was also doing summer school and working as a Research Data Associate at NYU Langone Health. 

During this time, I worked primarily in the team of Pregnancy and Postpartum Nutrition, developing a Fertility Protocol that includes the nutritional approach backed by science to improve fertility, both in women and men. I then translated this information into a Fertility Patient Handout, with the most relevant information for patients to know about this topic. I later presented the protocol to the rest of the personnel at Culina Health at the monthly team meeting. 

Now towards the end of my time as an intern, I’m supporting research on the role of the RD for patients who are utilizing incretin hormone therapies for weight loss. I will also shadow some sessions with patients in the hormone balance area.

Takeaways from My Internship at Culina Health

Working at Culina Health has been a huge milestone in my path. I’ve met and worked with dietitians in my area of focus, and other other areas. I learned how a big company operates and the behind the scenes of the day-to-day patient care consultations. I was able to work on research developing protocols, and in my area of focus, two of my favorite things together.

A Typical Day During My Culina Health Internship

My summer has been pretty dynamic and everyday is different, but most of my days look something like this.

6:45 AM – Wake up

7:00 AM – Go to the gym

7:30 AM – Shower and prepare breakfast

8:30 AM – Bike to the office

9:00 AM – 2:00 PM – Work at the office

2:00 PM – Bike home

2:30 PM – Prepare and eat lunch (This is the first break I have in the day, so I usually take some time so I can rest a little bit.)

4:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Work from home on my internship tasks

8:00 PM – Prepare and eat dinner

9:00 PM – Unwind and bedtime routine

9:30 – 10:30 PM – Read (I need something to take my mind off the busy day.)

10:30 PM – Sleep and start all over again the next day

As I mentioned before, no two days are the same. Some days I have to dedicate some time to school, some days are full of meetings and that shifts my schedule. I’ve found that the key to making everything go smoothly is to be organized. Every week I take some time to organize myself in preparation for the following week, doing things like setting up meetings and doing some meal prep. 

Another key element in this process is communication with all of the people that I’m working with. I have been very transparent with my schedule and availability of time for each task. This way I don’t over-promise on things I can’t do. I’ve had to work many weekends to be on top of my deadlines, but working on things that you are passionate about makes it easier.

Advice for Fellow RD’s-In-Training

I still have a long way to go, but I’m confident I am on the right track. If you are in the process of becoming an RD, I have some advice that has certainly impacted my process:

1. Networking and connecting with strategic people. There are a lot of people that can make this process easier and are willing to help you, but you won’t know unless you reach out to them.
2. Take all the opportunities that you can. Early in my career I thought that nutrition was very specific and later realized that it is pretty broad. All the experiences help you gain experience and discover the path that you want to focus on.
3. Trust the process. It may seem like a long road ahead, but in the end it will all make sense and be worth it.

There is no right or wrong way. There is your unique path, make the most of it and enjoy the road.
To explore internship and employment opportunities at Culina Health, check out our Careers page!