Learning, growing, becoming: Lessons from clinical practice training

Havanah Virtue-James

Havanah Virtue-James, fourth year dietetic student

My first dietetic in-person placement consisted of 11 weeks. I was based at King's Mill hospital, where I observed and worked with dietitians, and shadowed other health professionals – midwives, consultants, physiotherapists, and speech and language therapists. There were challenging moments; I cried and wanted to scream. I learnt my lessons. I reached out to my helpers.

Facing the challenges

As a student dietitian, my training involved the need to prioritise tasks such as seeing patients based on medical condition and nutrition status, looking up patients’ medical records, answering phone calls, emailing, writing referral letters, searching unfamiliar medical terms and self-studying, completing training tools, and attending 1-1 meetings. I struggled but began to improve each time. 

At the start of my placement, I was fearful of taking calls, as my experience with having selective hearing and slow information processing is that my ability to take on information and note it down accurately can often be impacted. However, the more calls I took, the more confident I became. My advice – take as many phone calls as possible!

Lessons I have learned along the way

Crying during times of distress and feeling too overwhelmed is healing, especially during clinical training. It also implies you care enough to learn and wish to succeed. UoN offers students career wellbeing support.

While it is good to recognise weaknesses or what did not go well, to improve for next time, it is equally important to recognise what went well and use those strengths and skills for next time.

I had moments where I tried to do everything myself, but eventually, my frustration and lack of confidence clouded my judgment. I wanted to give up, and I questioned if I was suited for the dietetic career world. Reaching out to my mentor and supervisors made a massive difference. I learnt my lesson, always ask for help.

What got me through the tough moments

Asking my supervisors to give feedback right away in person, while reading the advice and feedback in my training sign-off tools, was very handy. 

My ability to recognise my areas for development helped me a lot. One thing I received admiration for from different supervisors was my ability to reflect on things that went well or not so well. It helped me to work on those areas for improvement, putting my clinical practice skills to good use. 

There were moments when things repeatedly did not go to plan. I reached a point where I accepted signs that told me whether I was meant to be a dietitian or not. I continued to listen and identify them. I am on the right career journey. 

Looking ahead

I had high expectations of myself, believing I should know as much as my peers and even the supervisors. I compared myself to others, questioned my skills and abilities. I then began to lack confidence.

I got through my challenges with the support I received from the lovely dietetic team I worked with. They aided my learning needs and encouraged me to have more confidence and faith in myself. This helped me enjoy my placement experience even more. One thing I wish I had done more was celebrate those wins, something small or big that was still significant to me. 

We offer support in all aspects of your career journey at UoN so please reach out to a member of our team either book a one-to one appointment or call into a drop-in session (no appointment needed). If you're looking for work experience, we have lots of information on our website including exclusive opportunities for UoN students.