Leadership Paper 3270

Chasya Dechter
Brooklyn College
HNSC 3270
11/27/2023
2
Armed with knowledge acquired throughout their comprehensive and widespread

education, dietitians aim to assist people to become as healthy as possible. This can manifest
differently in any type of scenario or situation. Whether the patient may be struggling with
weight loss, weight gain, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, or any other type of illness,
dietitians can guide them through their nutritional choices and overall healthy lifestyle. The
requirements to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist varies from state to state, but the
general steps would be to obtain a nutrition related Bachelors or the necessary prerequisites, then
obtain a M.S in Nutrition (as of 2024), finish Dietetic Internship, pass the Commission of
Dietetics Registration Exam, and lastly obtain your preferred state licensure and registration.
Once an RD licensure is obtained, the dietitian is able to officially begin practicing in whatever
capacity s/he chooses, sharing his/her knowledge, experience and passion for nutrition to help
people.
Active listening, adaptability, flexibility, non-judgmentalness, and general support are all
key components and leadership skills that are imperative for a dietitian to have or even 2curate.
Active listening, the ability to listen and truly understand and be open to hearing the speaking
individual is so helpful to his/her health journey and progress. Flexibility is an important skill to
have as well, being able to be flexible towards clients who may be undergoing life changes,
health complications, or simply angst towards nutritional growth without anything underlying
going on. A leader should have a strong ability to make decisions smoothly and efficiently. S/he
should be able to make decisions with ease and know how to do so under pressure, in an
appropriate time frame. A leader should demonstrate an encouraging and positive personality
which will cultivate happier team players and boost the teams’ productivity and work ethic.
Additionally, the leader should have a strong internal moral compass that will always guide him
right from wrong, something that will manifest into the entire work environment and spill over
into all areas.
Mentoring and precepting is an important step in a dietitian’s professional journey. The

professional mentoring experiences are what gives the dietetic student a lens into the dietetic
world, a view on the business side of things, or whatever else may be observed. The mentor can
guide the intern through situations that arise and show him/her how to navigate through issues.
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These internship experiences give interns a space to observe experiences that go beyond the
academic lectures and books. Through in person interactions, their mentors can teach them
patient-provider communication, business management, insurance intricacies (if applicable), and
all other associated matters. The relationship between mentor and intern provides an opportunity
for the intern to sharpen their skills and develop confidence and knowledge to move forward in
their career. For inasmuch as the intern gains, there was a study done stating that
RDN preceptors in the United Stated claimed to have twice as many benefits from mentoring
interns than their dietitian friends that did not mentor (Hutchins et al., 2021). The benefits of
dietetic internships affect both the intern and the preceptor in more ways than one.
Reflecting on my journey thus far, I am keenly aware of the skills I possess and the ones
in which I need to develop further. One strength that comes to mind is my ability to actively
listen and hold space for the individual I am speaking with. I recognize the importance of making
the speaker feel heard and as though you are understanding and listening to their problems,
concerns, or simply their words. I also feel as though I am non-judgmental and I strive to
maintain that position when facing individuals with nutritional challenges and/or goals. If people
feel the slightest bit of judgment, it may hurt them, scare them off, or push them backwards in
their progress, so maintaining a judgment-free zone is crucial. I do acknowledge that I need to
improve in some other areas. One area I am aware I need to improve in is my stress-management
and frustration. This is evident and comes through particularly when I do not see change
occurring. I need to learn how to be more patient in one’s journey, even if the habits or actions
they are engaging in are blatantly unhealthy, I am learning to let go of my need to control and for
immediate change. I am learning that change is oftentimes slow; in fact, it can be so slow that it
may even appear that the individual is going backwards. It is within those exact moments that I
need to harness my expectations and simply let it be.
Dietitians aim to guide their patients towards optimal health, facing challenges like
diabetes, weight loss/gain, cancer, thyroid issues and more. Upon personal reflection, I have
acknowledged my personal strengths which include providing non-judgmental space and actively
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listening. Creating and providing a safe and supportive environment remains the most important
thing a dietitian can do. As aforementioned, I am aware of my weaknesses and where I can stand
to improve, in areas such as stress management and patience within the realms of lack of visible
change. Hopefully, at my future internship I will be able to sharpen those skills that I already
possess and cultivate new ones that will propel me forward to be a good dietitian.
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References
Become a registered dietitian nutritionist. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: eatright.org.
(n.d.). https://www.eatright.org/become-an-rdn
Hutchins, A. M., Winham, D. M., Fellows, J. P., & Heer, M. M. (2021, May 16). Training Interns
in nutrition and dietetics: A cross-sectional study of the barriers and motivators to being
a registered dietitian nutritionist preceptor - BMC medical education. BioMed Central.
https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12909-021-02700-0

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Chasya Dechter

Armed with knowledge acquired throughout their comprehensive and widespread

Mentoring and precepting is an important step in a dietitian’s professional journey. The

Become a registered dietitian nutritionist. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: eatright.org.

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