I remember being a senior in high school, struggling to decide what the next four years of my life I would dedicate my education to. I had just transitioned to a fully vegan diet with the intent to just try it for a month not knowing it would spark a passion within me. During that month, I took it upon myself to watch documentaries about the health, environmental, and ethical impact plant-based diets have. I followed plant-based content creators on social media and experimented with different recipes. I fell in love with the plant-based community and how being plant-based made me feel. Before I knew it, I was fully immersed into the lifestyle. My one month free trial became a permanent aspect of my life that I wanted to base my career off of.
So when I was asked to pick a major, it was a no-brainer that I would be studying dietetics with the hope of someday helping others navigate their plant-based journey. I loved the impact of food choices so much I got a degree in it! I spent four years at the University of Florida building the foundation of nutritional knowledge that would support me into my future dream field. After finishing my undergraduate degree, I was excited to start my plant-based focus masters degree and dietetic internship program with Andrew’s University. I felt that things were falling into place where I could finally combine my passion with my career path.
Dietetic Internship Experience
I knew in reality not every rotation was going to be perfect and that certain hours needed to be met to obtain my license. I kept a mindset that whatever I was doing in the current moment was bringing me one step closer to what I envisioned myself doing in the future. Unfortunately, that mindset was not always sustained. Being disconnected from my passion started to wear down on me. My days completing my hours felt long and unfulfilling. I found myself in environments that did not practice or preach the values that brought me into the field of dietetics. I listened to patients being praised for eating fast food and the quality of their diet was disregarded. I started to question why I was still pursuing dietetics if the real life experience I was exposed to had no correlation to my passion. I was burnt out and needed to reconnect with why I chose this career path to begin with.
Epiphany
I was excited when my program director arranged for me to receive hours with the Plantrician Project. Through this organization, I finally started to realign with my passion for dietetics. I was surrounded by a community of individuals who held the same values about nutrition as I did. I established a friendship with my mentor, Jill Edwards, who welcomed my skill set with open arms and appreciated the value I brought to the team. For the first time in my internship experience, I felt as though I belonged. I was assigned projects that made me feel fulfilled and aligned with my personal beliefs. My knowledge of plant-based nutrition expanded through their free, educational student platform, Plantrician University. I finally started to see the light at the end of the tunnel. My work with this organization motivated me to take action to keep my passion alive during the rest of my internship experience. I began posting plant-based content on my social media to keep myself aligned with my passion through other rotations. Dedicating time to sharing plant-based recipes and hacks with others on social media helped me stay grounded as I finished my hours.
Advice for Plant-Based Students in Healthcare
My advice for any plant-based student in the healthcare industry is to not lose touch with your passion. It can be discouraging to be in environments that do not share your beliefs and follow evidence-based research. Therefore, you must take it upon yourself to actively seek involvement in plant-based projects. Share your expertise with others even when it feels uncomfortable, you do not know the extent of the impact it may have on that person. Find organizations and programs that enrich your knowledge of plant-based nutrition, such as the Plantrician Project. Strength is found in numbers, so find peers to advocate for the implementation of plant-based lifestyle interventions with. The more awareness that is created, the more the healthcare industry will change. The future of healthcare and health outcomes lies in our ability to stay rooted in our passion for plant-based nutrition and integrate it into our practice for other healthcare workers to follow. So don’t give up even when it feels pointless because if you do, there may never be a future where plant-based nutrition gets the recognition it deserves.
Author Bio:
Tina Speros, MS RD Candidate. Tina earned her Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from the University of Florida, graduating in May 2023. She is now pursuing a Master of Science in Nutrition and Wellness at Andrews University, where she has completed her Dietetic Internship. Tina chose Andrews University for its emphasis on plant-based nutrition. A vegan for 5 years, she is dedicated to plant-based nutrition and aims to specialize in assisting clients to begin their plant-based journey. Tina, a former dancer, is passionate about fitness, with weight lifting being her favorite activity. She plans to obtain her exercise physiologist certificate after passing her registered dietitian exam, integrating her expertise in diet and fitness.
