Through this internship, I aimed to gain confidence in my communication skills, including self-assurance to voice my thoughts, views and opinions. TTN gave me these opportunities straight from the start through contributing ideas and opinions to projects, collaborative work, feeding back at team meetings, and presenting an overview of the project work at the end of my internship to the rest of the team.
I have been learning the theory regarding the wider determinants of health and behaviour change at university, but was able to see in TTN’s work how this theory is considered and applied to real-world projects in practice to benefit public health. I could also see in action their work translating the latest academic research and nutritional understanding into practical advice and tools for the public, which is also a cornerstone of dietetic practice.
Through assisting in literature review work, I learnt about the current understanding and evidence for the roles of dietary factors in brain health and behaviour which is useful for me to take forward on my journey into dietetic practice. It also showed me how the skills I am learning in university, such as critical thinking, analysis and synthesis skills required during literature reviews, do translate into skills required in the nutritional field working environment.
I also learnt about the operational side of TTN as a charity and their current projects and was able to speak with their qualified nutritionists about their work experiences and career paths. These conversations have left me excited and confident about my future options with a dietetic degree.
