The journey to become a Registered Dietitian is a long one, for me so far I’ve taken my Chemistry and Biology A level equivalents which took a year studying part time while working full time, then two years of a four year degree course…
This year has been the most challenging so far in terms of academics however its also been combined with a long commute, wedding planning, blogging and nannying. It hasn’t been easy and if I’m totally honest, I don’t think I upped my studying in the way that it needed to be, considering the step up in workload and difficulty, and unfortunately my grades this year reflected that. Whilst last year I earned a 1st at the end of the year, this year I’ve only earned a 2.1 and know that some of my modules weren’t the results that I wanted. I’m proud of a few pieces of work but disappointed with others. Its been a bit of a kick up the arse that next year studying needs to be the absolute priority…
This year I’ve taken these modules;
- Catering and Infection Control
- Food Science and Microbiology
- Clinical Dietetics
- Metabolic Biochemistry
- Techniques in Nutritional Science
My favourite modules were Techniques in Nutritional Science (possibly because I found this closest to the modules I took as part of my first degree in Geography), and Clinical Dietetics which felt like the most relevant module that we’ve covered so far. It was hard, with so many things to remember, including signs and symptoms of diseases, treatments options and drugs, as well how to diseases develop/progress and manifest in the body.
Unsurprisingly I didn’t like the first half of our Metabolic Biochemistry module, however the second half of the year covered the metabolism and properties of macro and micronutrients which I did love.
This year we also had the addition of a two week hospital placement – I spent 4 days in a hospital and 6 days within the community setting and I really, really enjoyed them. Personally, I learned more and felt more valuable within the hospital setting (despite crying when visiting the Intensive Care ward), and was lucky to have excellent mentors during my time there. It reaffirmed my decision to study Dietetics rather than Nutrition (read more about the differences between the two here) and made me excited for next year’s three month hospital placement. I did struggle a little with the long days, having not worked a standard 9-5 for two years, it was a definite challenge to get up at 5am to marathon train, get in the car for 6.30am and sit through the London traffic for a start time of 8.30am, however I did enjoy the work, the routine and shadowing working Dietitians.
Ultimately, I’ve enjoyed the modules this year more than last year, however it is still so disorganised at London Met – it always takes so long to get any grades or feedback on our exams and essays, and there is a lot of discrepancies between those marking our work, especially presentations. With that said, I do appreciate the support of a couple of lecturers that we have and love the friends I’ve made on my course.
I’ve transformed out spare room into more of a study after struggling to concentrate working at the dining room table (and Tom getting fed up with my books, revision notes and blogging bits spreading into the sitting room). Plus it wasn’t helping my neck/migraines from being bent over working on a laptop, so the combination of a desk and computer has really helped. Not to mention that it’s quieter upstairs with less distractions!
The team at Kit Out My Office sent me this gorgeous desk to help with my studies and help me create a study within our spare bedroom that is light, bright and gives me an area to focus and concentrate. The tricky part was fitting in the bed, desk and chair so I opted for one of their long, thin options with a drawer and am going to put in some extra storage underneath the desk. I’ve also tried to keep the study stocked with fresh flowers, motivational quotes (got to love a motivational quote!) and bright stationary.
In an attempt to utilise my time this year, I’ve been bringing my laptop with me to Uni to use the commute into London to best effect (rather than just scrolling through Instagram). I upgraded to the new MacBook Pro a couple of months ago and it’s lighter, quicker and has an incredible amount of shortcuts on the touch bar that’s super handy when editing videos (on that note, would love if you had a watch of my latest YouTube video!) Plus the battery life lasts for 10 hours of use – perfect for a full day and commute without having to lug in the charger! The only downside is the charger which is one of those weird new annoying USB-C that NO ONE ELSE USES YET!
If you’ve missed my other posts on studying to become a Registered Dietitian, you can read them here:
How to Become a Registered Dietitian
Studying to be a Registered Dietitian Part 1
Studying to be a Registered Dietitian University Choices
Getting a degree can be tough! finding that right life balance is so key
I’ve been looking at the new Macbook Pro but am so annoyed about the new charging port and the USB C. I’ll miss my SD card slot and the old USB ports.