[00:00:00] Libby: If you're looking to grow your business as a registered dietitian, you've come to the right place. If you're not sure what to do or what steps to take next so that you can create flexibility and freedom in your life, then you're going to learn a lot from tuning into our podcast here at Dietitian Boss.
[00:00:17] Libby: I'm Libby Rothschild, the founder of Dietitian Boss, a fellow [00:00:20] registered dietitian and business owner. And in our podcast, I share the highs and the lows, and I talk all about how to grow your business. Get it started and I interview our clients to date. We've had over 200 interviews from clients who share their journey on our podcast.
[00:00:36] Libby: Dietitian boss.
[00:00:37] Libby: Gena Seraita is a registered dietitian who [00:00:40] focuses her work on the training of aspiring nutrition and dietetics professionals. Gena is currently the program director for the New York University Dietetic Internship Program. Prior to joining NYU, Gena worked for over a decade in top ranking academic hospitals.
[00:00:55] Libby: Gena also serves on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Nutrition and Dietetics Education and [00:01:00] Preceptors, Committee and as coauthor of the preceptor toolkit. Gena has a passion for supporting students through their practical experiential learning, as well as training and developing preceptors.
[00:01:10] Libby: Today's such a fun interview because I'm an alumni from NYU and Gena's doing such amazing work as an internship director there. Welcome to today's episode.
[00:01:19] Libby: Gena, I'm so [00:01:20] happy to have you here today. Thank you for taking your time to share your experience with our audience.
[00:01:25] Gena: Thank you so much for having me, Libby. It's great to be here.
[00:01:28] Libby: Absolutely. So I introduced you already and I'd love to know what inspired you to pursue a career in dietetics and maybe there was a defining moment for you that really motivated you in the [00:01:40] career.
[00:01:40] Gena: Thank you. That's such a great question, and I think it's one a lot of aspiring registered dietitians have and I certainly see people all over the range of whether they knew it younger or whether they find out later in life, neither is better than the other. But, you know, for me, I was really fortunate that I discovered, My interest in nutrition from a young age.
[00:01:59] Gena: I'm [00:02:00] really fortunate. I have a really wonderful and supportive family. And my grandmother who unfortunately passed away when I was about to turn 11 she suffered from a lot of different medical conditions, including diabetes and heart failure, among other things. And she was frequently hospitalized when I was younger.
[00:02:19] Gena: [00:02:20] So that was, you know, unfortunately something I remember very well from my childhood. And I remember, from an early age, noticing that whenever she would get admitted to the hospital, they never quite got her diet right. And the food would make her sicker. So, maybe she'd get admitted for one thing and they put her on the cardiac diet, but they would forget about the [00:02:40] diabetes concert considerations for her or vice versa.
[00:02:43] Gena: And that, kind of got me interested in the healthcare world and also. You know in how food can really impact us when when we're sick or not and then you know in high school, I kind of knew I wanted something in health care but I wasn't really sure if becoming a [00:03:00] physician or a nurse was for me and then I kind of fell into food just through an interest.
[00:03:05] Gena: I loved watching the Food Network. And when I was younger, you know, Ellie Krieger, who's a registered dietitian and was on the Food Network, that really piqued my interest. And so when it was time to apply to school, I was really focused on nutrition programs. But I will say that what [00:03:20] I thought a dietitian did in high school is very different from what I now know a dietitian can do, which is a really amazing thing about our field.
[00:03:27] Libby: Yeah, and our field has evolved a lot since we were in high school, right? In terms of like, what a dietitian can do and how we're perceived in the media and the opportunities that we have. And we'll spotlight you today with what you're doing. So it sounds like you knew from a [00:03:40] young age that you wanted to be a dietitian because of the family experience and because of Ellie Krieger and her amazing role modeling that you saw on TV.
[00:03:46] Libby: Is that a good summary?
[00:03:48] Gena: Yes, yes, definitely. My Grandma Sylvia. You know, she definitely, set me on this path at first. But yes, and I would say that I think mentorship is just such an important thing in our field you know, and it starts at the [00:04:00] education level, but you know, it certainly continues throughout the field.
[00:04:03] Gena: So, you know, I've been fortunate that way to kind of discover it younger.
[00:04:06] Libby: Yeah, and we'll be talking about mentorship today. For those of you listening that want to know more about what that means, because you are role modeling that in your career and in your extracurricular activities. So, maybe you can walk us through your career path from [00:04:20] dietetic intern to becoming a director, which is a huge step.
[00:04:23] Libby: I know a lot of listeners are probably interested in your path.
[00:04:27] Gena: Sure. And I do love to share this. And actually, I share a little bit about this every time I do an open house for our program or do any kind of presentation because I think it's so important for dietitians, [00:04:40] especially, students or dietitians who are earlier in their careers to have an idea, where somebody came from.
[00:04:46] Gena: And you might think, oh, she knew from a younger age, she wanted this, she must have had a really straightforward path and though my path wasn't quite as twisty and turny as some other dietitians I know, it wasn't direct either. So, I started studying [00:05:00] dietetics at the University of Delaware, my alma mater, and when I was getting closer to my senior year, which was at the time the master's wasn't required, so most of us were looking at dietetic internships.
[00:05:12] Gena: I had a moment where I was just really unsure if I wanted to go straight from school to the dietetic internship or if [00:05:20] I wanted to try something else first. And, I think it's hard to make this kind of big life decision when you're 18. And then in my early twenties, I was, finishing school and I was like, Hmm, what do I want to do?
[00:05:31] Gena: I was fortunate enough to volunteer at a really amazing hospital. Where I met one of my early mentors, Mike Williams, and he gave me a lot of [00:05:40] really great advice. And I ended up making the decision to take a year to work after graduating rather than apply to dietetic internships right away. And At the time, it was, that decision was wrought with a lot of what ifs, did I make the right decision and I got a job as a diet tech as a hospital, and I actually sat [00:06:00] for the credentialing exam for the dietetic technician registered, which, if you're not familiar with that, that test is made by the same people who make the, Registered dietitian exam.
[00:06:09] Gena: So a lot of program directors actually really look at that as an asset if you've taken that exam because there is a correlation between those who pass the DTR exam and those who pass the [00:06:20] RD exam. So just a little tip if you're considering that. And, worked for years of diet tech, and it actually gave me so much good experience and insight into other areas of the hospital.
[00:06:31] Gena: I got to work with the dietitians, I got to work with the kitchen, I got to work with patients, and I got to do a lot of really interesting things in that role. And, [00:06:40] it made me definitely, realize I did want to be still be a registered dietitian and I applied for dietetic internships that year.
[00:06:46] Gena: I did kind of change course into the dietetic internship I was considering when I was in college versus when I had graduated and I ended up back at University of Delaware and I did my internship there and it was just such an amazing [00:07:00] experience. The program director at the time is still there. Anya leaf belt.
[00:07:03] Gena: She's amazing. And she was just such a good role model and mentor. At the time I was just really impressed with her. I wasn't yet thinking that I could pursue a role like that, but I was just really thankful for all of her support. And then after that, immediately started working in the [00:07:20] hospital that I had finished my internship rotations in.
[00:07:23] Gena: They hired me directly after in a part time role. And then where I really started to gain And Momentum in my career, I would say, was at the end of 2012, early 2013, when I started at a very, large academic medical center and that really opened up a world of opportunity for me.
[00:07:39] Libby: So then when you [00:07:40] started working at that medical center, how fast did you go from intern DTR dietitian to, I mean, a director of NYU, that's a huge title.
[00:07:48] Gena: Yeah, I think I've just been so fortunate to have mentors. And again, if you asked 21 year old Gena, what her career would look like, it would have looked very, very different. But I think that that goes [00:08:00] to something I Advise students these days is to keep an open mind because you never know.
[00:08:05] Gena: What's going to be in front of you. So when I first started, I was actually in that role with the hospital, which was New York Presbyterian. I was in kind of a relief role where I covered a lot of different units, which was fun and was a great thing for me because I got to, experience a lot of [00:08:20] different patient populations.
[00:08:21] Gena: And then I eventually found myself, people leave, people move around and you find yourself, owning some units. And I became the main dietitian for a surgical unit and the postpartum unit which was really interesting. I really loved both of those units and I would still get to cover some of the other units.
[00:08:37] Gena: like behavioral health, which I always [00:08:40] found really interesting. And neurological, ICU, critical care kind of things. And I, found all that really interesting. And I always really liked talking to patients. I liked meeting them, trying to be that person for them in the hospital, which, I encourage my interns to. Sometimes, People working in the hospital can get a little defeated because, some of the patients come back [00:09:00] frequently and it can be, a little disheartening to see such tragedy and people suffering. But what I always try to do myself and now I try to teach my students is if you could be the one moment of connection where you're not the person who's sticking them with needles or asking them, kind of
[00:09:17] Gena: do things that are unfamiliar with you're there to talk [00:09:20] to them about food and nutrition, which is something most people most everyone can relate to and can talk about that's normal to them. If you can be that piece of normality to them, that, can make all the difference in their, in their day.
[00:09:34] Gena: So that's, what I loved and then, I had another great mentor at my first role in the hospital [00:09:40] Katie Phillips she was my supervisor at the time. Amazing dietitian. She gave me so many opportunities to take on extra stuff. I would get to do presentations. I could help lead in services the near presbyterian just had so many opportunities and it was really wonderful And then about three years into it a role opened up.
[00:09:58] Gena: So [00:10:00] that hospital has a very Successful internship associated with it.
[00:10:04] Gena: It's still there It's an amazing dietetic internship and they had a director that was there for years and years She was an institution and she retired and she had a coordinator who got promoted into that position and then needed to hire for the coordinator.
[00:10:18] Gena: And I thought to [00:10:20] myself, wow, that would be a really amazing job because I love my actual job with seeing patients. But one of the things I loved about my job was that we had interns all the time. We were constantly precepting and, and taking interns and training them. That was just part of the job.
[00:10:34] Gena: It wasn't a situation where, we'd get an for a couple of weeks, we would have an intern. [00:10:40] All the time and I loved that because I would get to see new students every few weeks. We got a new group of students and they were all, wonderful. They all taught, brought new things, taught us new things.
[00:10:49] Gena: And I think precepting really keeps you abreast of all the latest research of all of, the up and comings, you know, cause you're getting somebody there with fresh eyes to [00:11:00] quote another one of my mentors, Louise Merriman, who was the director of the hospital for nutrition for a long time. The dietetic interns were a mini operations review.
[00:11:08] Gena: They really saw everything there was to see and brought it to a new light. And I loved that. So when that coordinator position opened up, they called it a senior dietitian, but it was basically, you were [00:11:20] working directly with the program director. the woman who was in the role at the time and got promoted to that, Colleen Moscano, ended up being one of my hugest mentors in my career.
[00:11:29] Gena: I mean, she is just so impressive. Look her up if you don't know, she's running the nutrition department at Boston Children's now. And she is a force. I was so lucky. She picked me, she hired me and I couldn't [00:11:40] believe it. I was so humbled and, and excited and I got to take on that role with her and she trained me in all there was to know about nutrition and dietetics.
[00:11:49] Gena: She got me more involved. With the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which I'm really thankful for because, I've met another community through that, but I've just been so fortunate to get really wonderful [00:12:00] training and then, Colleen, I remember I cried a lot over this at the time, but she left for another opportunity.
[00:12:06] Gena: And then I was promoted into the director role there, and I served in that role for a couple of years before the opportunity opened at New York University, and, at the moment, I'd been at the hospital for [00:12:20] nine years, and I was kind of ready for something different. I had a wonderful coordinator who now is the director there and she's wonderful but I was ready for something new and I did my master's during all this I was since the master's wasn't technically required.
[00:12:33] Gena: I got my master's while I was a clinical dietitian. I worked through it. And I had gotten my master's [00:12:40] at New York University. So I was familiar With all of the wonderful faculty there and they had an opening and they really needed somebody and it just felt like the right moment in my life to have a little bit of a change.
[00:12:53] Gena: So I took the position and it opened up a new world because even though I was. Overseeing a dietetic internship in both [00:13:00] places they're both very different programs, even though they're both focused in clinical nutrition, medical nutrition therapy, they're very different being in a hospital based program or university based program where I am now at the university.
[00:13:10] Gena: So I was ready for a new and exciting challenge. So I've been in this role for about for a little more than three years. So I've just loved it. And I'm just so fortunate to have [00:13:20] had all these mentors.
[00:13:21] Libby: And one thing that I'm hearing from your story, thank you for sharing that. That's an incredible story is that you talk about these mentors and your opportunities in your luck, but I want to give some insights for the skills and give you credit.
[00:13:35] Libby: What are the skills that a dietitian needs to be presented with the opportunities so [00:13:40] I just want to connect the dots a little more for the listeners. We don't think you're lucky because you're not lucky. You're a hard worker. You have a great personality.
[00:13:46] Libby: You obviously have people skills and clinical skills, which is not easy for a dietitian who maybe needs to brush up on one of the two, right? So what tips would you give to dietitians that you think helps them get mentorship opportunities?
[00:13:59] Gena: Sure. All of [00:14:00] these mentors mentioned are incredible.
[00:14:02] Gena: But they're all very different. But one thing they've always given me feedback on and said, that is something that I have is one of my strengths is relationship building. And I think relationship building needs to be authentic. I truly do love [00:14:20] people and I love hearing people's stories.
[00:14:22] Gena: That's why I was so excited when you asked. me to do this podcast because I like listening and hearing these kinds of stories because I find it so meaningful. My interns from for many years, it will tell you I love story time. I love to tell stories because I find storytelling to be a really helpful you can look at a [00:14:40] case study of a clinical patient on paper, but what's their story?
[00:14:43] Gena: How did they get there? Every patient, if they could have the same diseases could be completely different presentation because of their life story. So I always found that really interesting. And think that is really helpful to like, authentically want to get to know people you know, is nice and to [00:15:00] be kind.
[00:15:00] Gena: I think a little kindness goes a long And, while I certainly don't ever want to be, a doormat and let people roll all over me, don't do that. But also don't assume negative intentions from the start. It could be quick to watch somebody do something that you don't like or you don't agree with and [00:15:20] assume right away.
[00:15:21] Gena: That they must have negative intentions. So I try to assume positive intentions and then learn more about it before I make assumptions about why somebody is making a decision on policy or making a decision for this firing situation. I try to assume positive intentions, and I think that helps me. It's definitely [00:15:40] for the way that my brain works.
[00:15:41] Gena: It definitely helps me navigate complicated situations if I approach it with kindness and assuming good intentions.
[00:15:48] Libby: Kindness, people skills, and storytelling. I love it. So one other question on that, and then we can move on to some education, some more stories about education. Do you think, in working with the dietitians you have in your [00:16:00] career, and as a director, do you think dietitians naturally have people skills, or is that something that you notice they need to brush up on?
[00:16:07] Gena: So, I think it depends on the student. I think a lot of dietitians do get into the field because they want to talk to people, they want to counsel people, but, some dietitians are more comfortable in more individual working [00:16:20] roles, like behind the scenes or doing data analysis, nutrient analysis.
[00:16:24] Gena: Some people do prefer to work alone. You know, we always get asked that question in an interview. Do you prefer to work alone or as a team? You know, and usually the best answer is a little of both, right? So what I do in our program and it's something that, like, I'm really proud of is I try to [00:16:40] give our students the tools to start to navigate these new professional settings, just because you can't assume that somebody is going to inherently have those skills.
[00:16:48] Gena: It's not something we necessarily get taught in our DPDs our didactic programs. So, I try to provide that and I'm really fortunate in the way that New York University sets up our dietetic [00:17:00] internship is that we start with coursework. So I have time to give my internship school. So that coursework is generally focused on research and medical nutrition therapy and physical exams.
[00:17:10] Gena: But we have some time to talk about what it's like to transition from the classroom setting to the hospital, to the professional setting. And what can interns do to [00:17:20] try to make sure they're communicating in a professional way that they're addressing in a professional way. That they're forming relationships with their preceptors.
[00:17:27] Gena: Because as you can clearly tell, from my story, I definitely believe that's where your networking is starting, right? It probably starts before then, but it's definitely, starting to gain momentum in your [00:17:40] internship. That's where you're meeting people who you don't know where they're going to be.
[00:17:43] Gena: The world talks about six degrees of separation where, you're six degrees separated from everybody. I would say dietetics is more like one degree of separation. So we're. Small but mighty profession and somebody knows somebody who knows somebody and that could even be a stretch.
[00:17:58] Gena: So I [00:18:00] think it's really important for interns to, have their brand early on. Like what kind of worker are they gonna be? What kind of colleague are they gonna be? What kind of employee are they gonna be? 'cause that can make a big difference. 'cause I've heard a lot of my peers who are in different programs, it's comment, you know, you can train clinical.
[00:18:18] Gena: A lot easier than you can train [00:18:20] these values and behaviors that you want to see in somebody working as part of your team. So I tried my best to help my interns develop those schools skills early on in their internship. And, I'm thankful to say. That you know it shows because many of my preceptors want to hire our graduates if they have [00:18:40] an open position.
[00:18:40] Gena: So definitely nice for the interns to get those offers, but also really nice for the preceptors to have that good pool to choose from as well.
[00:18:48] Libby: Yeah, incredible work that you're doing and I fully agree that those skill building is important and they're fortunate to have that with you in the work that you're doing.
[00:18:56] Libby: So I think that's great role modeling. I hope your work with the academy [00:19:00] and in a preceptor capacity is teaching other schools to do that as well because those are important skills.
[00:19:06] Gena: Yes, and just, in case there's any other program directors out there listening who aren't aware of it I'm on this committee with the nutrition dietetics educators and preceptors committee Which is kind of like a DPG in the [00:19:20] Academy a practice group but it's really focused on educators and preceptors and Last few years, we released a preceptor toolkit, which is a really comprehensive guide to precepting and it has scenario based situations and, I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to be a co author on that with an amazing team of registered [00:19:40] dietitians who are also a Working in this capacity, and it's just a great tool.
[00:19:44] Gena: If you don't have the infrastructure of a large program like New York University or New York Presbyterian, where we have larger infrastructures to provide these kinds of trainings of your smaller program, it can be a really great resource for you to just download and share with your preceptors, for some training with [00:20:00] them.
[00:20:00] Libby: Yeah, well, I'm going to pass that along. So thank you sharing that. And one other question before we wrap up here. I could definitely talk to you all day.
[00:20:08] Libby: It's so fun to have you share all of your experiences as we wrap up. I would like to know about a challenge that you faced in a leadership role, especially.
[00:20:17] Libby: Earlier on in your career [00:20:20] and how you overcame that so that we can share A story or a reflection for the listeners to make sure that we're transparent about the challenges
[00:20:27] Gena: Yeah, I think for me probably my biggest issue and I won't say it's completely resolved.
[00:20:34] Gena: But I've definitely managed a lot better is confidence I struggle with confidence, you might call it [00:20:40] imposter syndrome. But I definitely have always struggled with that a little bit it definitely, impacted me early in my career as far as opportunities I wanted to go for because I didn't think I was good enough for whatever reason and just what I did to really get over that.
[00:20:57] Gena: And I don't know if it was all intentional [00:21:00] lead towards this, but, just surrounding myself with those mentors and peers and colleagues who are supportive and help you bring out the best in yourself and in my opinion I know some people are more competitive by nature, but I think, we're all in this together.
[00:21:14] Gena: So that's how I always think of myself with my peers and my colleagues, we're all on [00:21:20] the same team. We all want the same thing. We want registered dietitians to be recognized for the amazing work that we do. We just want to be helpful and be the voice of evidence based nutritional care, right? So I think if you surround yourself with people who are like minded in that capacity and want to help you when you're down and give you that [00:21:40] push sometimes, because sometimes you need that push, right? When the first opportunity for me to apply for a director role came up, I wasn't sure if I was going to go for it because I was like, why would they want me? Like, what skills do I have? And I was thankful that I had, mentors who were like, no, go for it. You should do it. And that little nudge meant the world to me because [00:22:00] it pushed me to do something that was scary.
[00:22:02] Gena: And sometimes you do have to do things that feel scary to you to grow. And I think if you can, push yourself once in a while to do something that's out of your comfort zone. It goes a long way and having people surrounding you who are supportive is really important.
[00:22:15] Gena: And you can try to distance yourself from negative energy if it's impacting [00:22:20] you to the best of your ability.
[00:22:21] Libby: It's a process, right? Yes, long process and I can definitely relate to that. I'm sure our listeners can as well. Thank you so much, Gena. This has been so much fun. Grandma Sylvia.
[00:22:31] Libby: That was her name, right?
[00:22:32] Gena: Yes. Grandma
[00:22:33] Libby: Sylvia would be so proud of all the great work that you've done. Any final thoughts that you want to share as we wrap up today's [00:22:40] interview?
[00:22:40] Gena: This has been so wonderful and I could talk for hours and tell stories. My interns will tell you that.
[00:22:46] Gena: But I think, don't be afraid to reach out to somebody, for guidance, program directors are happy to receive emails. Right now we're a little busy because we're in application season. But. I think, reach out, ask questions, ask faculty at [00:23:00] your university questions, ask your leaders in your organizations questions whatever it might be, ask questions and reach out cause you know, most dietitians are coming from this world of precepting and being precepted.
[00:23:11] Gena: And we do want to mentor and we do want to share what we can to help the next generation of registered dietitians. So I think don't be afraid to reach [00:23:20] out, take that leap. Have that boost of confidence to do that. And I will say, I'm thankful also just to the team at New York university that I work with.
[00:23:28] Gena: My one of my other mentors will be the last mentor I mentioned on this thing. Dr Kathleen Wolf, who's a registered dietitian and she's, she's our graduate nutrition program director. She was one of my professors in my [00:23:40] master's. And she teaches me something new every day. I thank her and all of the team at New York university for their, being amazing colleagues and working so nicely with me.
[00:23:49] Libby: a wonderful way to end the episode and it's been amazing having you. Thank you so much.
[00:23:54] Gena: Thank you. Thanks so much Libby.
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