Interviewer: It is my pleasure to introduce our first VAND Spotlight for the first quarter, Stephanie Stockslager! Stephanie, can you start by telling me more about your current position of employment? What are the responsibilities you have in that role?

Stephanie: Currently, I am serving as the Dietetic Internship Director for Virginia Commonwealth University Health System (VCUHS). Prior to that I was a Clinical Coordinator of Medical Nutrition Therapy with the internship as well. My background is in clinical dietetics, and I have numerous transferable skills that I was able to pull from during my career as a clinical dietitian and insert them into my current roles and responsibilities as an internship director. As the VCUHS dietetic internship director, I oversee all aspects of the internship, including accreditation with ACEND. I’m constantly networking, as well as building new partnerships and experiences for my students. I’m always trying to think outside the box as to where today’s students are navigating towards related to desired practice areas within the field. This includes ensuring that our interns’ experiences are what they want during their time in their dietetic internship while still ensuring each of them are meeting the required competencies in the curriculum. I want to meet our students where they’re at and assist them through the challenges and barriers that they may be facing within their internship while also balancing a successful program!

Interviewer: You have such a vast resume with in-depth experience with clinical dietetics! Do you  mind sharing your original career plan? How has that changed over time?

Stephanie: My original career plan was to go into sports medicine/athletic training. During my second semester – I was bored and I found out it wasn’t for me. Using university resources, I stumbled (like many of us) into nutrition. I thought I could marry my passion for sport into nutrition and be more engaged with athletes!

However, as I fast forward – I did my internship, but still had no idea what I wanted to do in the field of dietetics. I ended up working entry-level in clinical dietetics to begin, and that’s where I found my passion. Initially, I worked at a small community hospital. I was covering everything – from rehab, pediatrics, women’s health, oncology, etc. I was starting my career shortly before the Great Recession, and no other entities were hiring. However, because of the valuable network I created, I was invited back to VCU Health by one of the supervisors for a clinical position. I worked primarily with heart transplant patients and critical care for eight years, and I loved it. But, I knew that there was something missing in my career. I continued to take on more responsibilities with the VCUHS internship by volunteering to teach more classes, and host more interns. When the former internship director retired, I made the jump from being a clinical dietitian to a clinical coordinator, to eventually internship director. I never looked back. I love watching where interns start, where they end, and seeing those “AHA!” moments when everything clicks in between. That’s the most fulfilling part of my job!

Interviewer: What a journey you’ve had to this point, Stephanie. I love how you elaborated on your favorite parts of being the internship director at VCUHS. Witnessing those “AHA!” moments are powerful and I’m happy to hear you find that to be one of the greatest parts of your job. Speaking of being an intern, what is one piece of career advice you wish you would have received from a mentor when you were early on in your career?

Stephanie: If I were to give myself one piece of career advice, I would say having high expectations for yourself is a good thing, but you also have to be realistic about where you’re at in your life and career, because there’s always time to grow and build towards your endpoint you have in mind. We all have a tendency to be high-achievers. Sometimes we aim towards our endpoint while losing sight of the process to get there. Be patient, trust the process, and put the steps into place that are necessary to reach your endpoint. Not only is this better for your sanity/mental health, but it also allows you to open yourself up to other opportunities that may present themselves, such as volunteering, service, or other ways to engage and network. Don’t be too focused on your endpoint and become disappointed when you don’t get there when you think you should. Sometimes, it’s best to just let things happen and see what the future brings you!