Impostor Syndrome: Strategies for Nutrition Students and Future RDs

By Elizabeth Gerdes

If this chart feels familiar, you’re not alone. Impostor syndrome is one of the most widely discussed topics in the student and early professional circles. Almost everyone experiences it at some point. To be candid, during my first semester of my graduate program I was struggling with my metabolism class and my stress came to a tipping point one day. I had made a study guide, but I could not find the file on my computer the next day. I panicked. As I tried to locate the file, I remember saying “I am never going to academically recover from this.” I felt so behind and losing this file felt devastating because it reinforced my fear that I didn’t belong and wouldn’t succeed in this program. I remember thinking, “Did admissions make a mistake and admit me when they meant to admit someone else with a very similar sounding name?”  Looking back, my panic was not about losing the study guide, but my lingering fear that I didn’t deserve a spot in my graduate program. 

Here are some exercises that may help when you find yourself in a similar situation:

Write down your impostor thoughts

Write down any impostor thoughts you have, like “I don’t belong here” or “I’m not smart enough for this.” Then write down all the reasons that prove that thought is wrong, like “I was admitted to a graduate program after an interview with the nutrition and dietetics program director” or pull up your exam grades and completed competencies. This will help you understand if there is any evidence for your impostor thoughts and see any bias you may have based on emotion or fear. Use your clinical assessment skills instead of leaning on emotion. 

Write down successes and revisit this list

First, look back at what you have accomplished (academically, professionally, and personally) in your nutrition and dietetics journey and write that down in a list. Then every time you have a new success, add it to the list. This can include big things like:

• Impressive projects
• Exams you excelled in
• Completed research projects
• Leadership achievements
• New certifications
• Job milestones

This can also include smaller things that are just as important, like:

• Positive feedback from instructors and preceptors
• A compliment from a coworker or friend
• Kind words from clients and patients

Then the next time you are feeling impostor syndrome, read this list and it will show your progress, instead of your doubt. Find the evidence. 

Stop the comparisons

Impostor syndrome often stems from chronic comparison of yourself to others. This is a well-known phenomenon, yet most of us still fall into making comparisons. Every student and clinician has their own unique strengths that they bring to their practice, and it is impossible to be perfect at everything. There will always be someone who is better at one area of academia or clinical practice. That doesn’t mean that your weaknesses make you a bad student or a bad clinician. Since it is hard not to fall into comparison, change your environment so you have less opportunities to compare. 

• Temporarily mute or disconnect from group chats when discussions of productivity or academic performance are being discussed if you find that often makes your impostor syndrome more pronounced. 
• Limit your social media use or only follow accounts that inspire you, because social media (professional and personal) often only highlights successes and can paint unrealistic pictures of what is really happening. 
• Review grades and feedback on assignments privately at a time when you feel calm and ready, instead of checking results in public or around other classmates that may lead to group comparisons.  

Find a confidant

Seeking out a trusted friend who is in this experience with you or a mentor who has been through the pipeline that you are on can be very helpful. This should be someone you feel comfortable sharing both successes and failures with and who is comfortable doing the same. Hearing about their journey can provide you with a full picture of what the ups and downs of becoming an RD really look like. Hearing a simple “me too” or “I did the same thing” when you describe a challenge can be so reassuring. Sometimes the best antidote to impostor syndrome is knowing you’re not alone in your thoughts. In addition to reassurance, this confidant can offer practical guidance to help you feel more confident when facing challenges. 

Get support when needed

If your impostor thoughts persist and interfere with your daily activities, remember to use resources available to you. You pay tuition, but you also pay a lot of fees to your university for services that many students aren’t aware of or don’t take advantage of. This can include:

• Counseling services to help you explore where your impostor thoughts come from and provide strategies to improve your experience. 
• Tutoring services to help you address academic weaknesses, so you feel more confident going forward. 
• Peer mentoring programs to connect with students in cohorts above you that have already navigated further in the program. 
• Career services for guidance on landing internships, writing an impressive resume, and finding professional development opportunities to progress your career. 
• Student support centers that help with disability services and other accommodations that can help reduce your stress and facilitate your learning. 

Experiencing impostor syndrome does not mean that you’re behind or failing. Every success you have is proof that you are learning and becoming a better student and future RD. School is for learning, asking questions, and growing. Don’t let a fear of failure keep you from this important experience. 

Just in case no one has told you recently: you belong in your program and the skills and confidence you are building right now will make you a stellar RD in the future. Keep going and give yourself credit for how far you’ve come.

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