Your Secret Struggle is Real: Navigating Impostor Phenomenon as an RD
It sounds like you're navigating a challenging period, and it's incredibly brave to acknowledge the feelings of self-doubt and mental fatigue, especially when you're a high-achieving nutrition professional. Many professionals experience these internal struggles and recognizing them is often the first step toward finding clarity and confidence in your career path.
What is Impostor Phenomenon?
You've heard of the impostor phenomenon (IP), also commonly known as impostor syndrome (1–5). This isn't a formal psychiatric diagnosis, but it is a very real and specific form of intellectual self-doubt (5–7). It describes an internal experience where highly capable individuals, despite objective evidence of their successes and achievements, feel like "fakes" or "frauds" and believe they are not as competent or adequate as others perceive them to be (1–5,8–16).
If you find yourself constantly second-guessing your competence, that aligns directly with the core of IP (5,17). People with IP tend to:
• Attribute their success to external factors like luck, charm, timing, or simply working extremely hard, rather than to their own intelligence, skills, or abilities (1,4–8,14,18–20).
• Fear being "found out" as an intellectual fraud at any moment (3,9,10,12–16). This fear can be a constant "hum in the back of your head" (7).
• Struggle to internalize accomplishments and often dismiss validation or compliments, believing for only a few seconds before self-doubt kicks back in (5,7,14,20).
• Focus on the one thing that went wrong even when ten things went right (5).
• Experience feelings of phoniness, self-doubt, and an inability to take credit for their achievements (5,17).
You Are Not Alone
It's important to know that you are not alone in these feelings. IP is estimated to affect up to 70% of successful people at some point in their lives, including many academics, pharmacists, and students studying for professional careers 5–7,12,20. It's a common experience across various professions, including nurses, physicians, medical students, and physician assistants (2,6,12,13,21).
Within the nutrition and dietetics profession, IP is highly prevalent (3,4,22). Recent studies specifically on Registered Dietitians (RDs) indicate that:
• Over 76% of RDs reported at least moderate impostorism (4).
• A large survey found that 64% of nutrition and dietetics students and professionals experienced frequent or intense IP (22).
• The prevalence of IP in dietetics appears higher compared to new practitioners in family medicine, physician assisting, and nursing (4).
• Clinical dietitians, particularly in long-term care and acute care settings, reported higher levels of frequent impostor feelings (3). This might be due to being the only RD in a facility, having high patient loads, or dealing with medically complex cases, which can increase pressure and the need to be an "ambassador for the profession."
When Do We Feel Like an Impostor?
Why might you, as an experienced RD, be feeling this now? IP often arises or intensifies when individuals take on new roles or face new challenges, even after years of experience (2,7,8,14,15). It can be fueled by:
• External expectations and the pressure to continually prove yourself (2,5,20).
• Internal standards of perfectionism, leading to overpreparing and overworking (5,6,11,15,19,23). While this might have helped you succeed, it can lead to burnout (1,2,4–6,14,18,22,23).
• Social comparisons to peers or colleagues, leading to an illogical perception that you're "behind" or less capable (14).
• A perceived lack of mentorship or support, which can leave you feeling isolated and exacerbate self-doubt (3,7,14,15).
• Low self-esteem (though it's not always the same as IP, they are often correlated) (4,9,12,14,22,24).
• Even though IP was initially identified in high-achieving women 10, more recent research shows it's common across genders and age groups (1). However, social media use has been associated with higher IP scores for nutrition professionals, possibly due to comparing oneself to other dietitians or influencers (22).
Impacts of Impostor Phenomenon
The impact of IP goes beyond just feeling bad; it can lead to emotional exhaustion, decreased job satisfaction, and impaired job performance (1,2,4,14,15,18,22,23). It can even stifle your career development by discouraging you from pursuing new opportunities, leadership roles, or even speaking authoritatively (1,6,7,12,15,22,23). This resonates with your feeling of being "stuck" and unsure how to pivot without starting over.
While IP is persistent, research suggests it can decrease over time with experience (4,7,9,22). Knowing this is a common experience, even among seasoned professionals, can offer solace and help alleviate some of the associated anxiety (3,21). Breaking the silence and discussing these feelings can be a powerful first step (5,10). It's about recognizing that feeling stupid doesn't mean you are stupid, and learning to separate fact from feeling (5).
This understanding is a powerful tool. It clarifies that your self-doubt isn't a sign of actual inadequacy, but rather a common, often temporary, psychological experience that many successful individuals face. Knowing its prevalence and nature within your profession can be incredibly validating as you navigate your career path and seek that confident direction you desire.
Works Cited
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