Photo Source: http://www.nyp.org/volunteer/volunteer-locations Hello everyone! My name is Erica and I am an intern at the New York campus. My concentration is MNT and I am currently doing my advanced clinical rotation at New York Presbyterian Queens hospital. My clinical rotation site has given me the opportunity to see patients with various disease states and learn how to assess those disease states with a nutrition perspective. At NYP/Q dietitians are responsible for performing nutrition focused physical exams and diagnosing malnutrition. I never thought the dietetics field was that hands on with patients. I’ve assisted in several malnutrition diagnoses and I have learned how to identify a patient at risk for malnutrition through a visual assessment. The areas that are commonly easy to identify without performing a physical assessment on the patient is muscle wasting in the temples and the clavicles, especially in men. I have performed physical assessments on patients to determine the amount of muscle and subcutaneous fat loss. I also use weight loss and dietary intake as parameters to diagnose malnutrition. This has been a really great learning experience and helps me put into practice what I had previously learned in my classes.
In addition to diagnosing malnutrition it is also necessary to assist the malnourished patient in increasing his/her meal intake. Does the patient have specific food items he prefers? Would the patient be willing to try a nutrition supplement to increase intake? What is the reason for his poor appetite? It is challenging to overcome the barriers to poor appetite but it is rewarding to know you are helping someone which is one of the reasons I entered into this career path. I hope to make a difference in someone’s life.
I highly recommend for future interns to keep a small notebook with you to keep definitions of words you are not familiar with. You may come across medical terminology you are unfamiliar with and my preceptor taught me to look up the definitions of words I did not know. This has helped me to better understand the medical charts I go over every day.
In addition to diagnosing malnutrition it is also necessary to assist the malnourished patient in increasing his/her meal intake. Does the patient have specific food items he prefers? Would the patient be willing to try a nutrition supplement to increase intake? What is the reason for his poor appetite? It is challenging to overcome the barriers to poor appetite but it is rewarding to know you are helping someone which is one of the reasons I entered into this career path. I hope to make a difference in someone’s life.
I highly recommend for future interns to keep a small notebook with you to keep definitions of words you are not familiar with. You may come across medical terminology you are unfamiliar with and my preceptor taught me to look up the definitions of words I did not know. This has helped me to better understand the medical charts I go over every day.
