Greetings Everyone! My name is Nathalia and I’m a Sodexo Dietetic Intern at the New York Campus. Before beginning my internship, I was very nervous since I did not know what to expect. I was especially nervous about being in a hospital setting with no previous clinical experience. I began my rotations at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ and so far, I am having a great experience while learning so much in such a short amount of time. I was given the opportunity to spend time with dietitians, dietetic technicians, tray line attendants, tray passers, diet office clerks, and other professionals.
I have learned how food and nutrition is delivered to each patient from the beginning to end and how important it is to work together in order to assure that each patient is getting adequate nutrition. I have learned how the diet office works and how to prepare formulas for the pediatric, neonatal intensive care, and pediatric intensive care units. I have also learned how to educate patients on food and medicine interactions, as well as the different policies that we are required to follow.
Everyone must work together in order for things to go smoothly. For example, when a dietitian recommends a supplement such as Ensure or provides a patient with a specific diet restriction, the diet office is responsible for making those changes in the system, executing the patient’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner orders, and making sure the patient is receiving what they need.
After the order is in the system, the kitchen receives the order and the tray line attendants begin the process. Each person has a role, some are responsible for putting the drinks on the tray, while others add the main food items. When the tray gets to the end of the line, another attendant checks all the items to make sure that everything is correct. If an attendant missed an item on the tray, it is corrected right away. The tray line does not stop; therefore, it is important to be both fast and accurate. Apart from the tray line, another attendant is responsible for gathering the supplements requested by the dietitian for each patient as well as delivering them to each floor.
I never thought I would enjoy being in a clinical setting, it blew away my expectations and the amount of hands on experience that I am getting cannot be matched. I am looking forward to starting my clinical rotations next week and cannot wait to see what else is in store.
I have learned how food and nutrition is delivered to each patient from the beginning to end and how important it is to work together in order to assure that each patient is getting adequate nutrition. I have learned how the diet office works and how to prepare formulas for the pediatric, neonatal intensive care, and pediatric intensive care units. I have also learned how to educate patients on food and medicine interactions, as well as the different policies that we are required to follow.
Everyone must work together in order for things to go smoothly. For example, when a dietitian recommends a supplement such as Ensure or provides a patient with a specific diet restriction, the diet office is responsible for making those changes in the system, executing the patient’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner orders, and making sure the patient is receiving what they need.
After the order is in the system, the kitchen receives the order and the tray line attendants begin the process. Each person has a role, some are responsible for putting the drinks on the tray, while others add the main food items. When the tray gets to the end of the line, another attendant checks all the items to make sure that everything is correct. If an attendant missed an item on the tray, it is corrected right away. The tray line does not stop; therefore, it is important to be both fast and accurate. Apart from the tray line, another attendant is responsible for gathering the supplements requested by the dietitian for each patient as well as delivering them to each floor.
I never thought I would enjoy being in a clinical setting, it blew away my expectations and the amount of hands on experience that I am getting cannot be matched. I am looking forward to starting my clinical rotations next week and cannot wait to see what else is in store.
