Candice Shipley - Region 5

Hi! My name is Candice, I’m from Maryland, and I’m very excited to share a bit about my internship experience with Sodexo/URI. First off, orientation in San Antonio Texas was a phenomenal experience. It presented the perfect opportunity to meet other interns and the wonderful directors who make this program possible.
 
I’ve already completed my foodservice and patient service rotations. Completing these rotations first created a nice transition into clinical since I became familiar with the kitchen, production flow, menu items, supplements, tray delivery, units, and more before seeing patients.
 
Currently, I am about to start week four of basic clinical. So far, I have learned that while book smarts matter, you truly need repetition and hands-on experience to develop and refine clinical judgement. That’s why I am so thankful for this experience to not only put my knowledge into practice, but also gain wisdom from repetition. Paring this internship along with the nutrition graduate program from URI creates a dynamic and integrated learning adventure. Every day there is always something new to learn and apply into practice. Since patients may only be in the hospital for a couple days, dietitians utilize that short window of time to assess, construct, and execute an appropriate, individualized, and significant nutrition intervention that best benefits the patient. Whether it includes monitoring appetite/intake, educating patients on specific diets, offering supplement coupons (like Ensure), or simply conversing with patients, dietitians improve both a patient’s overall experience and recovery

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