Megan Burseth - Region 12

​Hello! My name is Megan, I am from southern California, and I am a dietetic intern with Sodexo. So far, I have completed my Foodservice rotation and am now in my advanced clinical rotation. I am lucky that foodservice was my first rotation as it was a good way to ease myself into how a larger hospital works. I’ve worked in eating disorders at residential locations, so I am used to treating patients on a much smaller scale. And I was happy to work on trayline and in the cafeteria because it was something I had never done before.
 
My first few weeks of clinical were challenging because I had to get to know the computer system for assessing patient. I also had to learn how to look at the bigger picture instead of focusing on one problem. I had to learn to step back and take in all the information so I could treat a patient who has more than one nutritional diagnosis.
 
Now I am in my first week of my advanced clinical rotation and I am dealing with more complicated patients. I am working with ICU patients, and I am learning so much. I especially love attending ICU rounds as there is so much information to soak up. I don’t always understand everything in the moment, but I take notes and look things up later or ask my preceptor when I want to know what something means or when I don’t understand something. It is so interesting to learn about all the different machines that keep people alive. I look forward to learning even more in the coming weeks.
 
I am about halfway through my internship, and I feel I have come so far from where I first started. I feel more comfortable assessing, interviewing, and educating patients now. And I can’t wait to see what my community, specialty and long-term care rotations have in store for me! 

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