Hello everyone! My name is Cara Demo. I’m a Sodexo New York dietetic intern and University of Rhode Island master’s student. I am currently doing my clinical rotations at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, NJ. My internship experience has been really great so far and I'm trying to soak up every moment! I am just about finished with my intermediate clinical rotation, so I will be starting my advanced rotation next week. While I’ve spent most of my time in clinical, I’ve had some great opportunities in community and food service as well.
The first week of the internship, I was in patient services where I learned the ins and outs of the diet office and kitchen. I have since moved on to my clinical rotations, but I still spend time interacting with the diet office and kitchen employees. I presented an inservice for the diet office staff where I spoke about the renal diet and restricted menu items. I’m preparing for another inservice on portion sizes that I will present to the tray line staff. Although it is out of my comfort zone, it feels great to build relationships with the the other employees while educating them on important topics. Another rewarding experience I've had was helping prepare for an incredible hospital celebration. Newark Beth Israel recently reached a tremendous milestone of completing 1,000 heart transplants and the hospital threw a big party for all of the staff. I worked with the food service employees to prepare food, as well as set up and clean up the event. I got to meet the president of the hospital and some of the transplant staff. It was a really exciting moment and I feel very proud to be apart of such a great hospital!
My favorite part of the internship so far has been all of the time I've spent interacting and helping patients. I’m really enjoying my clinical rotation and have learned so much in such a short amount of time. During the past few weeks, I have spent a lot of time on the ICU step-down unit where I’ve seen many patients with a variety of complex diseases. I attend rounds every morning where the nurses give updates on their patients’ conditions, as well as the plans for care. It's been a great opportunity to see the important role dietitians play on the interdisciplinary team. One of the most eye opening experiences that I've had thus far was watching a bedside PEG (percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy) placement in the ICU. Newark Beth Israel is a teaching hospital, so many of the doctors are happy to let students observe procedures while answering questions to make it an excellent education opportunity. I’m really grateful for all of the experiences I’ve had so far, each having contributed to my growth as a dietetic intern. I know this is just the beginning and I’m looking forward to all that’s to come!
The first week of the internship, I was in patient services where I learned the ins and outs of the diet office and kitchen. I have since moved on to my clinical rotations, but I still spend time interacting with the diet office and kitchen employees. I presented an inservice for the diet office staff where I spoke about the renal diet and restricted menu items. I’m preparing for another inservice on portion sizes that I will present to the tray line staff. Although it is out of my comfort zone, it feels great to build relationships with the the other employees while educating them on important topics. Another rewarding experience I've had was helping prepare for an incredible hospital celebration. Newark Beth Israel recently reached a tremendous milestone of completing 1,000 heart transplants and the hospital threw a big party for all of the staff. I worked with the food service employees to prepare food, as well as set up and clean up the event. I got to meet the president of the hospital and some of the transplant staff. It was a really exciting moment and I feel very proud to be apart of such a great hospital!
My favorite part of the internship so far has been all of the time I've spent interacting and helping patients. I’m really enjoying my clinical rotation and have learned so much in such a short amount of time. During the past few weeks, I have spent a lot of time on the ICU step-down unit where I’ve seen many patients with a variety of complex diseases. I attend rounds every morning where the nurses give updates on their patients’ conditions, as well as the plans for care. It's been a great opportunity to see the important role dietitians play on the interdisciplinary team. One of the most eye opening experiences that I've had thus far was watching a bedside PEG (percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy) placement in the ICU. Newark Beth Israel is a teaching hospital, so many of the doctors are happy to let students observe procedures while answering questions to make it an excellent education opportunity. I’m really grateful for all of the experiences I’ve had so far, each having contributed to my growth as a dietetic intern. I know this is just the beginning and I’m looking forward to all that’s to come!
