Hello! My name is Danielle Ingerman Waltzer and I am a current dietetic intern from Sodexo’s 2016 Winter dietetic internship class. I have recently finished my clinical rotation at Virtua Voorhees Hospital and am now working at Campbell’s Soup corporate. I had many opportunities to explore various hospitals throughout this internship, including Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia, and Cooper University Hospital in Camden, NJ, in addition to Virtua.
Some background about myself: I graduated from Drexel University in 2015 with a master’s degree in nutrition. Prior to that I worked as a cook and catering chef for several years in addition to being a fitness instructor part-time. Throughout my master’s degree, I had the opportunity to shadow in the ICU at Lankenau hospital, work with an outpatient bariatric specialty dietitian, help develop recipes for CHOP’s Healthy Weight Program, and more. I graduated in 2010 from University of Maryland with a bachelor of arts degree in communications, never expecting to end up where I did. Despite the time it took me to find my life’s passion, I would not take back any of my experiences; they led me to where I am today. I was able to figure out, by process of elimination, things that I did not want to do as a future dietitian, and things that I wanted to experience more of as a future dietitian. So I chose to explore more of the clinical side of nutrition.
My concentration was medical nutrition therapy. I chose this concentration because it is my favorite area of dietetic practice. I love critical care, and find the role of the dietitian in this setting fascinating; I can never learn enough! As a part of my medical nutrition therapy rotation, I spent three weeks at Cooper University Hospital, working with their intensive care unit dietitian. While working at Cooper, I was exposed to their trauma ICU, an experience I would never forget. With this fragile population, the need for care is constant. Often the patient status is constantly changing and necessitating continuous intervention. I was so impacted by my time doing trauma, that I chose to present my professional research presentation on how to feed the traumatic brain injury (TBI) patient. It was so interesting to me to see the many steps involved in helping the TBI patient, from the day they arrive to months down the road- each patient is diverse and unique in their injuries and recovery process. Although it can be sad, I truly enjoyed how the dietitian is a true part of the medical team. It is inspiring to see the dietitians, nurses, doctors, social workers, and speech pathologists working together to give the patient the best possible care. I am so glad that I decided to follow this path towards clinical nutrition, my mind is constantly challenged, and I soak up every minute of it.
Some background about myself: I graduated from Drexel University in 2015 with a master’s degree in nutrition. Prior to that I worked as a cook and catering chef for several years in addition to being a fitness instructor part-time. Throughout my master’s degree, I had the opportunity to shadow in the ICU at Lankenau hospital, work with an outpatient bariatric specialty dietitian, help develop recipes for CHOP’s Healthy Weight Program, and more. I graduated in 2010 from University of Maryland with a bachelor of arts degree in communications, never expecting to end up where I did. Despite the time it took me to find my life’s passion, I would not take back any of my experiences; they led me to where I am today. I was able to figure out, by process of elimination, things that I did not want to do as a future dietitian, and things that I wanted to experience more of as a future dietitian. So I chose to explore more of the clinical side of nutrition.
My concentration was medical nutrition therapy. I chose this concentration because it is my favorite area of dietetic practice. I love critical care, and find the role of the dietitian in this setting fascinating; I can never learn enough! As a part of my medical nutrition therapy rotation, I spent three weeks at Cooper University Hospital, working with their intensive care unit dietitian. While working at Cooper, I was exposed to their trauma ICU, an experience I would never forget. With this fragile population, the need for care is constant. Often the patient status is constantly changing and necessitating continuous intervention. I was so impacted by my time doing trauma, that I chose to present my professional research presentation on how to feed the traumatic brain injury (TBI) patient. It was so interesting to me to see the many steps involved in helping the TBI patient, from the day they arrive to months down the road- each patient is diverse and unique in their injuries and recovery process. Although it can be sad, I truly enjoyed how the dietitian is a true part of the medical team. It is inspiring to see the dietitians, nurses, doctors, social workers, and speech pathologists working together to give the patient the best possible care. I am so glad that I decided to follow this path towards clinical nutrition, my mind is constantly challenged, and I soak up every minute of it.
