Hello everyone, my name is Ella Gilboa, and I am a region 3, NYC-based intern. I am currently doing my clinical rotations at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, a 627-bed public hospital with a level 1 trauma center. I feel immense gratitude for the amazing and supportive team of registered dietitians at King’s County Hospital. The dietitians at Kings County are diligent in providing me with the skills and knowledge required to become a successful dietitian in an acute inpatient setting.
I value the opportunity to interact and treat a diverse group of patients with complex conditions and multiple co-morbidities such as diabetes, renal disease, cancer, heart failure, psychiatric illnesses, as well as ICU patients with a variety of life-threatening conditions (e.g., post surgeries, motor vehicle accidents, gunshot wounds).
I value the opportunity to interact and treat a diverse group of patients with complex conditions and multiple co-morbidities such as diabetes, renal disease, cancer, heart failure, psychiatric illnesses, as well as ICU patients with a variety of life-threatening conditions (e.g., post surgeries, motor vehicle accidents, gunshot wounds).
During my rotations, I am learning the significant differences between “textbook” knowledge of dietary guidelines and real-life clinical judgment and how to focus my skills on targeting a nutrition problem and its possible interventions. I have become extremely fascinated by our role in diagnosing and treating malnutrition. I perform a nutrition-focused physical exam on most patients I see. In addition, I have become aware of how challenging it is to build rapport with patients in an acute setting. Working with a team of eight different preceptors allows me to experience different ways of engaging and connecting with patients.
My training in a hospital setting has ignited some thoughts about the complexity of the health care system; for example, how much time is allocated between patient care and medical note-taking, how medical charts can be highly biased towards weight status, gender, and social-emotional aspects of a patient, and how dietitians are perceived by the health care team (e.g., doctors, nurses).
I look forward to continuing my rotations at Kings County Hospital, where I will also be doing my pediatric concentration in the NICU and PICU, and my community rotations at the hospitals’ outpatient clinics.
My training in a hospital setting has ignited some thoughts about the complexity of the health care system; for example, how much time is allocated between patient care and medical note-taking, how medical charts can be highly biased towards weight status, gender, and social-emotional aspects of a patient, and how dietitians are perceived by the health care team (e.g., doctors, nurses).
I look forward to continuing my rotations at Kings County Hospital, where I will also be doing my pediatric concentration in the NICU and PICU, and my community rotations at the hospitals’ outpatient clinics.
