Gabbi Berkow (left), Laura Wang (right) Hello! I am Gabbi Berkow M.A., C.P.T., and I am a Sodexo Dietetic Intern in New York City. I completed my clinical rotations at Flushing Hospital in Queens, NY. In addition to my work in dietetics, I have a Master’s in Exercise Physiology from Columbia University and am a certified personal trainer and Pilates instructor. My goal in becoming a dietitian is to blend my passions for nutrition and exercise, providing clients with dietary and fitness guidance to help them achieve their goals and optimize their health.
Given my professional aspirations and background, I am extremely interested in outpatient counseling and wanted to get as much outpatient experience as possible during my internship. As such, the Clinical Nutrition Manager at Flushing Hospital, Michelle Hill, allowed me to spend a few days with the outpatient Women’s Health Clinic dietitian, Laura Wang, who specializes in pre- and post-natal nutrition.
I enjoyed working with Laura tremendously. I first observed her counsel a couple of patients and learned about special nutritional considerations for pregnancy and lactation, such as increased calorie and protein needs, appropriate rates of weight gain based on BMI, food safety considerations, low mercury fish, key nutrients such as calcium and iron, and strategies for dealing with common pregnancy complaints such as nausea, vomiting, GERD, and constipation. After observing only 2 patients, Laura allowed me to jump right in and start counseling patients right away. She was extremely kind and provided me with very helpful feedback regarding nutrition counseling, such as always noting some kind of positive feedback about the patient’s usual intake and focusing on only 1-2 concrete changes that the patient can make to improve her nutritional status. Additionally, most of the patients at the clinic were Hispanic and only spoke Spanish, which presented a challenge. However, working at the Women’s Health Clinic was a great opportunity for me to practice my Spanish, learn about the nutritional adequacy of the Hispanic diet, and enhance my cultural sensitivity as a dietitian.
I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity to learn about pre- and post-natal nutrition counseling in an outpatient setting within my own hospital. Working with Laura significantly enhanced my comfort with and interest in nutrition during pregnancy and also greatly helped me to improve my nutrition counseling skills and cultural competency as a dietitian.
Given my professional aspirations and background, I am extremely interested in outpatient counseling and wanted to get as much outpatient experience as possible during my internship. As such, the Clinical Nutrition Manager at Flushing Hospital, Michelle Hill, allowed me to spend a few days with the outpatient Women’s Health Clinic dietitian, Laura Wang, who specializes in pre- and post-natal nutrition.
I enjoyed working with Laura tremendously. I first observed her counsel a couple of patients and learned about special nutritional considerations for pregnancy and lactation, such as increased calorie and protein needs, appropriate rates of weight gain based on BMI, food safety considerations, low mercury fish, key nutrients such as calcium and iron, and strategies for dealing with common pregnancy complaints such as nausea, vomiting, GERD, and constipation. After observing only 2 patients, Laura allowed me to jump right in and start counseling patients right away. She was extremely kind and provided me with very helpful feedback regarding nutrition counseling, such as always noting some kind of positive feedback about the patient’s usual intake and focusing on only 1-2 concrete changes that the patient can make to improve her nutritional status. Additionally, most of the patients at the clinic were Hispanic and only spoke Spanish, which presented a challenge. However, working at the Women’s Health Clinic was a great opportunity for me to practice my Spanish, learn about the nutritional adequacy of the Hispanic diet, and enhance my cultural sensitivity as a dietitian.
I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity to learn about pre- and post-natal nutrition counseling in an outpatient setting within my own hospital. Working with Laura significantly enhanced my comfort with and interest in nutrition during pregnancy and also greatly helped me to improve my nutrition counseling skills and cultural competency as a dietitian.
