Hello! My name is Hannah Boulaiche and I am a region 4 intern in Philadelphia, PA. I began my clinical rotation in September and have had the unique opportunity of interning at two different hospitals in northeast Philadelphia - Jefferson Torresdale and Frankford. Patient services at the Torresdale campus was my first rotation and it was the perfect introduction to my clinical experience. Here, I was able to see how hospitalized patients' meals are ordered, prepared and delivered, as well as participate and conduct audits on all parts of this process. I also performed meal rounds to obtain feedback from patients on their dietary experience and correct any grievances. Meal rounds really helped me build the confidence I needed to start my basic clinical rotation and go into patient rooms, ask questions about their health, conduct nutrition assessments and provide educations. Basic clinical was the start of my experience at Jefferson Frankford and I was so nervous! I followed the RD for two days to become familiar with the hospital and the screening process before I began screening and seeing my own patients. So far, the most difficult part of my clinical experience has been writing concise notes about my interactions with patients and staff. At Frankford, I have two different preceptors, which can be challenging because they both write notes a little differently. However, I love that I am exposed to different feedback and I enjoy the way they both challenge me.
I have had some great experiences at Jefferson Toressdale and Frankford, but being able to work with the speech language pathologist in my intermediate clinical rotation has by far been the most interesting. The SLP showed me a barium swallow test performed on a patient with a bone growth protruding into their esophagus making it unable to close fully and causing the patient to reflux and aspirate. This patient required tube feeds due to this bone abnormality, and I was able to write the EN formula for this patient. It was an awesome experience being able to work with the SLP and my preceptor to provide the best care for this patient. Pictured is a pumpkin that the diet office and SLP collaborated on for the pumpkin decorating contest this Halloween. We wanted our pumpkin to depict our collaboration of care, so our pumpkin had a tracheotomy and is receiving EN via NG tube.
I am so grateful to be able to complete my rotations in person given the circumstances surrounding COVID19. I am a week into my intermediate clinical rotation and am already overjoyed at all of the experiences I have had so far. My concentration is critical care MNT, so beginning with the clinical rotation was very exciting for me! I plan on taking advantage of every opportunity, asking questions and maximizing my experiences now and throughout my other rotations. I am confident that the Sodexo dietetic internship will prepare me for the RD exam and my future as a registered dietitian!
I have had some great experiences at Jefferson Toressdale and Frankford, but being able to work with the speech language pathologist in my intermediate clinical rotation has by far been the most interesting. The SLP showed me a barium swallow test performed on a patient with a bone growth protruding into their esophagus making it unable to close fully and causing the patient to reflux and aspirate. This patient required tube feeds due to this bone abnormality, and I was able to write the EN formula for this patient. It was an awesome experience being able to work with the SLP and my preceptor to provide the best care for this patient. Pictured is a pumpkin that the diet office and SLP collaborated on for the pumpkin decorating contest this Halloween. We wanted our pumpkin to depict our collaboration of care, so our pumpkin had a tracheotomy and is receiving EN via NG tube.
I am so grateful to be able to complete my rotations in person given the circumstances surrounding COVID19. I am a week into my intermediate clinical rotation and am already overjoyed at all of the experiences I have had so far. My concentration is critical care MNT, so beginning with the clinical rotation was very exciting for me! I plan on taking advantage of every opportunity, asking questions and maximizing my experiences now and throughout my other rotations. I am confident that the Sodexo dietetic internship will prepare me for the RD exam and my future as a registered dietitian!
