Hello everyone! My name is Jim Klauder, and I’m currently in the middle of the staff relief portion of my clinical rotation. Staff relief is a rotation where interns take on the entire workload of a full-time dietitian at their main clinical site, which in my case is Jefferson - Frankford Hospital. I just finished my diabetes concentration, where I spent time at Camp Freedom, a camp ran by the American Diabetes Association, where 160 children with type 1 diabetes get to have a true summer camp experience. As a member of the nutrition staff, I oversaw organizing meals, ensured carbohydrate counts were correct, and utilized nutrition therapy in the event of medical emergencies. The picture attached was taken in the middle of handing out an afternoon snack to the campers! After this, I worked at the Diabetes Center at St Mary’s hospital and worked alongside three CDEs. I was able to observe them in one on one counseling, self-management courses, and in carbohydrate counting classes, some of which I was able to teach! These experiences reinforced my goal of becoming both an RD and CDE one day.
Diabetes is a disease where knowledge of nutrition can truly change lives. At camp, I met a lot of children who normally would be the odd person out at a generic summer camp due to their unfortunate medical circumstances. At camp freedom, the nutrition staff, medical staff, and counselors all cooperated to help the kids learn more about how to manage their diabetes, as well as allow them to have some fun without having to worry about whether or not the people around them would be able to help them in the event of an emergency. I truly believe nutrition has the power to change lives, and in diseases like diabetes, I think this is especially the case.
My advice to future Sodexo interns is to not let the internship consume your life entirely and to always remember who you are on a personal level. Moderation is always key, both in terms of how much sugar we eat in our diet and how much we let one thing impact our entire life. It’s important to maintain a healthy work-life balance! I encourage each intern to pick an outside hobby or special interest to pursue outside of the internship as well, like training in a sport, getting into a new TV show, or even just reading a few books. In my down time after work, I practice my skills as a self-taught musician. While I’ve learned countless of things during my rotations that will propel my career forward, I also became a better banjoist and learned a lot more about music theory, a personal goal which I’ve had for a long time. The internship is an opportunity to invest in your career and in yourself, and it’s up to you to decide how much you will let this experience grow you!
Diabetes is a disease where knowledge of nutrition can truly change lives. At camp, I met a lot of children who normally would be the odd person out at a generic summer camp due to their unfortunate medical circumstances. At camp freedom, the nutrition staff, medical staff, and counselors all cooperated to help the kids learn more about how to manage their diabetes, as well as allow them to have some fun without having to worry about whether or not the people around them would be able to help them in the event of an emergency. I truly believe nutrition has the power to change lives, and in diseases like diabetes, I think this is especially the case.
My advice to future Sodexo interns is to not let the internship consume your life entirely and to always remember who you are on a personal level. Moderation is always key, both in terms of how much sugar we eat in our diet and how much we let one thing impact our entire life. It’s important to maintain a healthy work-life balance! I encourage each intern to pick an outside hobby or special interest to pursue outside of the internship as well, like training in a sport, getting into a new TV show, or even just reading a few books. In my down time after work, I practice my skills as a self-taught musician. While I’ve learned countless of things during my rotations that will propel my career forward, I also became a better banjoist and learned a lot more about music theory, a personal goal which I’ve had for a long time. The internship is an opportunity to invest in your career and in yourself, and it’s up to you to decide how much you will let this experience grow you!
