Hi, everyone! My name is Kelli O’Connell and I am a current intern in the Sodexo Philadelphia program. So far, I have completed rotations in general clinical and nutrition support at Jefferson Health Frankford campus, long-term care at Frederick Living, pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and dialysis at DaVita in South Philadelphia. I am currently completing my food service management rotation at Vanguard, an investment corporation in the suburbs of Philadelphia. The flexibility of spending time at so many unique Sodexo accounts is my absolute favorite thing about the internship so far.
I am a diabetes concentration intern, meaning that an additional six weeks of my schedule will be spent in outpatient endocrinology clinics and other DM-related settings. I had the opportunity to volunteer on the nutrition team at an American Diabetes Association summer camp for children with type I diabetes as part of my concentration as well. In this role, I was responsible for portioning correction snack bags for campers experiencing hypoglycemia, communicating carbohydrate counts and allergen information to the medical staff based on daily menus, and conducting a nutrition education session for elementary school aged campers.
My interactive presentation, titled “Rethink Your Drink” provided a brief lesson about how sugar in beverages affects blood glucose differently than food (thank you, protein & fiber…) and where to find grams of carbohydrate on the Nutrition Facts label. The presentation continued with a math-based relay game using drink labels and their associated number of sugar cubes to assess learning and comprehension. Lastly, we concluded with a build-your-own “better than soda” bar where campers started with a base of plain seltzer and could choose from a variety of 100% fruit juices and sugar-free beverage flavorings (i.e. Mio, Gatorade G2, Crystal Light). Fresh berries, mint, and citrus slices were also available for garnish. The campers were pleasantly surprised with how their creations turned out and I was thrilled to be able to provide them with a fun alternative to traditional diet sodas!
I am a diabetes concentration intern, meaning that an additional six weeks of my schedule will be spent in outpatient endocrinology clinics and other DM-related settings. I had the opportunity to volunteer on the nutrition team at an American Diabetes Association summer camp for children with type I diabetes as part of my concentration as well. In this role, I was responsible for portioning correction snack bags for campers experiencing hypoglycemia, communicating carbohydrate counts and allergen information to the medical staff based on daily menus, and conducting a nutrition education session for elementary school aged campers.
My interactive presentation, titled “Rethink Your Drink” provided a brief lesson about how sugar in beverages affects blood glucose differently than food (thank you, protein & fiber…) and where to find grams of carbohydrate on the Nutrition Facts label. The presentation continued with a math-based relay game using drink labels and their associated number of sugar cubes to assess learning and comprehension. Lastly, we concluded with a build-your-own “better than soda” bar where campers started with a base of plain seltzer and could choose from a variety of 100% fruit juices and sugar-free beverage flavorings (i.e. Mio, Gatorade G2, Crystal Light). Fresh berries, mint, and citrus slices were also available for garnish. The campers were pleasantly surprised with how their creations turned out and I was thrilled to be able to provide them with a fun alternative to traditional diet sodas!
