Hello, my name is Nolan Ackerman and I am a Sodexo dietetic intern in region 11. Currently I am in my basic clinical rotation in Brighton, CO. So far I have completed my food service management rotation as well as most of my management concentration. This concentration is just now being offered and I am lucky enough to be one of the first people to be a part of it.
For the management concentration, I stayed with my preceptor for food service management and was able to observe and absorb a lot of different management skills and styles. During this rotation I was lucky enough to observe some interesting and unique management experiences. First was a Joint Commission survey where several people came in and inspected the entire hospital, kitchen included, with a fine-tooth comb. It’s something that every hospital must go through every 3 years, so the experience was incredibly valuable for an intern. Secondly, I got to help implement extreme weather protocol in a snowstorm that was supposed to bring Denver 3 feet of snow. We worked with other departments in the hospital to secure food and water stores for employees and patients and find rooms in the hospital for employees who wished to stay to work through the weekend. It was a very interesting experience and one that will be useful in any hospital management position.
Right now, I’m in my first round of clinical rotations. All my preceptors have been incredible in their encouragement and support. There have been a lot of very interesting patients as well as some very challenging ones. Recently I learned quite a bit from a patient about their autologous islet cell transplantation, something that I had no idea about until recently. Essentially their pancreas was removed and the islet cells were implanted into their liver to help produce pancreatic enzymes in its absence. The patient was very excited to talk about their procedure with us, which led to a great learning experience.
Overall, the internship so far has been a fantastic experience for multitudes of reasons, only made better by the guidance of my directors and the support of my preceptors. I look forward to my last few rotations and the bright horizon afterward.
For the management concentration, I stayed with my preceptor for food service management and was able to observe and absorb a lot of different management skills and styles. During this rotation I was lucky enough to observe some interesting and unique management experiences. First was a Joint Commission survey where several people came in and inspected the entire hospital, kitchen included, with a fine-tooth comb. It’s something that every hospital must go through every 3 years, so the experience was incredibly valuable for an intern. Secondly, I got to help implement extreme weather protocol in a snowstorm that was supposed to bring Denver 3 feet of snow. We worked with other departments in the hospital to secure food and water stores for employees and patients and find rooms in the hospital for employees who wished to stay to work through the weekend. It was a very interesting experience and one that will be useful in any hospital management position.
Right now, I’m in my first round of clinical rotations. All my preceptors have been incredible in their encouragement and support. There have been a lot of very interesting patients as well as some very challenging ones. Recently I learned quite a bit from a patient about their autologous islet cell transplantation, something that I had no idea about until recently. Essentially their pancreas was removed and the islet cells were implanted into their liver to help produce pancreatic enzymes in its absence. The patient was very excited to talk about their procedure with us, which led to a great learning experience.
Overall, the internship so far has been a fantastic experience for multitudes of reasons, only made better by the guidance of my directors and the support of my preceptors. I look forward to my last few rotations and the bright horizon afterward.
