Hi everyone! My name is Mike Dorben from Pittsburgh, PA, and I am a member of Sodexo’s distance dietetic internship program. I have been blessed with some great experiences, and I am proud to say that I am getter closer and closer to finishing. Right now, I am in my diabetes education rotation at Ohio Valley Hospital, just outside of Pittsburgh. I have learned so much working side-by-side with a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE). While diabetes education is clearly the focus of this rotation, I have been able to participate in some other great opportunities that I didn’t expect (or necessarily prepare) to. One awesome feature of the distance option is the flexibility that it gives interns to complete assignments for multiple rotations at a time. I took full advantage of this during my time at Ohio Valley Hospital.
As a part of the internship, distance interns are required to give three presentation to three different age groups. At the start of my diabetes rotation, I was 0 for 3 for presentations. Opportunity struck as a physician that was scheduled to give a lecture at Ohio Valley’s annual diabetes day was forced to cancel. My preceptor offered to give me the timeslot 10 days before the event. I was admittedly nervous about piecing together a lecture in less than 2 weeks, but I said “Yes.” I chose heart health and diabetes as my topic and diligently went to work. The deadline was tight, but it all worked out. I presented to a packed room of over 50 Diabetes Day attendees who were grateful for my information.
Saying “yes” also gave me the chance to successfully collaborate with Ohio Valley’s marketing and dietary departments on a National Nutrition Month event. I attended a dietary department meeting the first week of the rotation, and the topic of National Nutrition Month came up. The director has a culinary background and wanted to feature a dish in the retail cafeteria. I pitched the idea of a Mediterranean diet-approved dish. We used the recipe database that the hospital has access to and agreed upon a “Roasted Sumac Salmon and Farro Bowl.” We worked together with the hospital’s marketing department to develop promotional materials. I created an informational handout about farro and handed out free samples of our featured dish at the entranceway to the cafeteria. It ended up being a great event that was made possible by saying “yes.”
After seven months of hands-on training to become a dietitian, I can certainly say that I am looking forward to graduation. However, I will cherish the experiences I have had thus far. Besides learning about tube feeding, micronutrients, and food science, there are many more lessons to learn. By being open to experiences, I have been able to step out of my comfort zone and sharpen my skills. These are the types of experiences that will let me take my career as far as I want to.
After seven months of hands-on training to become a dietitian, I can certainly say that I am looking forward to graduation. However, I will cherish the experiences I have had thus far. Besides learning about tube feeding, micronutrients, and food science, there are many more lessons to learn. By being open to experiences, I have been able to step out of my comfort zone and sharpen my skills. These are the types of experiences that will let me take my career as far as I want to.
