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Mike Dorben - Distance Option

4/15/2019

 
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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. ​

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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.

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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.


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