Hi, my name is Renee Walker and I am an intern from region 11. As I approach the end of my dietetic internship and look back on my journey these past several months, I am so thankful for all the amazing experiences I’ve had. One of the best things about the Sodexo internship has been the wide variety of opportunities I have had and all the great people I have met and worked with along the way. I started my internship in food service management and helped provide meals for over 1,200 pre-K through 12th grade students each day at Colorado Academy. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to teach nutrition education for all the 1st and 3rd grade classes during my time there.
My community nutrition rotations became some of my most valuable and memorable experiences. I provided nutrition counseling to adults and children with eating disorders and mental illness, provided outpatient diabetes education, and helped with nutrition counseling for oncology patients at two outpatient clinics. My most rewarding experience was helping with nutrition assessment and counseling for kidney and liver transplant candidates and recipients.
I’m currently approaching the end of my clinical rotation and critical care concentration. I’ve been very fortunate to be at St. Anthony Hospital, one of the busiest Level I trauma centers in Colorado and where the Flight-for-Life program began. With over 70 ICU beds and a high acuity patient population, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in ICU rounds daily and have learned more than I could have imagined in a very short amount of time. My preceptors have been so helpful and supportive in my journey. In early March, I was able to provide healthy snacks and nutrition education for staff and visitors for National Nutrition Month.
Due to COVID-19, like myself, most students and interns have not been able to participate onsite for rotations the past few months. Thankfully, Sodexo has provided a wealth of alternate learning experiences, opportunities, and projects to help ensure that we don’t miss a beat in our learning and competencies. We’ve all had to make some adjustments and be flexible in this crazy time. Some of us who are parents are also adjusting to our children learning from home, as well as our spouses working from home. There have been some great benefits from learning from home. It has given me the chance to learn about other areas I’m interested in, like pediatric nutrition. I’ve been able to work on projects remotely with other hospitals, like a volume based enteral feeding protocol and tracking program, and customer service training for food service staff. I also can’t complain that I get the chance to learn outside on my patio on beautiful sunny days! The last few months have been a good reminder for all of us that unexpected things can and will happen in life. You may have to adjust your course a bit, but with hard work and determination, you will succeed! Best wishes to all you future RDs out there!
My community nutrition rotations became some of my most valuable and memorable experiences. I provided nutrition counseling to adults and children with eating disorders and mental illness, provided outpatient diabetes education, and helped with nutrition counseling for oncology patients at two outpatient clinics. My most rewarding experience was helping with nutrition assessment and counseling for kidney and liver transplant candidates and recipients.
I’m currently approaching the end of my clinical rotation and critical care concentration. I’ve been very fortunate to be at St. Anthony Hospital, one of the busiest Level I trauma centers in Colorado and where the Flight-for-Life program began. With over 70 ICU beds and a high acuity patient population, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in ICU rounds daily and have learned more than I could have imagined in a very short amount of time. My preceptors have been so helpful and supportive in my journey. In early March, I was able to provide healthy snacks and nutrition education for staff and visitors for National Nutrition Month.
Due to COVID-19, like myself, most students and interns have not been able to participate onsite for rotations the past few months. Thankfully, Sodexo has provided a wealth of alternate learning experiences, opportunities, and projects to help ensure that we don’t miss a beat in our learning and competencies. We’ve all had to make some adjustments and be flexible in this crazy time. Some of us who are parents are also adjusting to our children learning from home, as well as our spouses working from home. There have been some great benefits from learning from home. It has given me the chance to learn about other areas I’m interested in, like pediatric nutrition. I’ve been able to work on projects remotely with other hospitals, like a volume based enteral feeding protocol and tracking program, and customer service training for food service staff. I also can’t complain that I get the chance to learn outside on my patio on beautiful sunny days! The last few months have been a good reminder for all of us that unexpected things can and will happen in life. You may have to adjust your course a bit, but with hard work and determination, you will succeed! Best wishes to all you future RDs out there!
