Aloha! Ciao! Hello everyone, my name is Rose Wenderski. I live in the rainbow state of Hawaii, part of region 12. I am currently in the last week of my advanced clinical rotation. For my blog post, I would like to share a highlight from my food service rotation. I will preface by stating that I have been a vegetarian since age 3. During my food service rotation, I did my hours at an all-girls Catholic school. At my food service rotation, I created a vegetarian dish. I sold my dish to students as a lunch menu item. I created a dish called Kung Wow. The dish was comprised of Kung Pao Tofu with sautéed vegetables and one scoop of rice. The dish ran for two weeks, and over 26 students ordered my lunch option. I was so grateful for the opportunity to share vegetarian dishes with students. The dish was a success and will be featured every couple of months as a secondary lunch option for the students to order.
Next, I would like to share a bit about my clinical rotation. I know clinical can seem overwhelming at first, but after a couple weeks, you will get the hang of it and be able to see patients on your own. I can confidently say that I can see up to 8 patients a day, mostly on my own. The start of my clinical rotation begins each day with screening patient’s floors. I follow the hospital's guidelines, of which patients are considered high priority and need a nutritional assessment. Just know as an intern, you might be doing a lot of diet education. After I screen patients, I pick the top 8 patients with top priority and need to be seen. Next, I look in the electronic medical record for each patient's medical information. I look at anthropometric measurements, past medical history, doctor’s notes, and current diet orders. Next, I go to the patient’s room and conduct a nutrition assessment by asking questions about their appetite, symptoms they experience, appetite at home, and weight history. Next, I look for any physical signs of malnutrition. The malnutrition screening tool is a must have when entering patient's rooms. Around 1 in 3 patients in the hospital are considered malnourished. After I see patients, I sit and chart on patients and diagnose patients with a nutrition-related problem.
Here are some quick tips that have helped me during my clinical rotations.
Here are some quick tips that have helped me during my clinical rotations.
- Bring the malnutrition screening tool into every patient room
- Be comfortable with the nutrition care process
- Bring a pocket handbook or nutrition textbook with you
- Have access to the nutrition care process terminology
- Be familiar with some popular disease states (diabetes, ESRD, and cardiac)
- Bring a positive attitude – clinicals are challenging but know you are stronger than you think and know that you will get through this.
