Hello Everyone! My name is Sara Wegener and I am a Sodexo Dietetic Intern in the distance program. I am 13 weeks into my program and am beginning to wrap up my clinical rotation at St. Anthony North Health Campus in Westminster Colorado. If you are reading this post, it is likely you are a current Intern, or a RD to be. If you are anything like I was, the thought of starting the clinical rotation was daunting. I am here to share my Clinical experience and leave a few tips to help you navigate your way.
I have had the opportunity to learn from, and work with three dietitians between the ICU, General medicine, and surgery floors. From day one, these dietitians set me up for success through their teaching and allowance for me to dive right in. In my first week, I was completing the nutrition screening and rounding daily with the multidisciplinary team. By my fifth week, I was completing patient education on my own, and discussing my recommendations for select patients with the nurses and doctors. Currently, in my staff relief rotations, I am more comfortable completing the daily task than I could have ever imagined.
I had never thought that Clinical Nutrition would be a niche for me, and I was dreading spending so many hours in a hospital setting. Now, I could never imagine the internship without it. I have learned about diseases, medication interactions and medical nutrition therapy at a deeper level than any case study. Also, there is no better feeling than doing a diet education for an overwhelmed patient that gets the “light bulb moment “ at the end, or when I recommend a tube feeding adjustment that alleviates a patients chronic diarrhea. Dietitians play such a large role in a clinical setting: improving quality of life through everyone’s favorite thing, FOOD.
I have compiled my three biggest take-aways for anyone completing his or her clinical rotation:
YOU GOT THIS! It is an awesome experience that the internship allows us all to have, and I am so glad they did.
I have had the opportunity to learn from, and work with three dietitians between the ICU, General medicine, and surgery floors. From day one, these dietitians set me up for success through their teaching and allowance for me to dive right in. In my first week, I was completing the nutrition screening and rounding daily with the multidisciplinary team. By my fifth week, I was completing patient education on my own, and discussing my recommendations for select patients with the nurses and doctors. Currently, in my staff relief rotations, I am more comfortable completing the daily task than I could have ever imagined.
I had never thought that Clinical Nutrition would be a niche for me, and I was dreading spending so many hours in a hospital setting. Now, I could never imagine the internship without it. I have learned about diseases, medication interactions and medical nutrition therapy at a deeper level than any case study. Also, there is no better feeling than doing a diet education for an overwhelmed patient that gets the “light bulb moment “ at the end, or when I recommend a tube feeding adjustment that alleviates a patients chronic diarrhea. Dietitians play such a large role in a clinical setting: improving quality of life through everyone’s favorite thing, FOOD.
I have compiled my three biggest take-aways for anyone completing his or her clinical rotation:
- Do not pass up an opportunity to experience anything offered (literally- intubations and extubations, procedures, wound care activities- ANYTHING.)
- Ask every questions that comes to mind, (in the appropriate setting) even those that are not specifically related to nutrition at that moment.
- TRUST YOURSELF! You know more than you think you do.
YOU GOT THIS! It is an awesome experience that the internship allows us all to have, and I am so glad they did.
