My name is Sarah Beth Massengale and I am a region 6 Sodexo dietetic intern based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I had the opportunity to complete my clinical, food service and pediatric concentration rotations at the area’s only Level 1 Trauma Center. Interning at this location exposed to many different conditions and disease states at all levels of severity. I am extremely grateful for the experience I gained during these rotations and so thankful for my preceptors that helped me out along the way.
During my clinical rotations I rotated among 7 different inpatient dietitians. Each dietitian covered specific floors and intensive care units including cardiovascular, renal, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, trauma, surgical, oncology, neurological, high risk pregnancy and orthopedics. I also had the opportunity to shadow a speech therapist and assist in a barium swallow study. During my food service rotation, I was able to plan a Mother’s Day meal for our patients. I received a lot of positive feedback for this project since patients were not allowed to have visitors to help celebrate this special day due to Covid-19 restrictions.
My favorite rotation so far has definitely been pediatrics. I was lucky enough to spend time in the pediatric ICU, the neonatal ICU, the pediatric acute care floor, inpatient oncology/hematology and a children’s cystic fibrosis outpatient clinic. I instructed parents how to mix infant formulas, helped them navigate their child’s tube feeding regimen, plotted growth charts, educated parents and children on their new diagnosis of type 1 diabetes and rounded with the pediatric oncology team weekly.
I plan to finish my internship hours this fall and then sit for the RD exam. Based on my experience as an intern, I hope to someday work as an RD either in a children’s hospital or an children’s outpatient clinic. I feel very blessed to have had such a positive internship experience and I feel very confident heading into a career as a registered dietitian. I can’t wait to see what my future holds!
During my clinical rotations I rotated among 7 different inpatient dietitians. Each dietitian covered specific floors and intensive care units including cardiovascular, renal, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, trauma, surgical, oncology, neurological, high risk pregnancy and orthopedics. I also had the opportunity to shadow a speech therapist and assist in a barium swallow study. During my food service rotation, I was able to plan a Mother’s Day meal for our patients. I received a lot of positive feedback for this project since patients were not allowed to have visitors to help celebrate this special day due to Covid-19 restrictions.
My favorite rotation so far has definitely been pediatrics. I was lucky enough to spend time in the pediatric ICU, the neonatal ICU, the pediatric acute care floor, inpatient oncology/hematology and a children’s cystic fibrosis outpatient clinic. I instructed parents how to mix infant formulas, helped them navigate their child’s tube feeding regimen, plotted growth charts, educated parents and children on their new diagnosis of type 1 diabetes and rounded with the pediatric oncology team weekly.
I plan to finish my internship hours this fall and then sit for the RD exam. Based on my experience as an intern, I hope to someday work as an RD either in a children’s hospital or an children’s outpatient clinic. I feel very blessed to have had such a positive internship experience and I feel very confident heading into a career as a registered dietitian. I can’t wait to see what my future holds!
