Hello there! My name is Shelby and I am a dietetic intern at Sodexo’s Baltimore/Washington Campus. I have had the pleasure of completing my rotations with Dimensions Health Care at two of their hospitals – Laurel Regional Hospital and Prince George’s Hospital Center. The Sodexo dietitians at Dimensions are constantly going above and beyond for their patients and clients in the community. Each dietitian has a dynamic role in the health of their community that extends beyond the hospital – through impacting wellness or outpatient counseling, the dietitians at Dimensions are superstars.
With their guidance, I have had the opportunity to participate in wellness events throughout my food service and clinical rotations. Being dually involved clinically and in the community, I continue to remain grounded. It can be easy to get wrapped up in the clinical setting. Your patients are critical and require your attention. Certainly the goal is long-term health, but more immediately, the goal is to improve the current condition. This focus on the immediate and short-term can act as blinders to long-term nutrition goals. By playing a part in both the clinical and community setting, the dietitians here have given me the opportunity to avoid those clinical blinders.
In one event I manned a booth with a former Sodexo intern, now Sodexo dietitian where the focus was on diabetes management during the holidays. This event was perfectly scheduled just before Thanksgiving. Our booth was littered with handouts and samples. The handouts focused on carb controlled entrée options and finding the hidden sugar in our meals. It was great timing! People had lots of questions and we even ran out of recipe cards.
Leading up to these health fairs I get to play with my handout design tools and research fun recipes. It’s a nice break from poring over research articles! Also, I loved talking to people who were actively choosing to participate in health education. Naturally, the next day I was refreshed and ready to don my white coat and delve back into the world of clinical nutrition.
With their guidance, I have had the opportunity to participate in wellness events throughout my food service and clinical rotations. Being dually involved clinically and in the community, I continue to remain grounded. It can be easy to get wrapped up in the clinical setting. Your patients are critical and require your attention. Certainly the goal is long-term health, but more immediately, the goal is to improve the current condition. This focus on the immediate and short-term can act as blinders to long-term nutrition goals. By playing a part in both the clinical and community setting, the dietitians here have given me the opportunity to avoid those clinical blinders.
In one event I manned a booth with a former Sodexo intern, now Sodexo dietitian where the focus was on diabetes management during the holidays. This event was perfectly scheduled just before Thanksgiving. Our booth was littered with handouts and samples. The handouts focused on carb controlled entrée options and finding the hidden sugar in our meals. It was great timing! People had lots of questions and we even ran out of recipe cards.
Leading up to these health fairs I get to play with my handout design tools and research fun recipes. It’s a nice break from poring over research articles! Also, I loved talking to people who were actively choosing to participate in health education. Naturally, the next day I was refreshed and ready to don my white coat and delve back into the world of clinical nutrition.
