Hello! My name is Tyler Strzemieczny and I am a region 4 intern from Southern New Jersey. I am currently in my community rotation at MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper in Vorhees/Camden NJ. Prior to starting my community rotation, I completed my Foodservice Management, Clinical, and Wellness concentration rotations at Cooper University Hospital. Interning at Cooper has given me such a great insight on how a dietitian can thrive in the hospital and the many different challenges one can encounter.
During my clinical rotation, I was able to intern with a different dietitian every two weeks. Seeing the different approaches these dietitians had truly helped me formulate my own. Although I was intimidated at first, I quickly learned to adapt to the nature of clinical dietetics as I conducted numerous nutrition assessments and diet educations daily. The dietitians at Cooper went above and beyond to help me improve throughout my rotation, offering important constructive criticism, insight, and tips to help me succeed. This allowed me to gain a great amount of confidence each week until I was able to work independently during my staff relief rotation.
Now that I am currently interning with an outpatient oncology dietitian, I am able to gain insight on the path of patients during their hospital admission and after at the outpatient center. Prior to beginning this internship program, I had always seen myself as an outpatient dietitian, and to have this experience at MD Anderson, I am sure the outpatient setting is where would like to begin my career.
During my clinical rotation, I was able to intern with a different dietitian every two weeks. Seeing the different approaches these dietitians had truly helped me formulate my own. Although I was intimidated at first, I quickly learned to adapt to the nature of clinical dietetics as I conducted numerous nutrition assessments and diet educations daily. The dietitians at Cooper went above and beyond to help me improve throughout my rotation, offering important constructive criticism, insight, and tips to help me succeed. This allowed me to gain a great amount of confidence each week until I was able to work independently during my staff relief rotation.
Now that I am currently interning with an outpatient oncology dietitian, I am able to gain insight on the path of patients during their hospital admission and after at the outpatient center. Prior to beginning this internship program, I had always seen myself as an outpatient dietitian, and to have this experience at MD Anderson, I am sure the outpatient setting is where would like to begin my career.
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One of my favorite experiences of this internship program was during my foodservice management and wellness concentration rotations. I was able to promote Sodexo’s wellness program “Mindful,” which has over 100 healthy recipes that are sold in the Cooper hospital cafeteria. I conducted numerous live cooking demos to show the Cooper staff that there are healthy recipes available every day in the cafeteria that taste great too. I handed out recipe cards and samples to increase sales and excite the Cooper staff to try the healthier lunch entrees. By promoting the Mindful program and its recipes, we were able to match the total sales of other popular entrees and educate the staff on how to make healthier food choices in the cafeteria. Working on these events with the Senior Executive Chef, and Operations Manager was a ton of fun and helped me feel more comfortable speaking in front of crowds.
Even though these rotations have been challenging, this internship has been a great experience that has allowed me to grow in ways that would not have been possible without Sodexo. My advice to future interns would be to enjoy your rotations, try your best to work on your weaknesses early, and continually study as you go. Your preceptors and directors are here to help you, so don’t hesitate to ask questions when you feel stuck.
Even though these rotations have been challenging, this internship has been a great experience that has allowed me to grow in ways that would not have been possible without Sodexo. My advice to future interns would be to enjoy your rotations, try your best to work on your weaknesses early, and continually study as you go. Your preceptors and directors are here to help you, so don’t hesitate to ask questions when you feel stuck.
