This week seems to be flying by. Julie and I have already had three days with our new preceptors. She is covering cardiology, CT, vascular, GI med, and GI liver with a former MUSC intern, while I am working with the only male dietitian on staff seeing Hematology/Oncology patients as well as those receiving heart transplants. We quickly learned each dietitian has their own style and are getting a lesson in flexibility. It seems that for each rotation it is wise to adopt the style of your current preceptor; use their terminology, their abbreviations, mimic their recommendations, respect their method. When June comes and we have a certificate in hand, then it will be time to personalize.
Today was a great day. My preceptor had the day off so Julie and I both followed her preceptor. From the start she gave us assignments, and sent us up on the floor to work as a team interviewing patients, talking to nurses, reviewing charts, and making recommendations. At the end of the day we looked at each other and realized we had been successful. We wrote a tube feeding order, gave patient education on diabetic and low sodium diets, assessed patients, and wrote follow up notes in the chart. We received very little feedback (we took this to mean we have little room for improvement...they might as well just go ahead and deem us registered dietitians). To top it off we saw all these patients in record time and were out the hospital door by 1:30, that's including our trip to the gift shop for celebratory yogurt covered pretzels. Not too shabby.
Tonight I'm off to Healthy Charleston Challenge, the hospital wellness center's weight loss program (think Biggest Loser only a bit healthier). The interns are divided into two groups, half of us providing nutrition counseling to the fall participants and the other half to the spring participants. Each intern has two-three teams we are in charge of providing counseling for, working out with, etc. This week will be the first "real meeting," as last week was more of a kick off, get excited orientation; no snacks, only bottled water. I'm excited for the chance to spend a whole semester with the same people. When dealing with touchy subjects like weight, I feel it is crucial to build relationships and build trust before piping in with a laundry list of do's and don'ts. I already feel a responsibility to research and learn so that I can counsel these people with healthy, practical, proven information and practices. I'll continue to keep you posted!!
Later this evening we are headed to a trendy little Charleston restaurant for the kick off of the Charleston Trident Dietetic Association. You just say free food and you are sure to have perfect attendance from the interns! So, that should be a good time to mingle and "network" with area dietitians. I hear MUSC sort of dominates these meetings (there are something like 29 dietitians on staff), but that just means we're already in with the popular crowd. : )
One final word: My new favorite beverage is Sprite Zero plus a splash of Simply Orange with mango. YUMMM! Try it!
Where are those scrub photos you promised?
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