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It seems like just yesterday, we were starting our dietetic internship with Nutricopia. Now with the end approaching, we can look back and reflect on our great journey. With the internship moving relatively fast, three months in foodservice and four months in clinical, we've learned how valuable it was to act upon and cherish every learning opportunity that came our way.
Noora's foodservice rotation was at Saratoga Retirement Community, where she had the opportunity to work with wonderful people who were very helpful and supportive of all of her new ideas and experiments. Noora reports:
"I really enjoyed working with the dietary manager, DSS, chef, kitchen staff, cooks, and of course the lovely residents. Being in the kitchen every day, enabled me to understand the process of preparing raw foods into ready to eat meals by following recipes, using appropriate equipment, and maintaining food at the correct temperature. I also learned the importance of offering residents foods that are presentable, palatable, with the correct portion and texture. As part of my food service competency, I was able to introduce new snacks and entrees items to the menu, which opened a door for me to become creative and have a better perspective on the functionality of menus. My three months at Saratoga Retirement Community were challenging at times, but also exciting and rewarding."
Shealy spent the majority of her foodservice rotation at Lincoln Glen Manor, a retirement community, where she greatly enjoyed her experience working with dedicated and knowledgeable individuals. Shealy reports:
"I had a unique experience at this facility as they are going through a complete dining room and kitchen remodel. I was able to learn the ins and outs of this process and the minute details they have to follow in regards to policy and procedure. I was able to readily give my input and I felt like my ideas and recommendations mattered. I catered to the residents as much as possible, modifying and tailoring a cycle menu to their food preferences and feedback from attending food committees. I was also given the opportunity to give an informative presentation to the residents on controlling blood cholesterol, a topic they had shown considerable interest in."
During our clinical rotation, we both agree that at first it was quite overwhelming to learn a myriad of new medications, nutritional assessment calculations, and providing residents with the appropriate tube feeding formulas and rates. However, with lots of practice and shadowing very helpful and experienced Nutricopia RDs, we became more competent in medical nutrition therapy interventions, and providing residents with suitable therapeutic diets and supplements. Working at different facilities provided us with a more diverse and broad perspective on medical nutrition therapy for the elderly population.
At last, we would like to thank all of the RDs we have encountered during this journey. Each and every one of you have been wonderful mentors and a great source of knowledge to us. First, we would like to thank Sam Ousey for being very supportive, understanding, and a great preceptor. We would also like to thank Kim B., Wency, Aga, Kim De la Rosa, Marta, Tony and Veronica for being kind, patient, and extremely helpful. We owe our success to your efforts, and therefore we cannot thank you enough. Wishing you all the best in the New Year! |
