Certifiably Safe in the Kitchen

Took my ServSafe exam today- it’s a 90 question computerized test all about food safety. It covers foodborne illness, ideal cooking temperatures, types of hazards to foodservice, the flow of food all the way from the farm to being in front of the person eating it, and other areas. Passing is 75%, I received a 96% 🙂 Another thing to put on the resume!

Tomorrow I start on my FSNE rotation. First up is going to Broadneck High School (Anne Arundel County) to talk to volunteers about providing nutrition education (a unique kind of class where we will be teaching the teachers) and then to Montgomery County to teach a 3rd grade class about “Growing Healthy Habits”. The 3rd graders will be fun for sure, but I am really excited to visit Broadneck because I actually went to high school there! Yeah Bruins class of 2006!!

Well-Fed, Well-Rested, Back to Work

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know I had a lot to be thankful for, and I was able to celebrate it with a lot of family and friends. I always vow to not act like a dietitian on Thanksgiving- I am in overall good health so one day of eating a lot of not-so-ideal-foods (avoiding the painful overstuffing, that is) will not do TOO much damage! I was even able to celebrate it with my significant other’s family, so I got a different perspective on the holiday meal.

The Grilled Turkey End Result! Yum

For example, my dad always grills our turkey outside on his Weber. This year,
however, I ate an oven-roasted turkey (stuffed with fruit) that was done excellently! (The year before, they had buried the turkey in a pit in the backyard and smoked it…apparently turned out pretty good though?)  My sister sent me a pretty awesome picture of the BBQ turkey, and let me assure you that the leftovers are delicious! What other ways do you prepare a turkey besides grilling, baking, or burying?

Now, it’s Sunday, and I’ve been on break from my dietetic internship since last Wednesday. It’s been nice to get a breather but I am excited for my next rotation with the Food Supplement Nutrition Education Program, where I go around the state of Maryland to help give nutrition educations. Tomorrow, however, is a class day. We are going to Riderwood Village to a computer lab to take a food safety exam to become ServSafe certified! Better go study!

Closing Thoughts on Clinical

Posing with 3 of the amazing RDs I worked with for the majority of clinical!

Let me start out by clearing something up- when I claim “I Survived!” I am not trying to imply that there was doubt of my survival or that it was hard to get through.  On the contrary, actually. It’s just that most past dietetic interns I’ve spoken to have said that clinical is intense and pretty overwhelming at times.  I’m not going to say it wasn’t a little tough at certain points along the way, but that’s how you know you’re getting something out of it.  If it was super easy and a breeze to get through, what good would that do?  Bottom line is to not be afraid of a clinical rotation because you don’t think it’s for you or because you don’t think you’ll be good at it or you’ve heard it’s hard…or whatever.  Because I thought all of those things and look at me now- I loved it and wish I could have stayed longer!

I Survived!

Goofing off with another intern on my last day!

And clinical turned out to be a truly wonderful experience that I will miss very much! In addition to working with great dietitians, I got to spend a lot of time with another intern from a distance program.  So it’s been 12 weeks into my dietetic internship…and the “hardest” (or so I’ve heard?) rotation is out of the way.

Next week we have two class days and then are off for Thanksgiving. The week after, I will be working with the Food Supplement Nutrition Education program (FSNE), which is part of Maryland Cooperative Extension.

Critically Progressive

It is my last week in clinical!  I cannot believe it.  Next week we have two class days and are off for 3 days for Thanksgiving.  Then I will start my other various dietetic internship rotations, which are in MUCH quicker succession.  Hopefully my blog will get a lot more interesting 🙂

Glued to my calculator figuring out tube feeding orders.

Staff relief has been wonderful.  It’s been my favorite part of the internship so far- I’m basically a dietitian at the hospital.  The independence is great!  Last week I was mostly covering the critical care unit as well as a few med/surg patients.  I ended up doing so many tube feedings that I’ve become really comfortable with ordering them.  This week, however, my preceptor has put me on a different floor; I saw oncology and progressive care patients (with many different diagnoses).  The variety is refreshing…as well as the ability to actually speak to my patients, which is my favorite part!

Photo Evidence!

For the UMD College Park dietetic internship, we are encouraged to take photos on our various rotations and use them on the internship blog, facebook, and our websites that we are making.  Well, I finally got around to uploading some pictures from my camera and I remembered that I took a photo from when I was at the VA.  Here is a picture of me with a few of the dietitians I had the pleasure of working with! (I am second to the left)

Staff “Relief”?

It’s down to the final two weeks of my dietetic internship clinical rotation: staff relief.  This is when I return to my original hospital that I spent 8 weeks at to perform as a fully-functioning dietitian.  After spending two amazing weeks at the VA, returning to my old hospital and trying to get back into how they do things was a little stressful at first.  For example, at the VA dietitians recommended tube feeding orders that the doctors could order, by describing it in notes that they submitted to the chart.  At the hospital I am at now, the dietitians actually put in the order themselves.  Since it is computerized, it took me a while to remember all the various steps of submitting the tube feeding formula, initiation, rate, additional instructions, attaching physicians, and electronically signing.  Luckily I picked it

Environment is Everything

The VA hosts many medical students, interns, and residents.  Because of this educational environment, this site is little different than other non-teaching hospitals.  Being a medical student is surely overwhelming at times; in the hospital environment there is so much pressure to know everything about everything.  These students/interns/residents as a result are very open to suggestions from other medical concentrations, such as nursing staff or dietitians.  I have observed a few instances where

Week 1 at the VA

At a red light going into the city, with a view of the Baltimore Ravens Stadium.

Last week I had the chance to visit the Baltimore VA (Veterans Affairs) Medical Center. I get to experience more of it this week before I return to do my staff relief at my original hospital starting next Monday.

Going into the middle of the city was a little intimidating. Although I have lived most of my life in Maryland, Baltimore is not a place that I am very familiar with. Plus I HATE driving through cities (DC is terrifying and I vow to never drive in NYC). However, armed with my mom’s GPS, a labcoat, and an open mind,