Crossing Paths into Nutrition
During my time at hospice and home health I met two intelligent and sensitive Registered Dietitian Nutritionists, Brianna and Susan, who I was delighted to call my preceptors. They both brought superb skills to the field and made me realize it’s more than just knowledge that makes a great RDN. It’s also about building rapport, being empathetic and listening patiently to clients to provide the utmost care. Without these principles, patients won’t trust you with their medical problems and you won’t be able to extract well needed information to provide accurate nutrition therapy.
Although this may have been my first time meeting these preceptors, our paths have crossed before. A little about my background: I had started my nutrition journey growing up in Massachusetts, then attending the University of Arizona to pursue my bachelor’s degree and finally being accepted into the fabulous Cal Poly Dietetic Internship. During my initial meeting with Susan I found out that she had pursued her Dietetic Internship and Master’s degree at the University of Arizona. It was great to discuss teachers, past rotations and the well-known University of Arizona Medical Center with her. Midway during her Master’s degree she moved back to California and resided at Cal Poly to finish her degree where she worked on creating the Cal Poly Dietetic Internship! Susan worked on this project due to the lack of available internships in the Central Coast of California. It’s crazy to think that without her I wouldn’t be in this beautiful city earning my credentials!
The connection between Brianna’s path and mine was no different. We had also shared similarities when she went to school at Boston University in Massachusetts. Coming from the area, we discussed our combined love of the city and all the great opportunities it presented itself with. Even traveling from a different state, it is great knowing Dietitians can share similar experiences and educational backgrounds. I know, you’ve heard it time and time before, but it really is true, nutrition is a small field! You’ll quickly meet many of the Dietitians in whatever area you pursue allowing you to expand your knowledge and grow together in such a delightful profession.
This rotation was one of my favorites due to the great preceptors and the array of opportunities it brought. Not many people think of hospice and home health as an area to pursue as a Dietitian, however I’m here to say consider it! Hospice and home health are unique because of the variety of populations you work with, the flexibility the job brings and lastly, the interesting places you visit! Both preceptors Brianna and Susan stated how great it is to combine hospice and home health into one in order to keep their job interesting and I agree. You may ask, what’s the difference? Well, hospice focuses on determining health status and providing comfort needs to patients, whereas home health hones in on educating patients on a vast array of topics. Both areas provide job satisfaction allowing you to put your RDN skills to work by providing great care to a delicate population in desperate need.
To future dietetic interns, the next time you meet an RDN, ask a multitude of questions about their educational and personal journey. You’ll never know if one day you too will find a similar cross in nutritional paths!