Rx for Becoming a Clinical Dietitian
In my experience, clinical dietetics either makes you really nervous or really excited. I’m one of the crazy ones on the latter side where I hope to work in a clinical setting down the road. Currently, I’m living the clinical life six weeks into my clinical rotation. For those who don’t quite share my enthusiasm for clinical dietetics, I thought I’d share some tips I’ve learned along the way. While I’m no expert, hopefully my tips below ease some of the nerves.
#1: Make Cheat Sheets
A few weeks into my clinical rotation I found myself continuing to look up the same medications over and over again and never remembering them. I remembered in preparation for this rotation, my preceptor had me define a list of commonly used medications. Using my list saved so much time when reviewing patient charts allowing me to see more patients throughout the day. While it may seem simple, having a collection of resources readily available will help you work more efficiently. Rather than Googling every new medication and medical abbreviation (I’m still working on this!), you can easily refer to a collection of common medications you’ve already defined. Post them in your office for easy reference and a unique decoration. In time, once you’re a superstar dietitian, you probably won’t need to reference them as often. In which case you not only get a nice reminder that you’re learning and becoming a better clinical dietitian, but you also have a resource to pass onto upcoming interns when you become a preceptor.
#2: Be Confident
Confidence- kind of a heavy word. Being confident is something I think most of us would agree we’re working on. While it probably won’t happen overnight, having confidence in your MNT knowledge when working in a clinical setting is really important. Remember that you’re the nutrition expert! This tip comes straight from my clinical preceptors. They remind me I’m really the only advocate the patient has regarding their nutrition. Therefore, it’s my job to make sure they’re being nourished optimally during admit. For me this has meant speaking up in rounds when a patient has been NPO (nothing per oral) for five days and the doctor hasn’t made any mention of advancing the diet (this happens more often than you would think). Have faith in your nutrition knowledge, be bold, and speak up for your patients when the doctors forget that people need/like to eat!
#3: Nutrition is Treatment
This is one of my new favorite phrases. During a recent class session, we had guest speaker Susan Swadener, PhD, RDN speak to our class about nutrition for patients with intellectual deficits. She mentioned this phrase in reference to the importance of nutrition in someone’s care (see tip #2 for more on this). To me, nutrition as treatment is a good reminder that just like medicine or surgeries, nutrition is a way to make positive changes in the course of someone’s medical care. Something I’m really passionate about is the connection between nutrition and chronic disease. In the future I hope to help patients with chronic disease use diet to manage and prevent the progression of their symptoms, working specifically with GI patients. Basically, using nutrition as treatment in chronic disease. Susan was able to simplify what I feel most called to do into three words! So, when you’re reviewing a patient’s chart and discussing their care with the various members of the multidisciplinary team, remember nutrition does play a role in the patient’s overall well being.
You Got This!
Make cheat sheets, be confident, and remember nutrition is a form of treatment. These are just three tips I’ve discovered during the various forms of clinical dietetics I’ve experienced. If you’re still nervous for clinical, don’t worry, you’re probably not alone. Being nervous is a sign you care! Embrace the nerves, review your MNT notes, and cross the automatic doors into the hospital knowing you got this!