Exemplary First-Time FSM Precepting
This past December I transitioned from completing my three consecutive community rotations into my first food service management rotation. I would have never guessed that my preceptor had not had at least a year or two under her belt during my time spent with her at Marian Regional Medical Center as a manager. My first FSM rotation under Kelly’s mentorship was incredibly insightful, appreciated, and extremely valuable to me.
Kelly Tomita’s interest in the dietetics field began at a young age, always being interested in wellness and health since her days of playing high school sports. During this time, she attended a women’s sport’s conference in which she was inspired and intrigued by a sports and nutrition dietitian to look further into the dietetic profession. As she progressed through school, she further investigated programs of study related to kinesiology as well as nutrition. She was accepted into Cal Poly’s DPD and continued the path to becoming an RD, while still completing a separate internship program through Athlete’s Performance, now known as EXOS, specializing in sports nutrition with collegiate athletes. Upon its completion, she progressed on to her combined Masters in Dietetics and Dietetic Internship Program at Sam Houston State University. Fast forward a little more, and Kelly has returned to California’s beautiful central coast to contribute to Dignity Health’s network at Marian Regional Medical Center, first as an outpatient oncology dietitian, to then clinical dietitian, and finally, the Patient Services Manager of the Food and Nutrition Services. This is where I come in as her first dietetic intern.
Kelly showed me the ropes when it came down to several of the duties she takes on during her work days. This included creating diet clerk schedules as well as the schedules of the eleven clinical dietitians on staff at the medical center. She allowed me to perform data collection based on test trays, invited me to attend manager’s meetings, observe the interview of a clinical dietitian applicant, perform inventory checks, and review stock of the kitchen with kitchen employees. There are things I’ve missed, but this post isn’t necessarily about me. Let me fill you in on why I know Kelly is an exemplary first-time food service management preceptor.
Immediately during the first week, I noticed that Kelly is always there to help her team succeed in the day’s deeds. On my first day shadowing her during trayline, I witnessed her refilling the cook’s stacks of heated-base plates as well as lids (which she does every day) as well as ensuring there were enough trays for service. It didn’t stop there though as it often got hectic in the kitchen. Kelly doesn’t wait around for an employee to return from delivery to deliver a recently-filled cart of trays; she will take the cart to the designated floor and unit herself. Of course, she does have the patient experience in mind when helping, but this act is more than that as she leads by example. When I asked her during our brief interview what has inspired her to do so she stated, “I want to show my employees I’m going to help them. If I see they’re busy, I’m going to help them because they’re always helping me.” And of course, who could forget the holiday meal where the department and its managers pushed out enough food to serve 1200 people, including staff, families, and residents? Kelly ensured that the kitchen team had her full support by showing up and being fully hands-on with any of the tasks they needed help with.
This has been Kelly’s first experience as a manager, but she’s let me know that she’s still learning as she approaches her 1-year anniversary this upcoming June. All the while, she has ensured that she connects with her staff not just on a managerial level. To her, it's the little things that matter about her staff, such as asking how their families are, the new baby, progress in school. “It’s going the extra mile to cultivate a more personal relationship,” making it more genuine and allowing others to feel appreciated and valued. “Hello humankindness.” is Dignity Health’s current slogan, and I believe Kelly is fully embodying it as Marian’s Patient Services manager.