Dietetic Internship
I will complete my dietetic internship in June 2013. The DI at the University of Virginia Health System is a 10-month long program with an emphasis on Adult and Pediatric Nutrition Support. It also includes a wide range of rotations from food service to community programs, as well as class days, a major capstone project, volunteer opportunities, and an affiliation week experience.
Rotations include:
Clinical Rotations - Inpatient & Outpatient
Inpatient Block:
Rotations include:
Clinical Rotations - Inpatient & Outpatient
Inpatient Block:
- General Medicine/Inpatient Oncology - Screened patients at nutrition risk, and developed nutrition care plans for a wide variety of general medicine patients.
- Inpatient Cardiology - Developed nutrition care plans for patients on the inpatient cardiology floor, including those with recent heart surgeries, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease or hypertension.
- Transitional Care Hospital - Developed nutrition care plans for more complex patients transitioning between the acute care setting and a more long-term facility or home.
- Neurology & Neurosurgery - Worked with patients on the inpatient neurology floors, and developed plans to optimize nutrition in patients with history of strokes, seizures, paralysis, or other neurological disorders.
- Digestive Health/General Surgery - Developed nutrition care plans for a variety of patients on the inpatient floors with gastrointestinal issues, including patients with ostomies, fistulas, Crohn's disease, whipples, and more.
- Outpatient Cardiology - Counseled patients in an outpatient setting, both in the Diabetes and Heart Disease Clinic as well as the Heart Failure Clinic.
- Nutrition Counseling Center at Northridge - Worked with patients on a variety of nutrition-related issues, including weight loss, eating disorders, Emotional Brain Training, and child dietary habits.
- Children's Fitness Clinic - Worked with children struggling with obesity and pre-diabetes to develop healthier lifestyle choices.
- Outpatient Oncology - Observed and counseled patients undergoing cancer treatment at the Emily Couric Cancer Center.
- Kluge Children's Rehab Center - Worked with children with developmental delays and other conditions to optimize nutrition status.
- Surgical Nutrition Support - Assessed, developed, and implemented nutrition care plans for a variety of surgical patients on enteral feeds or parenteral nutrition.
- Medicine Nutrition Support - Assessed, developed, and implemented nutrition care plans for a variety of general medicine patients on enteral feeds or parenteral nutrition.
- General Pediatrics/Pediatric Intensive Care - Worked with pediatric population either on the floor or in Intensive Care to develop and implement nutrition care plans. This included a large variety of conditions, from newly diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes, congenital heart defects, recent transplants, failure to thrive, or recent surgeries.
- Neonatal Nutrition Support - Developed nutrition care plans for pre-term infants or newborns with a variety of conditions in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
- Transplant - Abdominal and Heart/Lung - Developed nutrition care plans and gave post-surgery education to patients either waiting for a transplant or with a recent transplant.
- Nutrition Support Surgery Specialization - The intern is allowed to choose an area of specialization where they would like to repeat a rotation. I chose Nutrition Support Surgery Team, with a specific focus on burn or trauma patients.
- Health South Specialization - I also chose Health South Rehabilitation Facility as another area of specialization.
- Clinical Nutrition Management - In this rotation I gained experience in the management of clinical dietitians in a hospital setting. I learned about the hiring process, budget management, and leadership styles while observing a dietitian managing this department.
- Patient Services - Gained experience in the management of patient services in the hospital, overseeing the food production and distribution process for patients. I also was able to work in patient satisfaction, quality improvement projects, patient test tray analyses, and quality control of the food.
- Non-Patient Services - Learned about the retail food operations in the hospital, and planned catering menus and the theme meal.
- Advanced Management - Gained more in-depth experience in the management areas of Nutrition Services, including both patient and non-patient services. During this time I also hosted the theme meal promotion, "Bites from the Bayou."
- Inborn Errors of Metabolism - Worked with a variety of metabolic disorders, including Phenylketonuria and Urea Cycle Disorders.
- Geriatric Nutrition: Long Term Care - Worked with geriatric patients at the Westminster Canterbury Long Term Care Facility.
- Jefferson Area Board on Aging - Gave presentations on healthy eating habits to various senior centers in nearby counties.
- Nutrition and Health Promotion: UVA Student Health - Observed and took part in counseling sessions with college students from the University of Virginia.
- Affiliation Week: Office of Child Nutrition in Jackson, MS - Gained experience in child nutrition policies, with an emphasis on the School Lunch/Breakfast Programs, and attended a foodservice conference on the new school regulations. Also worked with some new tobacco and health policies around the state.