MERRY CHRISTMAS CATCH UP

Hey everyone,

So here's the deal....I've had a lot less time to do this whole blogging thing than I anticipated. HOWEVER, I'm not a quitter! Also the whole purpose of this blog was to help people thinking about or applying to dietetic internships have a better idea of what to expect. I'm being optimistic that it's not just my family and friends reading this, but younger dietetic students as well, so I don't want to give up on them! With that said, I'm just going to travel back in time a little and try to catch y'all up so we can all enter 2011 on the same page!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Accommodating Obese Patients
Hospital takes extraordinary measures for supersized patients - at what cost?
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/accommodating-obese-patients-12187791?&clipId=12187791&playlistId=7981746&cid=siteplayer

Trying to catch up!!!

Now that my workload has decreased a bit, I’ll be able to catch y'all up on everything that’s been going on. Well actually, my workload is probably about the same, it’s just now I’m done with Food Service (WOOOHOOO!) so I don’t fall asleep the minute I get home. I actually worked out & did homework after rotation this week! It was amazing. I just finished my first clinical rotation (loved it!!) and I’m leaving TODAY for Boston for the Food & Nutrition Conference and Expo. Very excited about it and have lots to report on clinical, but that will have to wait until I get back on Monday. I need to fill you in on how Room Service “go live” went first!!

So I got through my midterm…aced it actually. Yes, I’m bragging but after what I went through the week before & after, I feel like I deserve that right. That includes my now infamous day of being in the kitchen from 7:00am-5:45pm….and interns are really only scheduled for 8 hr days. It was also the same day I was asked to run my fingers over every surface of the new kitchen equipment and mark every time I cut myself. And let me let you…I cut myself a lot!! Yeah it was pretty miserable, but fortunately my harp abilities provide me with calluses for protection. I should point out though that it was not my preceptor or any UAB employee who asked me to do this. This was still before “go live” and of course my preceptor was extremely busy and I just kind of helped everyone. It was one of the food coaches who asked me to do it, and I don’t really think he understood what a Dietetic Intern’s normal responsibilities are….like usually they don’t include self harm, lol!

Ok now to “go live” on Sunday….well everyone survived. They had something like 350 extra trays. It was crazy but it was bound to be. There are some kinks you just can’t work out until you get started. By the end of the week they were really getting it down. All of the food coaches had left and I started timing trays from print to patient’s room. UAB is currently a 1140 bed hospital (HUGE) so you can imagine some of these trays have to travel quite far to reach a patient’s room. The new Women’s Center is one of the furthest places away and I timed a tray the got to the patient in 25 minutes! That’s pretty awesome. There are still issues like never having enough menus and the call center not always remembering supplement orders, but I think they’ll get through it. Good job UAB Food Service! Below is a link to a little video made about the change to Room Service. 

Also just to provide that you do have time for fun as an intern and so my food service experience doesn’t scare anyone away, here’s a picture of me dressing up for Halloween. I was trying to get my cat in it with me so it’s a bit awkward but it also shows off my new haircut. 

October 17th 2010...GO LIVE @ UAB

"go live" is the term they've been using at UAB for the start of room service. It officially starts tomorrow @ 7 am. It's been an interesting yet incredibly exhausting week. Originally I was going to go in on Sunday so I could see everything happen. However not only do I have a midterm and a bunch of projects due on Monday...I'm sick!! Yeah can't say I'm surprised. Long hours, high stress,  & little sleep alway is the perfect combination for me getting sick. But back to the topic of UAB room service...I wish I could fully explain how big of a deal this is. No hospital this size has ever done this before, and if UAB's pulls it off, it's likely other major hospitals like John Hopkins & Mass General will be next. Local media and press came to do some filming on Thursday. An entire "room service coaching team" flew in on Wednesday. They've been helping UAB get ready for this. One of them said he got a bite from the NY Times so there's a chance they'll do a piece about it. The coaches crack me up. You've got each of your chef stereotypes...the posh french chef, the bad boy tattooed chef, the very very large chef, and the micro manager. :) But seriously, they're all great and such a help. So everyone keep your fingers crossed that I'm able to give you a positive report after Sunday!! Get ready!!

On a side note...I found this on the ADA website. When I applied everything was paper and pretty much a huge pain. This would probably have been quite helpful.

Welcome to UAB..Can I take your order?

Hello world!! Sorry it's been a while since I've written something on here. The semester is picking up and everything is just getting a little bit busier. The past few weeks I've been at UAB hospital completing my required Food Service rotations. I've already done Production, Management/Computers, and Finance. I have two weeks in Patient Services left that start next Tuesday. It's been an interesting experience so far, and much more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Food Service is definitely my least favorite area of the dietetic scope of practice. However UAB hospital is about (like in a week!!!!) to transfer over to a room service style food service and it's quite the time to be an intern. Exciting yet extremely stressful at the same time. It's neat to see the preparation that goes into this process. I saw the final PDF for the menus and they look great. It really is like a 4-star hotel but it's a hospital...crazy huh? We "go live" meaning room service goes into effect on the 17th. I'll be sure to let you know how that goes! Will it be amazing or an epic failure? Still could go either way at this point....

This week I got lucky with a week at home. LOVE sleeping in (til 8am). I'm helping out one of our directors on a bunch of projects for the Alabama Dietetic Association website and other UAB things. If any of my work actually gets posted on the website, I'll post it here too!

You Only Live Once...YOLO!!!

Also you do have time for fun when you're doing your internship. I learned how to yolo last weekend. I rock! Plus I paddled out to dolphins! :)

long term care...DONE & DONE!

I finished my long-term care rotation this Friday. I saw and met a lot of very interesting “residents.” That’s what they call people who are in the nursing homes. Considering some have been there for their entire lives, I’d say it’s a pretty accurate term. Unfortunately because of HIPPA, I can’t tell y’all about some of the more interesting, sometimes comical things that occurred. I can and will say this though….I have always had a lot of respect for nurses (my mom is one after all) but some of the nurses that I met were truly saints. They showed such compassion and kindness to the residents, which can be very trying at times. It’s hard to keep a smile on and be patient day in and day out when you might have a resident who has Alzheimer’s and becomes aggressive because they don’t know where they are or simply one who wants to tell you the same story every day. The nurses I spoke with didn’t just know the diagnoses and medical history of the residents, they knew the lives and stories, the kind of stuff you only learn by taking the time to listen. I thought this would be a very depressing rotation, but I was touched by the kindness I saw. My preceptor could have easily completed her work much sooner each day, but she didn’t because she goes to several different nursing homes and always walks around first, chatting with the residents, simply being friendly and asking them how their week as been. I have learned from this rotation that what makes or breaks a rotation is the preceptor. Fortunately I’ve been very lucky with the two I’ve had so far! Our director does always emphasize how wonderful UAB’s preceptors are, so I just hope I continue on the same path I’ve been on.

Another note I want to point out, I thought I’d die and be completely overwhelmed this year. However I think I’m doing pretty ok. I’m very busy for sure, but I don’t think people should be as nervous about starting as I was. I’ve been in Birmingham a full month now and I haven’t called home crying once!! Those of you who know me better understand the full meaning of the statement. ☺

One down...lots more to go!

Last week I completed my first rotation. It was at a really cool place called One Nineteen. It’s part of St. Vincent’s, which is a major hospital in Birmingham. My preceptor was great, very knowledgeable and easy to talk to/ask questions. Here’s a list of just some of the cool things I did last week….

• Sat in on a Lunch in Learn
• Watched and help conduct a RMR (resting metabolic rate) test with the BodyGem
• Spoke with a cancer survivor/marathon runner who will be the speaker for the upcoming “Celebrate Life” dinner
• Met a former Alabama and NFL football player
• Did a Optifast and HMR taste test (two medically supervised weight loss plans)
• Sat in on some one on one out patient counseling sessions.
• Set up the dinning room for a chef cooking demo/dinner
• Observed and then on my own I counseled clients after the cholesterol screenings
• Ended the week with a visit to Southtown (a house project next to St. Vincent’s) to talk/play with the kids and give them a healthy snack

Yup, I had a pretty good week. To top things off, a package from my amazing mother arrived in the mail. I haven’t been able to find this stuff anywhere in Birmingham yet. It’s more than I could ever need, but very much appreciated!! And yes I do realize Vanilla no sugar added Carnation Instant Breakfast is a very weird thing to request for a care package!

First Day of School

I survived orientation! It’s quite the accomplishment. All the directors and speakers tried to make it as painless as possible, but still a full week of orientation lectures is draining. Tomorrow I start my first rotation at St. Vincent’s. It’s a community nutrition rotation. Interns are responsible for contacting preceptors one week in advance so I’ve already spoken a bit with my preceptor and she says it will be a laid back rotation. That’s always a great way to start out J

Today was also the first day of classes. Normally there’s nothing to report about first days, but today was a bit memorable. It was a beautiful sunny morning. Everything was off to a great start. Class had just started and then….Blackout!! The power went out all over campus! And in a room without windows, it really is a blackout. We sat in the dark for a while, and then our professor said we could go home. She didn’t want us all to start cooking without power for the AC. So down the starts we went. But just as I got to the second floor, what happens? Yup, the power comes back on. So, it was back up the stairs for me and once again time to start my three-hour class. Major head fake, thanks power people, ugh.

The time has finally arrived! I’m all moved in and orientation begins tomorrow. All summer I was nervous (borderline nauseous) about the thought of actually starting graduate school. However, being here now and living on campus just makes me excited. I guess I’m that nerd that loves school. Even after almost two decades, I still love school and the thought of starting up again makes me smile.

I moved to Birmingham this past Thursday. I had a wonderful Apples to Apples game night with my family the night before to send me off in good spirits. The move went seamlessly…BIG shout out thanks to my brother who was a HUGE help. He even kept the movers entertained by keeping them updated on his cat toilet construction progress. Yes I did just say “cat toilet!” It’s ridiculous in theory, but ingenious in reality. It is a luxury wooden chest looking object that hides a kitty litter pan within. Derick, my brother laughed at the idea of course, but was quite impressed when it was all put together. No more ugly dirty pink Target litter pan for Rox! Only the best for French kitties. ☺

I’ll have to try and snatch a picture of Roxy going into the cat box, but for now here’s a few iPhone shots of my new pad.

They're selling fast!! :)

BRACELETS!!!!!

It’s officially my last week at the beach…tear. It’s been a summer to remember for many reasons; unfortunately those due include many anxious moments waiting to see what happens with the oil spill. For now our beach seems to have been spared (knock on wood) but it’s still heartbreaking to think about Pensacola and all the wildlife that hasn’t made it.
On a lighter note! I’m also now, not only an employee of Patchoulis but a vendor as well!! That means they buy products from ME…amazing bracelets to be exact! Yes, yes, except for the fact that this will hopefully bring me some money throughout the year this has nothing to due with the internship…Still, I’m very excited about it. It makes me laugh to think how my little “business” was began by a trip to Athens that of course included a peek inside Heery’s. They were selling Chan Luu bracelets. I LOVED the look, but hated the price. Then my crafty upbringing struck a cord to the tune of “Hey I can make that!” and voila, a small business was born. ☺ They make great gifts so feel free to comment below if you’d like to know how to buy one!


PS. I should have a pic of my bracelets on display at Patchouli's in the next few days so I'll post it here soon.

ONE MONTH TO GO!

I start my internship/grad school experience in exactly one month! I can’t believe it is so close already. I remember when it seemed like ages until the matching date in April. The actual start of the internship wasn’t even on my mind back then. I’m lucky though; I get to spend this last month, where I’ve been all summer…at the BEACH!!! I work at the most wonderful store ever, Patchoulis. I’ve been trying my best all summer to save up for the next year. EXPENSES are another very big thing to consider when internship “shopping.” Even if you’ve been fortunate enough to have your parents pay for your college for the last four years, many parents aren’t willing or aren’t able to pay for the internship fees & tuition, which add up quite a bit. I’ve already had to get CPR training, pay for a background check, get a physical, and of course buy textbooks. All of this is on top of the cost of the internship, and then you have to pay for the RD exam. Furthermore, the process delays getting a job after you graduate for up to two years. That can really be a financial burden on a lot of people. Fortunately, there are options out there. Most VA internships, although extremely competitive, offer stipends. Also WIC is a great option for many people who want to go the Public Health route. You can work as a WIC nutritionist for a year or two and then apply for the WIC internship and they’ll cover the cost. Finally, it is important to check with the big universities to see if they offer assistantships or TA positions. Often, not only do you get paid as a TA, but many schools will also waive tuition.

Here's my beautiful beach with Bella smiling for the camera :)

My apartment building :)

Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in college anymore….

I’m just about a month and ½ away from the start of my grad school/DI journey, and I still have SO much to do! Starting graduate school is certainly not the same as college. You definitely have to be proactive and stay on top of things. There’s no hand holding here! It makes for a busy busy summer, but getting everything done and ready to start is a lot of fun too!

My lease on my apartment officially started July 1st, and I cannot wait to live there! It’s so amazing and absolutely perfect for me. Built in the 1920s, in a lively and beautiful part of town, plus only FIVE minutes away WALKING from the UAB Nutrition building. Location, location, location, right?

Still on my to do list:

• MOVE, the lease may have started but all my furniture is still stored away in my garage in Atlanta.
• Get my books, and make sure I’m registered for everything correctly
• Study for the medical terminology test I have to take on my first day and make at least an 80%!!! Eeeekkk…Wish I had taken a med terminology course at Georgia!
• Make a doctor’s appointment for a physical to get my health clearance forms completed
• Send the appropriate health and vaccinations records, all signed by a physican
• PAY for the program, yeah that’s kind of important
• Get a criminal background check and drug test (not really worried about not passing these ones!)

Ok well I better get back to it!

love, deneen