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.