Rotation Spotlight:Corporate Wellness

As a future Dietitian with a strong interest in wellness, I was ecstatic to spend a five week rotation with Wellness Corporate Solutions and a 2 day visit with a Health Waves. After spending the beginning of the internship in Clinical, Corporate Wellness was a new and exciting venue of Dietetics I wasn't aware of before! Here are some of the things I learned:

1) "Survival Skills" vs. Health Coaching

With clinical nutrition counseling, you have limited time with a sick patient, often with little to no follow-up. You basically are providing "survival skills" of  a disease state and hope the patient follows-up with an outpatient RD. However, as a Corporate Wellness RD, you have much more time to spend coaching and checking up on progress. There is a larger opportunity to get to know a patient to determine what lifestyle changes are best for them.

2) Corporate Wellness RD's are often Program Coordinators or Directors.

Program Coordinators run the show in Corporate Wellness Dietetics. They plan, implement, and present webinars, group presentations, and write blogs. They often create handouts and other printed materials for clientele, while squeezing in a few health coaching here and there! Program coordinators organize all aspects of the "product" (wellness coaching) for big name companies.  Not all Program Coordinators are RD's though, some have degrees in Kinesiology or Public Health.

3) Technology and people-skills are important!

If you are interested in wellness, it's important to develop technology, marketing, and people skills. You need to be able to produce results by drawing people in and maintaining their interest. Why would a company hire you if you cannot improve their employees' health profile? Your health materials and ability to work with others play a large role in your client's success.

I loved Corporate Wellness because I believe RD's can make a huge impact on their clients' lives. You have the opportunity to inspire  healthy and often motivated employees. You can watch them progress and improve their health, which is an exciting process. If you have the opportunity to see a Corporate Wellness company during your internship, I highly recommend it!