Today, the UMD dietetic interns and other internships in the MD/DC/VA area were invited to Military Day hosted at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda. Having had the opportunity to meet some of the Army dietetic interns on past joint class days, I was excited to get to know more about their program and what experiences they have that are unique to their program.
Our day started off by learning about the Wounded Warrior and functional limb loss. LTC Anne Andrews and Alison Linberg, DPT shared information on the treatment of amputee patients and the ongoing research in their lab. Since they have a very specific patient population, younger and more conditioned, their research is able to help others who work with similar populations.
Next up, Elizabeth Moylan, MPH, RD introduced us the nutrition care that goes into working with patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post traumatic stress disorder. She emphasized a high antioxidant diet and omega 3 fatty acids. Ms. Moylan shared this video with us to help us understand how TBI occurs in combat.
Throughout the rest of the day, dietitians involved in the military shared their experiences. CAPT Kristen Moe detailed her experience helping Hurricane Sandy victims in New York. It was fascinating learning how the nutrition care process is completed during times of emergency.
My favorite lecture of the day had to do with CPT Tamara Osgood's deployment to Iraq in 2008 - 2009. Her stories and experiences were eye-opening and helped me appreciate what our military does for us every single day. CPT Osgood was stationed in Camp Bucca, Iraq where she dealt with coalition and detainee health.
At the end of the day, some of the Army dietetic interns shared experiences of joint field nutrition operations and MREs (Meals Ready to Eat). They even shared a few with us to try!
I really enjoyed this class day! Definitely eye opening and allowed us to understand other opportunities for dietitians.
This sounds like it was a great day and a great learning experience.
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