Here we are.

One day away from graduation.

We've worked hard.

And we're ready.

To take the next step.

To become RDs.

Thanks to all of the wonderful preceptors that helped us along.

And thanks to each intern. We walked this path together.

Navigating through the Renal Diet

By: Rachel Coury

Ask any dietetic intern what the most difficult diet to counsel patients on is and they'll likely say the renal diet. The reason? It's very restrictive and challenging to navigate through. One of the biggest accomplishments I've had this internship year was learning the ins and outs of the renal diet and counseling patients on how to follow it. The renal diet is a meal plan designed for patients with chronic kidney disease. Because these patient's kidneys are failing, they need to limit their intake of sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and fluid. Patient's on dialysis also need to make sure they are intaking enough protein to meet the increased demand on their bodies. This past week I had the pleasure of spending time in a dialysis clinic. I gained practice in giving patients diet educations, reviewing their lab values, and developing nutrition resources.

One of the problems the dietitian noticed was that during the summer her patient's phosphorus and potassium lab values tended to skyrocket. She also noticed that summer was a time of social gatherings: BBQs, graduation celebrations, cookouts, picnics and many fresh fruits and vegetables are in season. Coincidence? We think not. My partner and I developed a resource on ways for clients to keep their phos and potassium levels in check while still attending these events. During the process we learned many "safe serving sizes" of some cookout foods that are high in these nutrients:

• Corn on the cob: medium ear (~6 inches long)
• Beans: 1/3 cup
• Watermelon: 1 thin slice 
• Mac and Cheese: 1/3 cup
• Greens: 1/2 cup (chose collards/mustard greens over spinach/swiss chard)

Hopefully the education and resources we provided will help the patients follow their diet during the summertime. I had a great week at the dialysis clinic and found it to be a rewarding experience. Thanks to lots of practice counseling patients and an amazing preceptor, the renal diet doesn't seem so scary to me anymore. 

Happy 1st Birthday MyPlate!

Angela A. Farris, MA 

For my 5 week information management and technology rotation I had the opportunity to intern at the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP). CNPP's mission is to improve the health and well-being of Americans by developing and promoting dietary guidance that links scientific research to the nutrition needs to consumers. As a consumer, it is easiest to relate CNPP as the creator of 'MyPlate' icon and the former 'MyPyramid' icon.  

I spent my time with the incredible Nutrition Marketing and Communications Team. The MyPlate icon was first launched with the help of First Lady Michelle Obama on June 1, 2011 -- so while I was at CNPP everyone was prepping for MyPlate's first birthday celebration June 1, 2012! A special microsite on choosemyplate.gov was dedicated to the birthday bash. Check out the site here: Celebrate with MyPlate

During my time at CNPP I felt that staff members utilized my abilities by delegating projects at a steady pace to keep me busy and productive. I really felt that I was able to apply my nutrition background as well as my information technology skills during this rotation. It was a great opportunity. Happy Birthday MyPlate!!

Looking Forward to Elective Week Rotation!

By Joyce L. Hornick, Dietetic Intern

I can’t believe I am almost at the end of my internship and that means elective week is just around the corner! The elective week is an opportunity for interns to explore any realm of dietetics they want. Some interns explore a new opportunity they didn’t get to experience during the internship, such as private practice. Since some rotations are only a week long, some interns return for a more in-depth experience. Some interns choose an elective where they may have a direct connection for a job opening or to expand their networking. The possibilities to explore are vast. 

I decided that I wanted to return to where I first started the internship, Moveable Feast, a nonprofit organization that provides meals and groceries to people with HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, and blood cancers. Even though it was a 3 week rotation, I wanted to go back to learn more. When I was there in September, I got the opportunity to counsel patients via telephone interviews. I was very uneasy at this since I had only done “counseling” in the classroom in role play simulations. Most interns go to Moveable Feast after they’ve done their clinical rotation, so they’ve been able to hone their assessment skills over 10-12 weeks. I hope to do some phone interviews again to see how I’ve grown in my ability to perform assessments. I know I will be more confident, will be able to take what the client tells me to quickly make suggestions for change, and help set goals to help maintain or improve their nutrition status. 

I am also looking forward to new learning opportunities available at Moveable Feast. Back in September, due to funding constraints, Moveable Feast wasn’t doing home visits. Going back now will give me the opportunity to perform this valuable nutrition evaluation for their clients. Grocery deliveries were also very limited in September, so I will also get the opportunity to assist drivers on home grocery and meal deliveries this time. Other plans are to visit patients while they are making their HIV/AIDS outpatient visits at Park West Clinic, helping AIRS clients with a grocery store tour, and hopefully, getting to work in the Moveable Feast community garden!

s/p intern (June 22, 2012)

I’m happy to report this is my last blog post!  That means I’ve almost officially survived being an intern.  It’s been a challenging, rewarding, and insightful past ten months.  I’ve learned more and grown more professionally than I ever could have imagined. 

Now it’s time to start switching gears out of intern mode and into job search mode.  Because I’m moving back to my hometown after graduation, my job search strategy  has been to network like crazy with as many RDs as possible who may be able to help me find a job in the area where I’m looking.  Some are preceptors at local rotations that I coordinated with my internship director to set up close home.  Other contacts are professionals I have met at conferences and meetings.  Everyone I’ve talked to has been more than willing to talk to me and offer any kind of help they can.  I’ve had people give me contact information for hiring managers and recruiters, offer to forward me job postings as they receive them, and even agree to allow me to come for rotations.  For me, the support from the RD community to an intern about to become a new RD has been very positive. 

I’m grateful for my experience as an intern and to my preceptors for teaching me so much!  Before I know it, my life as an intern will be over and I’ll be working as a Registered Dietitian!

The New Movie Stars of Riderwood TV

Unbelievable as it might seem, the dietetic internship is coming to a close. We have only  3 more weeks of rotations and 1 week of elective left! I am currently in my last rotation at Riderwood and enjoying the mental break, kitchen time, and fun experiences.

Yesterday, my partner Sasha Bard and I filmed a commercial to play on the Riderwood TV channel promoting our theme meal coming up on June 8^th.  We even got to film in the TV studio on the Riderwood Campus! Here are some pictures from the day!

June is National Great Outdoors month so we are planning a Great Outdoors themed luncheon. Menu items include:

Bison Sliders

Golden Trout

Lavender and Herb Grilled Chicken

Wild Mushroom Raviolis

Dandelion Greens

Roasted Golden Beets and Fennel

Wild Rice

Camp Side Bean Bake

Chilled Pea Soup with Mint

Micro-Greens Salad with Blackberries and Pine Nuts

Blue Corn Muffins with Agave Butter

S’mores Bars

We had a lot of fun and even got Chef Elliot to join us in the ad, which will begin airing next Wednesday. Once we have the recording I will post a link for viewing! 

            L- Cysteine in your diet

            Last week my fellow interns and I had the opportunity to visit the Vegetarian Resource Group in Baltimore.  The Vegetarian Resources Group is a non- profit organization with the aim of providing education on vegetarianism and any other issue related to health, nutrition, and world hunger. This organization has a website where consumers can visit at anytime.  The organization also publishes vegetarian journals, sells cookbooks, and pamphlets.  We spent our time discussing a vegan diet and vegan “MyPlate”.  We also discussed reading food labels and looking up ingredients in  food products. One of the food ingredients we discussed was the use of L-Cysteine as a food ingredient.  Why is it important for dietitians to know about L- Cysteine?

What is L-Cysteine?

L-Cysteine is a non- essential amino acid used in bakery products as a dough conditioner.  It helps to keep the dough from shrinking in pizza crust and pita bread.  It also helps to reduce the mixing time of the flour dough. Cysteine is used in bagels, croissants, hard rolls, cake donuts, some crackers and melba toast. It is also used as a nutrient in baby milk formula and dietary supplements. L- Cysteine is made from human hair, chicken feathers and synthetic material.

Why RD’s should know about  L-Cystiene?

Registered Dietitians work in different environmental settings with different age groups and cultural backgrounds. It is also important for healthcare providers to understand and respect a person’s background and cultural values.  For example Cystiene is considered “Haram” (prohibition given to anything that would result in sin) in Muslim religion especially if it is made from human hair because the Islamic doesn’t allow consuming any part of human body.  As a dietitian it is always important to know not only the medical condition of client but also cultural background of people offering the service to ensure that they are  providing appropriate recommendations with in clients religious and clutral beliefs. With the growing diversity of the U.S. population, dietitians are increasingly called on to make their service more widely available in racially and ethnically diverse localities.

Getting my hair cut!!

Tips on how best to reach prospective clients

•    Visiting local community centers and gathering spots such as ethnic grocery stores can help you become familiar with particular culture.
•    Contact local gov’t agencies to find out what demographic data they can provide for the geographic area you serve.
•     Seeking the assistance of community leaders in assessing community needs is essential. Ask for help from community leaders in understanding a culture.

When you are initiating outreach to diverse community groups, remember that you are the newcomer and trying to build a relationship with a new group. So as a dietitian help prospective clients to understand how your professional services can be beneficial.