As I sat outside the other day, shielding my eyes from the
June sun, my skin blindingly white, I realized: I have become a vampire.
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| whoops - not a vampire, just Kristen Stewart |
Just kidding (well, only sort of). I’m actually just fresh
out of an intensive 5-month clinical rotation, the first part of my dietetic
internship (DI). For the last few months I’ve been reading medical charts,
giving diet instruction, writing hundreds (literally, I counted) of nutrition
notes, running up and down five flights of stairs to the kitchen and back,
pushing Ensure like whoa, calculating tube feeds and total parenteral nutrition
(TPN), shouting above the bleeps and the ringing in the ICU, shouting above the
din of nurse chatter everywhere else, and driving to work in the dark to arrive
by 7:00 am. But! I am alive – even better than alive – thrilled to finally be
doing the work I knew I wanted to do. For all the times I doubted my career
choice – and there were many (ahem: organic chemistry) – I’m so glad I stuck
with it. Sincerest thanks to everyone
who believed in me. I owe you one, or
one thousand.
In exchange for your undying support, I would like to share
some lessons I learned at the hospital.
Some are medically/nutritionally related, some not. Bear with me.
1. Stop
smoking. Really. The vast majority of
patients I saw who had cancer of any type had a history of smoking.
2. Prevention
is key. By the time you land in the
hospital, a lot of damage has already been done. Make it easy on yourself and
don’t get there in the first place.
3.
Get
preventive screenings.
Again, really.
Get a colonoscopy.
One day of misery is far better than the alternative. Don’t pretend you don’t
know what I’m talking about. Colorectal cancer is not something you want, but
early detection makes all the difference.
4. Be nice
to nurses. They’ll give you better
care.
5. Be nice
to RDs. Duh.
6. Medical
and health professionals: we all play on the same team. Everyone’s input is valuable; none of us can see all or do all.
7. If you
need help, ask for it. One day I got
a consult from a patient who, based on our nutrition screening protocol, was
low risk (RDs are usually consulted for high risk patients). Because she asked
to see a dietitian, however, I was able to meet with her before she got
discharged. As it turned out, this woman had a long and complicated history
with food, dieting, and emotional health. I gave her information relating to emotional
eating and general healthful nutrition, as well as a list of resources where
she could get further information and/or counseling. She was very grateful for
the information, and I was glad to have made a difference. And to think, none
of this would have happened had she not asked for help!
So now I’m onto the other requisite rotations of a DI:
community, pediatrics, and foodservice.
These will take me through to the end of July, and then I’ll be
done. Done done. And then? Besides embarking upon my a mission to look like I stepped outside once or twice this year tan, ¿quién sabe? Stay tuned.
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| scrubbin' it down at the pharmacy, aka The Only Place Where People are Paler Than Me |
