Assignment task:
As a dietitian, figuring out the career path you want to take can be a daunting task. Luckily, the supervised experiential learning process will help you narrow it down. But it does not provide opportunities to "try out" all the different possibilities as a dietitian. Therefore, it is prudent to research and see where you might "fit" within this field. Reflective thinking of what that job could be like on a day-to-day basis, the challenges, and rewards, should follow that research. This assignment is intended to help you get started with this process. You will want to research online and talk with dietitians, if you can, to complete this assignment.
Specifically, to complete this assignment type a diary entry for 3 of the following (your choice). If you are interested in something that is not listed here, email your faculty member for approval.
Choose 3 of the following:
- Clinical dietitian working in a hospital
- Clinical dietitian working in ambulatory care (e.g., weight management, diabetes, dialysis, GI, transplant)
- Clinical dietitian working at a long-term care facility
- Community dietitian working at a WIC clinic
- Community dietitian working in cooperative extension service
- Management dietitian working in food service (e.g., K-12 school, college, healthcare facility)
- Management dietitian working at a large non-profit or corporate food organization (e.g. National Dairy Council, General Mills)
- Research dietitian responsible for procuring funding for and conducting studies at a university
- Private practice dietitian
- Sports dietitian working with college athletes
In completing this diary entry, keep in mind that you are writing from this person's point of view. You are (for example) the clinical dietitian working in the hospital. For each of your choices, you will want to specify what you are doing in that facility. For example, if you chose the clinical dietitian - you would specify that you work on the oncology floor at a large hospital in an urban setting. Please review the Diary
- Understanding of the job duties and responsibilities, basic daily schedule, and interactions with the interprofessional team.
- Understanding of the structure/hierarchy of the institution and the role of RDN in the organization and on the interprofessional team.
- The 5 senses - For example, what do you hear daily; what are you touching (paper, computers, holding patient's hands)? What do you smell? What do you see? Are you tasting things?
- The emotional aspect of the job. Describe the difficulties of the job - are there chronic or acute difficulties with patients? With colleagues? With administration? What are the joys?
- Understanding cultural humility - For example, what are patient populations that you serve? What challenges exist related to differences in culture, values, beliefs, experiences? What strategies and approaches are taken to demonstrate cultural sensitivity and humility?
- Physical demands of the job.
- Expected attire and personal hygiene