Long Lost Post!

Hello, hello fellow blog followers!

Happy New Years to everyone! I hope your year has started out right! 

I am so, so, so sorry for not posting for a while! My lack of posts most definitely shows that life has been extremely busy! I'm hoping that I will post a little more frequently in 2014!

Well, I officially have two out of my four rotations under my belt! From early October to mid- November, I was at a public health office in Fargo. I absolutely LOVED everything about this rotation. I loved it so much in fact that I have seriously considered getting my Masters in Public Health (MPH) down the line. The staff, the projects I did, and the overall atmosphere of the facility was just great! 

Here, I got to do a lot of presentations about healthy snacking to various audiences (mainly adolescents), some work site wellness promotions (see my pictures of Apple Crunch Day below!), and attend a lot of community meetings pertaining to community gardening. I did some research on the Farm to School program and figuring out ways for Fargo-Moorhead schools and local farmers can get fresh fruits and vegetables into schools. As you can imagine, it is quite challenging to get fresh produce into schools since Fargo is FREEZING COLD for the majority of the school year. There are, however, other ways to inform students of local produce whether that being having a farmer come into the classroom and speaking or incorporating nutrition concepts into the school curriculum. Needless to say, this was an interesting project! :) 

Then, from mid-November to mid-December, I was at an Indian Reservation about an hour and ten minutes from the Fargo-Moorhead area. This was definitely an eye-opening experience from a nutrition standpoint. On the reservation, there are a lot of cases of uncontrolled diabetes. Unfortunately, the closest grocery store is about a half and hour to an hour away depending on where you live on the reservation. Instead, people rely on convenience stores that are filled with caloric food items. This made me that much more grateful for all I have been blessed with.

Thankfully, the reservation has been actively trying to figure out ways to provide easier to access to fruits and vegetables. They have tried farmer's markets during the spring and winter and providing transportation back and forth via buses for those that do not have a car. 

During my time on the reservation, I created menus for the Elderly Nutrition Program, went around the reservation to play an educational game called "Diabetes Bingo", and work with the Commodity Foods Program. They were all fun, unique experiences! :)

I was really sad to see my community rotation end. While I did enjoy my clinical rotation, I have to say that I think my real passion lies in community nutrition. I like that I have the opportunity to educate a variety of audiences via presentations and handouts. I truly love interacting with others and trying to come up with creative ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into their diets. It brings me so much joy! :)

Now, it is onto my elective rotation where I got to choose what to do for two weeks! I will be at North Dakota State University's Wellness Center for half of the time and then at Head Start, a community-based preschool. I am VERY excited! Then, I will be doing my foodservice through Concorida's dining services from late January until I graduate (ahhhh!) in May! Unbelievable. 

Again, I hope all of you have had a blessed holiday season! For those of you I did not get a chance to see over break, I hope we can connect soon! Feel free to contact me anytime! :)

Love,

Katie

 To celebrate National "Apple Crunch Day", I went around to different places in the Fargo-Moorhead area to deliver locally grown apples.Throughout the week, I sent a variety of emails about the health benefits of apples. I even sent out some delicious recipes...thank you, Pinterest! :)

A poster I created for a local health fair on sodium and the basic services of the public health office.

Me with a basket of apples on Apple Crunch Day! :) I sent an email encouraging all public health employees to take time out of the day to eat an apple at noon of that day!

An interactive crossword puzzle I made on healthy snacking for a local elementary school. It was SO fun to see the kids get so into it!

My desk at the public health office--I LOVED it and felt so official! :)

Just Keep Swimming...

Hello all!

Instead of writing out everything I've been up to, I'm going to post a Bible verse that a dear friend of mine sent me. I think almost everyone can, in some way, relate this verse to their own personal life--

What an excellent verse to remember today and everyday. I pray that all of you take the time to notice the beauty surrounding you admist the curve balls life throws our way. It is so easy to get caught up on earthly matters that we often forget about the GOOD that is happening in our lives. 

Take some time this week (and every week) to focus on what is worthy of praise in your life. Instead of focusing on the challenges of life, I encourage you to spend more energy on the positive aspects of life and to offer up your excitement to God. He'll be more than happy to hear from you! :)

I am alive...I swear!

Hello, hello family and friends!

So, I knew I would fall off of the face of the earth eventually! It was bound to happen. As you can probably guess, I have been incredibly busy! This week marks the mid-point of my clinical rotation! So crazy to think that I have a little over a month left...and scary at the same time! LOTS of projects have yet to be completed/started.

Let's see. Since my last post, I have been in the Med/Surg, Nutrition Support, Long-Term Care, and Rehab units. I've liked certain aspects of each unit. However, I have to say that I really loved long-term care. I think I liked it because I got to be there for two weeks and see if the patients improved with the suggestions I made for them. In the other units, I was only there for a week so I didn't get the opportunity to follow-up and visit the patients more than once. I'm coming to find that I really like the education component of nutrition. I enjoy trying to come up with ways to make small changes in someone's diet and lifestyle. 

This week, I be on the cardiac unit! I've had the opportunity to shadow a RD in this area and I really liked it! I can't wait to be in this unit again.

Overall, I am just trying to keep my head above water. I have a lot to do the next month in a half, but I'm trying to pace myself as much as possible! I've definitely learned a lot about myself in these last few months. I've learned that flexibility is HUGE! I've learned that I can't expect everyone to have Type A traits like myself. That's a big realization.

Anyway, wishing all of you well and hope that you're enjoying the last few weeks of summer!

Katie

Renal Floor...CHECK!

Greetings from Margo!

This week, I actually felt like an inpatient dietitian! I charted and visited patients all week on my own. I never thought that I'd get the hang of things so quickly--granted, I still have a TON to learn. At the beginning of the week, I maybe charted on 2-3 patients, but once Friday rolled around, I took about half of the patients that needed to be seen! It is truly a thrill. I'm going to miss the RD I've been working with for the past week and a half. She was extremely helpful, patient, and knowledgeable. But, I'm excited to see what adventures are in store for me on the medical/surgical floor!

I am really starting to feel at "home" at the hospital. I no longer feel like the new intern...instead, I feel more like an employee. I eat lunch with the other dietitians and talk about nutrition hot topics...it's seriously heaven on earth for me.  :)

God continually reassures me each time I walk through those hospital doors that this is what He has called me to do. Words can't even begin to describe the joy it gives me to serve others in this capacity. 

My experiences this week made me think of this quote:

I most definitely feel alive and I thank God each day for this!

Have a beautiful weekend!

Week One: Under the Belt!

"Uffta" is the first word that comes to mind as I reflect upon my week. It was most definitely a good first week but I don't think I've ever crammed so much information into my head!

MONDAY: On my first day, I met with my preceptor, met the dietitians, got a tour of the hospital, was trained in on how to use the software programs.

So, as most of you know, I tend to have the worst luck in the world sometimes. The hospital I am interning at has MANY campuses in the Fargo area. For the computer training, I had to go to a different campus. I got there just fine and everything...no worries there. But, I sat there for about 20 minutes and the teacher didn't show up! So, I had to go to ANOTHER campus to get trained in. My training was supposed to be 2 hours but it got cut down into a 1 hour crash course. Needless to say, my brain was FRIED at the end of the day!

TUESDAY: I reviewed material on kidney transplantation and went over protocols. My preceptor gave me my first project! A food service worker went around to all of the kitchenettes on all of the floors of the hospital and noted any food safety violations. I compiled the number of violations into an Excel spreadsheet and created a poster with food safety reminders. My preceptor sent out my data and poster to nursing staff and the dietitians. I would have to say that this was the most satisfying part of my week!

WEDNESDAY: I shadowed a dietitian that works with kidney transplant patients. I observed her as she typed her notes into the software programs and asked her questions along the way. 

THURSDAY: I did my first interview with a patient and started to write my own notes for the dietitian to cosign. I was happy to tell people on Thursday that I wrote my first two notes! 

FRIDAY: I helped the dietitian determine which patients to see and I continued to write my own notes. I did FOUR notes on Friday! YAY!

As far as this weekend goes, the interns and I are going to go to a fair in town and see The Band Perry! On Sunday, my roomie and I are going to volunteer for a walk/run/bike event happening. Can't wait to just enjoy myself and kick back a little bit!

Much love!

Katie

Let the Games Begin!

Tomorrow is the day that I have been looking forward to for months...the official beginning of my dietetic internship experience! My excitement is growing by the second! :) I can feel the support of my family and friends like no other. 

This past week, I went home and got to spend the 4th of July with my loved ones. It was so good to take in summer one last time before I work, work, work, WORK! I ate some delicious food, watched my TV shows, went on walks around the neighborhood,  visited my aunt's cabin, saw fireworks, and got together with some of my dearest friends. This week was exactly what I needed!

I can feel God's presence during this process. Amidst the occasional doubts I have, I am putting my complete trust in Him. I know that this is where God wants me to be right now. My passion for nutrition and my desire to become a RD reaffirms me and give me strength. I know that I have the support of not only the "big man upstairs", but of my loved ones. This past week reminded me of the support I have. 

I know this is a shorter post--but, do not worry! I shall be full of updates at the end of the week!

To close, I'm going to share with you a Bible verse that has really touched my heart this
week:

Much love from your fellow RD-in-training,

Katie

One Week Down, 43 to go!

Hi everyone!

Well, I've got one week under my belt! It was most definitely tiring but very fun. We started out the week with a pizza party that included the director of the internship, the food service management preceptor, and the other interns. We all introduced ourselves and ate the BEST ice cream cake I have ever had in my life! It was coffee flavored and had a yummy chocolate crust.

The rest of the week, we reviewed the case studies that we needed to prepare before the internship, went over the projects that will need to be completed throughout the year, had various dietitians come  into speak, and toured the Fargo/Moorhead area (or "Margo" as my roomies and I like to call it) and Concordia. There were also a lot of opportunities for us interns to get to know one another. The day before our tour of "Margo", all of us interns decided that it would be fun to take a stop at the infamous Dairy Queen in Moorhead. This Dairy Queen is a big deal because it is only open for business in the summertime. We also got to go to a local homeless shelter to serve the evening meal. These were both great bonding experiences...we all got to know each other pretty well! We most definitely have a wide variety in terms of personalities and interests and I love it! I can tell that these girls are going to be such a great support system for me this year.

Right now, I'm just taking advantage of this free time before my clinical rotation starts in a little over a week. I've been hanging out with my roommates and getting to know them as well as the other interns. I know that this year is going to be busy, but I'm trying not to worry about it too much. Yes, the internship will require a lot of my time and attention, but I know that it will be an experience of a lifetime. As I mentioned in a previous post, it is best to focus on the here and now rather than stress out about the future...that will take care of itself!

Love from Margo,

Katie