a day in the life of an entry-level dietitian

If you asked me during my senior year of college as a dietetics student what I thought my first job would be, I probably would have looked at you like you had two heads and changed the subject immediately. I had no clue. I honestly only really knew about two months ago. But damn, every day is a new unknown and I love it. It is the strangest sensation to wake up in the morning actually excited to go to work.

The title of this post is silly because there really isn't a 'typical' day. But let's break this down a bit. I'm a clinical inpatient dietitian. I see most patients for just a few minutes (longer with the big talkers...), unlike outpatient dietitians who have much more of an opportunity to develop some rapport. I have about two minutes to squeeze out as much information as possible before the next person walks in or the patient falls back asleep. But it's cool. I see all types of people. From intubated (on the vent) tube feeders to stroke patients to kids with cystic fibrosis and everything in between. 

(Me (far left) and just a few of my  lovely intern friends)

My days are never boring. Today, I walked in with a couple patients in mind who I knew would be follow-ups. Said hello to my fellow weekend dietitian who is helping me finish training. Took a look at the consult board, and planned my day.

I usually start in the ICU, since the most critical patients usually require more immediate care. I calculate tube feeds, begin parenteral nutrition orders, check on some peeps, talk to some nurses, docs, and the pharmacist, and start charting. The ICU can feel daunting at times, and I am ever so grateful for patients with a good sense of humor. 

Next, I head to the floor to see some stroke consults. Gosh, I have a big place in my heart for anyone over 90...

Me: "Hi, I'm Hannah, the dietitian"

97 year old patient: "Oh hello sweetheart! You know...I think I'm gonna be hungry for supper tonight. I didn't have much of an appetite for lunch, but boy, now I'm getting hungry. What's for dinner tonight? And did you say your name is Hannah? That's my granddaughter's name!"

Too cute. I just wanted to cook her dinner myself, pull up a chair, and talk to her about all her grandchildren. 

(can you tell I'm pumped I'm no longer an intern?)

The rest of my day consists of answering calls, seeing additional follow-ups, charting, writing orders, addressing new consults, talking with my wonderful co-workers, eating, etc.

Things I'm really happy I learned in school:

• math 
• biochem 
• there is no such thing as a stupid question
• how to work well in group projects 
• how to read research articles really fast
• how to access the evidence based analysis library
• public speaking skills (still working on this one)
• calculators are a really really good thing
• medical abbreviations
• anatomy and physiology (yes, it's actually pretty useful)
• math

Things I learned in school that I never use:

• the mifflin st jeor equation (or the harris benedict, or any other long, forgettable equation that yields the same result as multiplying kg by roughly 20-25) 
• how to calculate BMI (it's already in the medical  charts)
• whatever way I was taught how to calculate TPNs and enteral nutrition... every hospital does it a little bit differently. honestly, you'll learn on the job

I'm sure I can think of a few more, but those are some of the basics. It's all a new adventure, every single day. And I have so much to learn (um, yeah.. renal diets). Some days I still feel as clueless as an intern and other days I'm confidently sharing my thoughts about a patient with the surgeon. 

At the end of the day, I am happy to be working here in Montana, where the sky is big and there are always more mountains to climb.

xo hannah