Kent State Interns

The field of dietetics is not know for being "above the curve" on basically anything. Some people see dietitians as scary, overbearing, or intimidating. In order to change this perception, we need to change our approach. According to the author of this article, Alice Henneman, MS,RD, there are a variety of ways to get our message out there in a way that everyone can see it, and this is through social media. Henneman used these sources to distribute information about food safety, but it could just as easily be used in a company, hospital, or outpatient facility as a source for patients when the dietitian may not be available. This article was written in 2011, and then, 79% of American adults used some type of social networking/social media. I can only assume that number is higher now due to the easy availability of these sites. Henneman's article gives an easy yet thorough guide to different social networking platforms such as YouTube, SlideShare, Twitter, Flickr, Faceboo...

In 2009, a team made up of dietitians and other health care practitioners decided that something needed to be done about the lack of fruit and vegetable consumption in Oregon. At the time, only 26% of Oregonians were consuming over the recommended 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day. A needs assessment was done and it was found that "participants valued recipes and cooking information and used online resources to get this information". Using this information, the Food Hero Initiative was formed. They developed different tips and tools to make healthy eating a more accessible goal. The Food Hero team realized that they needed to figure out which social media site would best reach their clientele (people with limited incomes), and for this purpose the found that Facebook would work best. They also discovered that followers dropped off if too many posts were logged in too short a time, so they began posting one post per day. They also made sure to track data once...

Medicare has granted free one on one weight loss counseling to senior citizens, which are 30% obese. Only about 1% of the seniors have took advantage of this benefit. Primary Care Physicians are those that are getting reimbursed for these counseling session but have little to no experience with weight loss counseling. Some dietitians have made it their job to train PCPs to correctly counsel weight loss patients. Although, the amount of reimbursement is low, about $26 for 15 minutes of counseling and PCP would rather use their time for higher reimbursement services. It has been said that not a lot of seniors know about this benefit because it is not advertised, but the reason it is not advertised because most PCP do not want to perform the service. This gives RDs a chance to bring this benefit to their patients that actually want to lose the weight and cannot afford it. Also this is another opportunity for RDs to help train PCP and bridge the gap between the professions and make ...

Food safety is not only important in schools, but is important in all areas of food service. As dietitians or food service managers, it is important to maintain excellent food safety programs. Food service staff must be highly trained on the subject of food safety. Not only should staff be educated about food safety, but they also need to understand how to apply what they learn. Managers should find ways to incorporate real-life examples when teaching food safety. For example, one food service manager brought in a Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network member to discuss her experiences as a mother of a child with allergies and the bad experiences they have had. Stories of real-life experiences have more of an impact on staff when learning about food safety. The topic of food allergens are an especially important matter in food safety, because allergens are more and more common in the schools. Another school food service manager motivates employees to have an excellent understanding ...

Some nutrition professionals use the social media and blogging as a way to promote their business. Others use the public speaking, through conferences, education events or non-profit organizations, as a way to improve their career and boost their professional influence. This article explains some steps for RDs that helps them in their public speaking experience. ·         Set your goals “why do you want to do public speaking?” This will help to identify the audience. ·         It is recommended that RDs turn to the Academy to start her experience with public speaking within their local area, and then expand in the state and national level. Participate in the media and speakers' specialty group which is part of the Nutrition Entrepreneurs Dietetic Practice Group (DPG). ·         Speak about what you are an expert in. If your specialty in weight management, start with su...

When looking at different duties of the CNM it is important to guide the RDN's and DTR's for their scope of practice. The RDN's and DTR's should/must be able to answer the question what is withing my scope of practice? RDN's and DTR's should complete ongoing self-assessment of skills, education, training and knowledge along with knowing what their autonomy and responsibilities are. There are multiple ways that either professional can find information on scope of practice. The CNM's role is to help the RDN's and DTR's on staff and should encourage staff members in determining scope of practice and new opportunities or responsibilities. The article gave an overview of the different sources that can offer guidance or answer questions. The Scope of Practice in Nutrition and Dietetics provides a range of roles, activities and regulations that nutrition professionals can follow. The scope of practice allows professionals to become leaders that can provide ...

Therapeutic Diet Ordering Privileges                 In May, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) gave RDs working in a hospital the ability to order therapeutic diets without requiring a physician’s order.   While this is a step forward for RDs, this same ruling also states that the hospital has the right to give these ordering privileges to any nutrition professional.   That nutrition professional does not necessarily have to be an RD.   There have been mixed reactions to this decision, some saying that by including other nutrition professionals it minimizes an RD’s credentials.   Others felt with the inclusion of other nutrition professionals, that RDs can “up their game” and prove why they knowledge and skills are valuable.   In either case, it is important for this ruling to define what a qualified nutrition professional is.   It was decided that the hos...