A Visit with Dan in South Carolina!

I arrived in Florence, SC by 11:30 on Saturday. After a quick lunch we headed to Charlotte, North Carolina to explore the town. The city was rowdy and swarming with Baltimore Ravens football fans. We had some drinks and an appetizer at a Mexican restaurant then went to an Asian bistro/sushi bar for dinner. It was yummy!! On Sunday we went out for breakfast then hung out at Borders Book Store until the Packer game. We watched the Packers and enjoyed some drinks at a bar in uptown Charlotte then went shopping at South Park Mall. During the week we watched lots of movies and made delicious meals together. On Thanksgiving Eve we went to a turkey frying party. We brought some turkey drumsticks to be fried and apple bars to share. Once all the turkeys were done the southerners started throwing the oddest things into the fryer...sliced bologna, hot dogs, corn on the cob, and biscuits. I swear people fry everything down south. Dan is going to introduce them fried cheese curds-something they haven't tried yet. Thanksgiving morning we ran the Hartsville YMCA 5K Turkey Trot together. We ran 3.1 miles in 30:27 minutes and got 146th and 147th out of over 400 runners! The rest of the day was spent preparing dinner and watching movies. We made Cornish hens, cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy, dinner rolls, and pumpkin pie with a spiced nut crust. We also had sweet potato souffle from Dan's friends. What a delicious dinner...Dan has leftovers for the next week. Friday we made home-made pizza and Andes Mints cookies. I hope my pants still fit after this holiday season!

Rotation 11: In-Service and Clinical Management

I got to spend this week with my internship director, Kristi! Throughout the busy week we talked about payroll, budget, scheduling, and CQI studies. We attended the weekly manager meeting, the monthly department manager meeting, and the weekly RD meeting. I did an in-service for the supervisors and data entry operators about the bariatric diet name change. We ordered test trays to check temperature, taste, and portion sizes of the diets we ordered for. During the week I worked on various assignments. My favorite one was the Food and Nutrition Services Department Newsletter. I got to be creative and have fun by interviewing employees and managers in the department. Friday afternoon Kristi and I gave a student interested in the internship a tour of the hospital. It was fun answering some of the same questions that I had when I was in her shoes.
Friday night I had to pack for my 5:45 a.m. flight to see Dan in South Carolina!!! The first thing in my suitcase was the GI/Medical Surgery binder...I start clinical rotations the week after Thanksgiving...YIKES...wish me luck! I'm very excited and nervous about the mass amount of learning that is about to happen!

Rotation 10: Patient Meal Services: Week 2

Week two of patient meal services was quite busy. Monday was spent working on projects and homework. I visited a total of 40 patients to do patient satisfaction surveys. I asked each patient to rate the hospital's food on temperature, quality, courtesy of staff, and overall satisfaction with the food service. It's truly amazing how one patient will think the food is absolutely wonderful and the next patient thinks the food is just horrible. I had a fun time listening to everyone's comments and thought of some ideas to help improve the food service! Tuesday we had orientation at Meals On Wheels so we know what to expect when we have our rotation there. Wednesday was full of meetings; weekly RD meeting and weekly supervisor meeting took up much of the afternoon. I stayed late through the dinner hour to do tray audits. I checked food trays for accuracy to see if what was put on the tray matched what was on the tray ticket. Thursday I went in early so I could do the same for breakfast. From 8-12 I went to an interesting Leadership Behaviors-Managerial Courage Workshop. Amberlee invited me over for dinner at her apartment that night. She and her husband made delicious fish tacos with rice, beans, guacamole, and chips. Friday I did late-tray audits in the morning-tracked the amount of time it took from when the patient called the kitchen to when they received their meal. I worked a hostess position that night because they were four people short. I loaded trays and delivered them until 6:30...in heels. I was exhausted so I went to bed super early. Saturday morning I volunteered at a diabetes health fair in Plano. Jennifer and I helped demonstrate the Actifry. We made french fries and random vegetable mixtures. It cooks fresh homemade french fries in about 30 minutes only using 1 tablespoon of olive oil. The Actifry is an awesome appliance for heart healthy cooking. In the afternoon I tagged along with intern, Megan, and her friends while she tried on wedding dresses.

Rotation 10: Patient Meal Services - part 1

I just completed week one of two in the patient meal services rotation. It focuses on the process of food delivery to the patient in the hospital and patient satisfaction. I worked with and shadowed the Patent Services Manager who is a Dietitian. I worked on my assignments a little bit every day because there is a lot for this rotation. I got to attend meetings with the food service director, managers, supervisors, and Human Resources throughout the week. One meeting was about setting up the Room Service screens in CBORD. I was able to offer suggestions about it because I worked with that at Saint Clare's. The meeting in HR was about re-organizing the nutrition department for the hostess program starting in January. It was really cool to be a part of big decision making. After work on Wednesday I went to Kohls just to shop around and I found a massage chair by the shoe department...I totally sat in it for about 45 minutes....much needed! I might make this a weekly thing until I get kicked out :)

I spent my Friday night at the mall getting a haircut at Regis. This might seem like no big deal to some of you, but it was the best hair cut experience ever for me! The girl who cut my hair was so fun! She Texified me. Apparently every girl in Dallas has big hair but me. She cut my hair to fit that style and now I can't do it on myself. I might have to break down and buy a can of hair spray and a teasing comb.

On Saturday from about 5-9 the intern, Amberlee, and I went to Zoo To Do to help out Suze Restaurant. It was an event held at the Dallas Zoo that cost $350 to get into. The theme for the night was "Under the Serengeti Sky." Delicious food was provided by top restaurants and chefs from Dallas. There was music, dancing, entertainment, open bar, and silent and live auctions to raise money for the zoo. Amberlee and I helped serve Roasted Tomato Curry Soup with pulled bread and 4 cheese Truffle Sauce with the owner of Suze. For most of the time we got to walk around and enjoy ourselves by checking out the animals, having drinks, eating lots of yummy food, and trying to stay warm.