Veterans Affairs North Texas Health Care System - Outpatient Nutrition Clinic

6/6/11-6/10/11
This was the last rotation that I left of the dietetic internship! It was also my last of four weeks of being at the VA. Most of the rotations at the VA were fun, but I am just thrilled that I don't have to drive through the south Dallas ghetto anymore and see dead stray dogs on the side of the road and pack my own lunch. I'm so done with Dallas traffic. And the VA has a weird smell and some people are creepy. This week I practiced my outpatient counseling skills, which is not my best skill. I did lots of educations: weight loss, weight gain, diabetes, Warfarin (drug-nutrient), and high cholesterol. There were quite a few very interesting/challenging patients. I feel so helpless when money is an issue and patients can't afford to buy food or when the patient is in denial that he has diabetes even though he has been diagnosed for several years and has done nothing but gain weight. I just have to realize that not everyone can or wants to be helped. I gained a lot of confidence this week by talking to veterans and educating them. I had a lot of good laughs with some of the veterans, some with them in the office and some once they left. I still need practice with motivational interviewing which would also help me with keeping a flow of conversation during counseling sessions. I know I'm smart, it just doesn't come out like I want it to. Monday-Wednesday  I was at the library until 12:30 am. Not much sleep this week.
On Thursday, June, 9th I presented my case study on Polycystic Kidney Disease to the interns and dietitians at Presby. I'm not sure what the time was once I was done, but it was suppose to be ~40 minutes long, including questions afterwards. It felt like I was talking forever up there. I was pretty nervous. I am very happy to have that behind me, now I have to finish up the 20 page paper. Lots to do yet.
TWO WEEKS LEFT!!

Pre-presentation Pep-talk from Alyssa

Clinical Staffing - Week 1 - Oncology/Neurology

5/31/11-6/3/11
This week was only four days because of the holiday. I spent my first week of clinical staffing feeling comfortable with the Presby computer programs again. It had been a while since I had a rotation there. The idea of clinical staffing is to literally do the job of the dietitian by performing all of their job duties. I attended rounds and meetings and saw all but one or two patients each day. I'm sure in my last two weeks of staffing I will be seeing 100% of the patients. I noticed how much I improved since the first time I was with the same dietitian back in November. It used to take me all day to do one or two patients, now I can do six or seven. It was a great experience! I stayed at the hospital most nights to work on my case study presentation. On Thursday the first two girls presented their case studies.
On Friday afternoon there was a going away party for Kristi with some really good chocolaty cake. When I got home Friday my apartment was all decorated for Megan's bachelorette party. I hosted a party for Megan with all the interns and her friends. The menu was amazing! Jalapeno-cheddar slider burgers, veggies, Velveeta cheese dip, noodle salad, red-velvet cupcakes, Wisconsin cheese, and Flirtinis. We ate, opened some gifts, then went out in Uptown Dallas to the Penguin Dueling Piano Bar and then to a dance club.

Engagement Ring Red-Velvet cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Anna, Megan, and I

On Saturday we woke up late and ate leftovers and wine spritzers then went to the Village Country Club pool party for the afternoon. That night, Kristi hosted a fun "Clean Out the Freezer" party. She made burgers, ribs, and sausage and then the interns brought appetizers. After eating, all of us played Catch Phrase, which is something else I have improved at, no one wanted me on their team. I was very happy to be on the winning team =) Sunday I worked on my case study for most of the day.



Clean Out the Freezer Party at Kristi's



Meals on Wheels

5/23/11-5/27/11



Ready to Deliver Some Meals

 This week I was not feeling good. I was literally sick and tired. Not fun. The Meals on Wheels (MOWs) rotation was only three days long, Tuesday - Thursday, and I got to do it with another intern. I spent Monday at the hospital library all day long working on my case study. On Tuesday Rachel and I delivered 13 hot lunch meals to an apartment complex in DeSoto, TX. It was very rewarding to hand deliver the meals to people because it was obvious that they were in need. MOWs provides a nutritious, hot, home-delivered meal to home-bound residents who are unable to provide or prepare their own meals due to illness, advanced age, or disability. I loved walking through the apartment complex because outside the residents' doors were huge displays of plants and door decorations, it seemed like each person was trying to out-decorate their neighbor. Delivering all those meals made Rachel and I very hungry so we stopped for lunch at Cracker Barrel. That night I worked my last night at Suze, it was bittersweet, but I had to be done there so I could focus on my case study and get assignments done. I gained a great customer service experience by dealing with snobby, rich people. I will really miss the delicious food.
On Wednesday Rachel and I worked on MOWs assignments from the library. We re-did educational nutrition handouts for Vitamin A, Potassium, and Lactose Intolerance to be given out to the people who receive meals. We each also made a PowerPoints, my topic was protein and dairy. Case Study for the rest of the day.
On Thursday we met with our preceptor at MOWs and made a bunch of phone calls to MOWs participants to do nutrition screenings which determines their eligibility. For our intern class we went over all the competencies and objectives that we met during the entire internship. Case Study until 9:30, no dinner, got home and packed for a 7am flight to Wisconsin.
I put my brain to rest for four days over Memorial Day weekend, which was not easy to do, knowing how much needed to be done. There was a lot going on in Green Bay. Friday was Dan's nephew's baptism, Saturday was hanging out and a wedding rehearsal, Sunday was the beautiful wedding of Mr. Jay and Perry Kelly, and Monday was playing at the Tundra Lodge water park and flight back to Dallas. I did not catch up on sleep. It was so nice to see some familiar faces and Dan's family. Over two months and I will get to visit my family.

All dressed up for the baptism

Baby Emmet =)

Dan and I

Jay and Perry's wedding