|
Interview with a Nutrition Therapist Dietitian
Get an Inside Nutritionist Career Perspective From A Dietitian
Get an Inside Nutritionist Career Perspective From A Dietitian
Find Nutrition Schools | Natural Healers Career Resource Center
| | Interviewee: Johanna M Dong, MA, RD |
Johanna wears multiple career hats. She currently works full time as a clinical dietitian at Stanford University Medical Center, and divides the remainder of her professional time working for El Camino Hospital's Eating Disorder Intensive Outpatient Program and at her own private nutrition therapist practice. This busy lady's specialty focuses on eating disorders and maintaining wellness through weight management—a very niche field in nutrition.
If you have been contemplating a career in nutrition and the booming wellness industry, Johanna's interview will help you learn more about the nutrition field and the education and training involved with becoming a dietitian. Read on for a little career nourishment.
Nutrition Programs, Training & Education
Johanna received her Bachelor's of Science in Nutrition with a minor in psychology from the University of California. She then attended San Francisco State University for a dietetic internship, and gained valuable experience working with a dietitian. "Real-world experiences are important. You work with case studies in school, and people only have one disease—but that is not real life." Johanna stressed how patients typically have multiple diseases, and that working in a clinical setting helps to prepare you and give you realistic expectations for a career in dietetics.
Johanna also discussed how dietitian education is a process. "You must first get your Bachelor's in Nutrition. Most nutrition degrees have the Didactic Program for Dietetics (DPD) requirements built into the major already, and passing all of the DPD requirements allows you to qualify for an accredited internship." And even though you qualify for an accredited internship, you still have to apply to the internship program, and Johanna mentions that "accredited internships only comes around twice a year."
If you are accepted into the internship program, you complete the internship which is generally nine months to a year in length. Some internships are combined with master's degrees, which take two years to complete. You must also complete a certain number of hours within each of the following areas to satisfy the internship learning requirements:
- Clinical nutrition
- Community nutrition
- Food service management
Each of these rotations enables you to learn a different specialty within dietetics, which can be very helpful when deciding your career focus. And after you've completed each of these requirements, depending on the track you choose, you then have the opportunity to take an exam to get your Registered Dietitian (RD) credential.
And the track Johanna took? After she got her bachelor's degree, Johanna decided to get her Master's of Arts in Nutrition from San Francisco State University. Just remember that some states require master's degrees, so it's important to research the dietitian and nutrition jobs and nutrition program and nutritionist or dietitian certification and licensure requirements in the state where you want to practice.
Nutritionist or Dietitian Clientele
Johanna is an eating disorder specialist, so her clients are typically outpatient referrals from the hospital. Doctors will actually "write-up in patient discharge plans" that patients need to see someone in Johanna's field for treatment.
Since Johanna works in a hospital that gives her referrals for the population she works with, she has also had no problems finding clients for her private practice. "The MDs and Therapists in the hospital are used to my work and recommend and refer cases to me. Since the patients know me and have worked with me in the hospital, it's a much easier transition for them to outpatient if they know they are seeing me." She does recommend, however, that people who are starting their own dietitian business should join network groups because these groups can provide business plan advice as well as a referral base.
She also says to "use discretion on how to use your home." It's very important that you separate your business from your home life because you're working in a therapy setting. Johanna comments, "There are two issues here. One is safety and privacy of one's home, and the second is keeping home-life separate." It's important that clients don't know where their therapists live in case there are any 'ill-will' feelings in regards to their treatment recommendations. Johanna comments, "I try to leave work at work, and by separating time and space for my career from home, it gives me that mental separation as well."
It's always good to have a separation of work from home life, but it's also crucial when you're working with patients in treatment situations.
Preparing for a Client's Session
Johanna takes a very non-diet, personal approach in her patient treatments. She explains, "I use the Intuitive Eating Approach to foster a better relationship with food, eating and the body." This philosophy helps her reach her clients on a personal level and helps them learn how to address the emotional and psychological influences in their eating disorders.
When she has a new patient, she first checks the client chart to see why the doctor or nurse referred the patient to her in the first place. She has access to the client's chart at the hospital, so she's able to gather clinical data and history. She is then able to extrapolate information to have an agenda during the first session. She comments that it's important to have an agenda, but you also have to be flexible and "let the session go where it needs to go." Behavioral counseling is more psychological in nature, so you have to cater discussions and treatments on an individual client basis. The client interview is important in gathering more history and useful treatment information.
When Johanna sees private practice patients, she doesn't have as much clinical data, so it can be a little more challenging. She comments, "I try to collect as much information with intake forms to help guide conversation at our first intake meeting." Motivational interviewing techniques help to decipher the patients concerns. Here are some of the things Johanna discusses:
- Patient goals
- Patient motivations
"Sessions can be hard to predict, so you have to be patient and understanding." Johanna usually provides forms or homework for the client to document their eating behavior and thoughts. After gathering this information, Johanna has the tools she needs to teach them how to reach their goals.
Daily Challenges as a Nutritionist or Dietitian
Johanna says that "making the distinction between her hospital role and her outpatient role" can be difficult, especially since you see more patients on a daily basis in a hospital setting.
Time can be a challenge, especially in a hospital setting. "Sometimes you have to see 20 patients in a day, and you also have to document your sessions." There is also a level of team communication to make sure you're "all on the same page." Coordinating and troubleshooting patient problems in a team environment can always be challenge.
Daily Rewards as a Nutritionist of Dietitian
Getting through to patients is a very rewarding aspect of Johanna's career. "I like to see when patients have an 'ah-ha' moment—something clicks that's helpful to them." She says that when you're working with inpatients, they're usually malnourished and in the psych unit. Food is usually their worst enemy. You can help them set goals and learn the difference between "distinguishing the difference between their identity and their disorder." When you get through to a client on that level you, think, "This is happening. This is working—and to me that's huge."
A Nutrition Career That Has Helped Shaped a Dietitian's Life
Johanna says that working as a dietitian has definitely impacted food's role in her own life. She has to ask herself questions like, "What is my relationship with food?" Her answer is simple. "I listen to my body—I don't deprive my body." Her eyes become open to food roles she sets for herself, and she maintains a healthy balance. She says that teaching her clients about intuitive eating has helped her reflect inward and explore her personal attitude toward food, eating and her body.
Search our directory and find more: Massage Therapy Schools, Acupuncture, Chiropractic, and more.