Inpatient Clinical Dietitian

As an inpatient clinical dietitian at Essentia Health, I provide care to patients on 16 units between 2 hospitals. One of my favorite parts of this role is calculating enteral nutrition plans as well as collaborating with pharmacists to determine macro- and micronutrients in parenteral nutrition prescriptions. My understanding of micronutrients has grown greatly, as it is my responsibility to communicate with providers regarding vitamin and mineral supplementation recommendations for a variety of conditions (i.e. wounds, gastric bypass, nutrient deficiencies, etc.). I also diagnose and aid in the treatment of malnutrition using ASPEN criteria and guidelines, including the use of nutrition focused physical exams. This not only requires problem solving skills but a sense of empathy and understanding for the circumstances that lead a patient to become malnourished as this is often emotional for people. Additionally, I enjoy interacting with patients and family members while providing individualized and effective nutrition education for a variety of symptoms and/or disease states.