Post 2: Interview

I interviewed a registered dietitian named Salma who works at The Medical University of South Carolina. At MUSC, Salma works five days a week from 4-6:30 on the education floor where she educates cancer patients and patients who just recently had open heart surgeries. She basically educates these patients on their diet plans and what types of food is necessary for them to eat after such a great change in their lifestyle. She informed me that dietitians have many different roles and responsibilities depending on the type of career path they have chosen. Salma works with other RD’s who are in a range from clinical dietitians to pediatric dietitians to cardiovascular dietitians to a sports and wellness dietitian. As you can see there are many choices in the field to choose from.

What types of writing do you perform in a typical day?

Every day Salma sees about 5 patients in the morning and 6-7 in the afternoon. For each patient, a form is needed to be filled out that assesses the patient. Included on this form is past medical history, basic present info (weight, height), calorie count in a day and labs. The dietitian then writes out a report of what changes need to be done in the patient’s diet. A diet plan is composed. The form that is followed is a basic criteria to go by.
Research is also conducted and reports are written on findings.

After graduating with a degree in nutrition, what are the further steps I need to do?

After completing the program at Clemson, you need to apply for a accredited dietetic internship. This internship can be anywhere in the US and it lasts for 6 months from Aug to May. You will gain experience and learn the necessary skills needed to become a dietitian. You will then need to pass the National Registration examination for dietitians. After this exam is completed you can then apply for future jobs.