Missouri State University Dietetic Internship

Congratulations to our 2020-2021 cohort of dietetic interns who have officially completed their supervised practice hours! We wish them the best of luck as they begin to prepare for their registration exam.

Happy last week of Preceptor Month! The MSU DI appreciates all the hard work that preceptors dedicate to supporting our interns.

This week began staff relief for the interns completing their MNT 2 rotations! Here is Rebecca in her contact precaution PPE at Phelps Health Hospital in Rolla, MO.

Each intern designs and completes their own 6 week individualized rotation, also known as their PAC rotation, during the second semester of the internship. Learn more about what Nicole has been up to during her PAC rotation below! "I have always had an interest in food insecurity and learning about more ways, as a future RDN, to best advocate for my patient and their nutrition. Going through the dietetic internship I have also found an interest in working with schools and ...college/high school students. This led me to design my PAC directly around food insecurity and the student population. Monday and Tuesday I work at the Bear Pantry (MSU’s campus food pantry) where I do research and grant writing that involves food insecurity on Missouri State campus and food recovery programs. We are also working towards opening a satellite pantry location that is designated to meeting the specific needs of international students by providing more culturally appropriate foods. Wednesday through Friday I am at the Southwest Missouri Area Health Education Center (AHEC). Here I work with their dietitian to design and implement nutrition education classes to high school students in the SW Missouri region. I am developing a nutrition series where I educate students on the role of RDNs, nutrition for adolescents, metabolism, food safety, and present cooking demonstrations. After roughly 8-9 hours, I finish my day trying to get in some vitamin D and keep up with homework If you’ve read this far, thanks for sticking around and learning more about the life of a dietetic intern! "

Happy match day to all dietetic internship applicants!

Match day is only one week away! Best of luck to all dietetic internship applicants!

In the spring semester, interns spend 8 weeks at a regional hospital to complete their MNT II rotations. One of the preceptors for this rotation is Whitney (pictured left) who works at Freeman Hospital West in Joplin, Missouri. Get to know one of the MSU dietetic internship’s preceptors, Whitney, through these questions below! How long have you been a registered dietitian? 10 years in July!... What are your main responsibilities at your job? As Clinical Nutrition Manager, I help create the patient menu, guide nutrition policy, direct clinical dietitian duties and provide training to dietitians and foodservice personnel. What is your favorite part of your job? My co-workers are the best part of my job. I get to work with some very smart, talented, and funny dietitians. What is your biggest challenge at your job? It is challenging to get others excited about nutrition at a policy or facility level. Change is hard for everyone, but by working to share evidence-based practices with physicians and hospital leadership, I keep making gains. I have been able to create a malnutrition program and be a part of implementing a mini-ERAS protocol. What would you like for interns to gain from spending time with you as a preceptor? I hope interns learn not only how to help patients at the one-on-one level but also how system protocols or policies affect nutrition care. What is your favorite part of being a preceptor? I like learning all of the new things (nutrition-related or not) from interns. They keep me young and informed. Thank you, Whitney!

Only 6 days left to apply to the Missouri State University Dietetic Internship Graduate Certificate Program! Applications are due to Dietetic Internship Centralized Application Services (DICAS) by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on February 15, 2021. Don’t forget to also register online with D & D Digital Computer Matching! No GRE is required, and there are no additional program fees to apply to the program. Click here to find more information about the application process https://www.missouristate.edu/NutritionDie//AppProcess.htm

One unique rotation site that interns train at is MSU Care. MSU Care is an on-campus clinic that serves uninsured, low-income, adult patients ages 18-64, in an enhanced primary care educational environment. All interns complete a rotation at the clinic throughout the internship where they have the opportunity to practice their nutrition counseling and motivational interviewing skills. Interns have the chance to be part of an interdisciplinary healthcare team and help to enhance the nutritional status of patients in the community. Learn more about the MSU Care clinic at https://msucare.missouristate.edu/.

Some of the interns began their individualized rotations last week! This is a chance for interns to select from two community-based concentration areas to help others in the community while pursuing their objectives and positioning themselves to take the Registration Examination for Dietitians. Take a look at what two interns are doing for their individualized rotations! Lydia: "I am rotating with a pediatric registered dietitian at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri. Th...e areas covered include neonatal intensive care, pediatric intensive care, lactation, and pediatric gastroenterology and endocrinology. For the second part of my practicum, I am partnering with The Doula Foundation of Springfield MO to offer courses through their virtual classroom on prenatal nutrition, breastfeeding nutrition, and introducing first foods to baby." Kylie: "I am working with a dietitian who owns a video production and media communications company. I am learning about media strategy, production techniques, and will create nutrition-related media content for her brand. I am also counseling dance students on MSU's campus. These sessions will focus on fueling for performance/recovery, intuitive eating, and promoting a positive body image." Thank you Lydia and Kylie, and good luck with your rotations!

Meet Danielle! Danielle is the final intern in the 2020-2021 MSU dietetic internship cohort to be featured on the page. Danielle is from St. Louis, Missouri. She says this about her favorite areas of nutrition: I spent the majority of my undergrad time working with collegiate athletes and absolutely loved it! Each sport is so different in their needs and it kept me on my toes at all times. In the last few months, I had the chance to be in a dialysis center and absolutely l...oved my time there. Danielle chose the MSU internship because says she knew they had a great reputation and loved the emphasis on Rural Health. When asked about her favorite food, Danielle says My favorite food? Oh goodness, there are so many of my favorite foods. I think the real question is what my last meal would be and I would choose chicken pot pie, fried okra, and pecan pie. Her favorite thing to do for fun is watching sports and trying out new recipes. Cooking is her stress reliever and a way of being creative. Danielle hopes to someday work in college athletics and then build a private practice once she retires from that. She says this about rotations she has enjoyed: The rotation that I enjoyed the most is between Jordan Valley and Prime Trucking. Prime allowed me to explore my own creativity and find different ways of delivering information. Also, it challenged me to think about what is available to an individual who drives a truck. I loved Jordan Valley for the variety of clients we saw and the space I was allowed to grow in counseling. Thank you, Danielle!

The nutrition and dietetic students in DTN 340, Nutrition Education and Communication, created short food demo videos on Tasty and Quick Meal Prep Ideas. We hope you learn some healthy and creative cooking tips and try out some of these tasty recipes! Here is Landon showing how to make Sheet Pan Cashew Chicken. Enjoy! For the Sauce 6 Tbsp soy sauce, low sodium... 3/4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 2 Tbsp honey 1 tsp sesame oil, toasted tsp minced ginger 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 Tbsp cornstarch cup Water For the Chicken and Vegetables 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into 1 cubes to taste Salt and pepper 1.5 cup broccoli florets (1 head) 2 bell peppers cut into chunks (1 red, 1 green) 2/3 cup cashews, unsalted Garnishes, Optional Toasted sesame seeds Green onions, chopped For the Sauce 1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, honey, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, cornstarch, and water until combined. 2. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles. 3. Remove from heat and set aside For the Chicken and Veggies 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 2. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil and coat with cooking spray and set aside 3. Season chicken with salt and pepper then drizzle spoonfuls of sauce over the chicken coating well on both sides. Save at least half the sauce for later 4. Cook in the preheated oven for eight minutes then remove pan 1. Arrange the broccoli florets, bell peppers, and cashews in a single layer around the chicken. 2. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and drizzle spoonfuls of the sauce over them 3. Toss everything to coat then return to the oven and cook for another 8-12 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. 4. 10. Remove from oven and drizzle with remaining sauce. Serve over rice or quinoa and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Serving Size: 1 plate Total Servings: 4 Nutritional Facts: Kcals 95 Fat 1g Carbohydrates 3g Protein 21g Vitamin A 1200 IU Calcium 23mg Vitamin C 81mg Recipe modified from: Kelly Kwok, The Recipe Critic