Over Thanksgiving break, I had the opportunity to shadow Mrs. Karen Feldmeyer at Atrium Medical Center in Middletown Ohio. During my four-hour visit, I experienced aspects of nutrition in a multitude of different settings including the psychiatric wing, the intensive care unit, and a physical therapy panel. Each of these opportunities provided me with a different perspective on the importance of nutrition, and how nutrition impacts a patient’s recovery process.
Mrs. Feldmeyer has been Manager of Nutrition Services at Atrium for the past nine years, and is in charge of a large staff with a variety of different personalities. With such a large group, she described how difficult it is to ensure her staff keeps …show more content…
Feldmeyer also includes inspecting the cafeteria food production facility. Every few weeks, the Health Department makes an unannounced visit to the cafeteria and inspects cleanliness and safety of food preparation within the facility. This past summer, I was an assistant manager at my neighborhood pool. Since we had a concession stand, the Health Department would check the chlorine and Ph levels of the pool in addition to the cleanliness and food preparation safety in concessions. While a small stand to buy an assortment of snacks is nowhere near the size of a hospital kitchen, I did notice a few similarities from my experience with the Health Department. For both services, boxes with food items cannot be on the ground, freezers must reach designated temperatures, and paper towels should always be present at handwashing stations. Occasionally Mrs. Feldmeyer completes “mock inspections” which check for many items the Health Department is searching for, but these surprise visits also make sure that the kitchen staff is following the proper preparation and cleaning …show more content…
Feldmeyer and ask her some questions about how she became a nutritionist, and the daily function of her team. In addition to answering my questions, she gave me some excellent advice that can be applied to any professional setting. She shared with me how important it is to be able to communicate well with others; you may be a brilliant student, but if you’re unable to communicate your thoughts to others, you’re unable to share your knowledge and ideas. Mrs. Feldmeyer told me that having great communication skills in her job helps resolve conflicts before they become huge problems, and allows her to communicate together with physicians with little nutrition knowledge why patients should be on certain diets. By communicating well, you are able to help others feel at ease so they are also able to perform their best on the