Clinical Rotation –  Week 8 Journal

Dates of rotation: Monday – Friday (May 21, 2018 – May 25, 2018)

Location: Springfield Dialysis Center

Activities & Assignments:

Monday (9 hours and 15 mins)

• Rounds
  • First shift and second shift patients
• PAC Meeting
  • This is a meeting in which the patients voice their concerns regarding their treatment/facility and are updated regarding new developments in the world of dialysis.  This meeting is led by the Medical Director. This meeting is done quarterly.
  • Thoughts: It’s great to give patients the chance to voice their concerns.  I think that patient input is extremely valuable in all types of settings.  These dialysis patients are here 3 times a week and are the eyes and ears of the facility.  During the meeting, most of the patients that attended expressed that they were happy with the care and services provided at the facility.  However, there were a few patients who voiced some concerns. The medical director did a great job listening and responding to patient concerns.
• Filed staff time attendance sheet alphabetically.
• Hung up Lobby Day flyers all over the dialysis facility.
  • Made sure I hung up flyers in spots that patients frequent (by the doors, by the weighing station, and by the waiting area)

Tuesday (9 hours and 15 mins)

• Rounds
  • First and second shift patients
• Observed the Quality Assurance Performance Improvement Meeting
  • Thoughts: This is a meeting done monthly where the Nurse Administrator, Social Worker, Lead Technician, and Dietitian present to the Medical Director. They have goals every month and during this meeting, the members of the interdisciplinary team present the outcomes of their goals.  Each member of the interdisciplinary team has specific goals they need to meet. For example, the dietitian’s goals regarding reaching potassium, calcium, and phosphorus intake.  By having these goals, the dietitians have to work with their patients to help them reach these goals.

Wednesday – NONE

Thursday (9 hours and 15 mins)

• Rounds
  • Second and third shift patients
    • Thoughts: I was able to go on rounds with the afternoon dietitian and meet her patients. She and the morning dietitian have similarities in how they interact with their patients, but it was also interesting to see the differences in their counseling styles.

• Prepared materials for Lobby Day
  • Printed and made copies of handouts and recipe sheets.
  • Sent grocery list to ADMS main office for the lead dietitian to bring the ingredients to Springfield the day of lobby day.

Friday (12 hours and 15 mins)

• Lobby Day
  • Prepared meals for the patients at Springfield Dialysis (first, second, third, and fourth shift). The dietitians and I made chicken salad, mixed vegetables, and a blueberry smoothie.
  • Made sure to practice safe food handling practices by hand washing, using clean cutting boards, taking temperature of cooked meat, maintaining proper food temperatures, and preventing cross-contamination.
  • Thoughts: The patients really enjoyed the food.  They were skeptical at first because they thought that the meals were not renal friendly.  However, when we mentioned that everything we prepared followed the renal diet, they were happy to try the meals.  They were also surprised to learn that the chicken salad and the mixed vegetables contained no salt.  They all commented on how flavorful the meals were.  We provided them with the recipes and answered any questions they had regarding their diet.

Learning Objectives Met:

CRDN 2.1: Practice in compliance with current federal regulations and state statutes and rules, as applicable and in accordance with accreditation standards and the Scope of Nutrition and Dietetics Practice and Code of Ethics for the Profession of Nutrition and Dietetics.

CRDN 2.3: Demonstrate active participation, teamwork and contributions in group settings.

CRDN 2.4: Function as a member of interprofessional teams.

CRDN 2.5: Assign patient care activities to NDTRs and/or support personnel as appropriate.

CRDN 2.10: Demonstrate professional attributes in all areas of practice.

CRDN 3.1: Perform the Nutrition Care Process and use standardized nutrition language for individuals, groups and populations of differing ages and health status, in a variety of settings.

CRDN 3.3: Demonstrate effective communications skills for clinical and customer services in a variety of formats and settings.

CRDN 3.5: Develop nutrition education materials that are culturally and age appropriate and designed for the educational level of the audience.

CRDN 3.6: Use effective education and counseling skills to facilitate behavior change.

CRDN 3.8: Deliver respectful, science-based answers to client questions concerning emerging trends.

CRDN 4.1: Participate in management of human resources.

CRDN 4.2: Perform management functions related to safety, security and sanitation that affect employees, customers, patients, facilities and food.

CRDN 4.8 Develop a plan to provide or develop a product, program or service that includes a budget, staffing needs, equipment and supplies.

Total Clock Hours: 40 hours