Are you thinking about becoming a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist?

   

A Commentary on Eastern Michigan University’s 

Distance Coordinated Program in Dietetics

When I first started exploring the idea of going into the field of nutrition, I had a rather large

Study, study, study...

misconception of just how much of an education base was required to function as a nutrition professional. I mean, after all, there seems to be nutrition gurus everywhere with very little in the way of formal training. But then I learned about the risk of practicing nutrition without being fully credentialed as a Registered Dietitian through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; understanding specific disease risks and conditions is essential to applying nutrition therapy. It was clear that I wanted to provide the most accurate, evidence-based care for future patients and clients.

In my previous blog post, Road to R.D., I shared the history of my decision to study nutrition and how I selected Eastern Michigan University’s Distance Coordinated Program in Dietetics. Since that post, I have successfully graduated from the program with my B.S. in Dietetics, Summa Cum Laude, I have successfully passed the Registered Dietitian Exam and obtained my State of Florida license to practice as a Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist.

For those who are interested in pursuing the field of dietetics, you might find my experience to be helpful when planning your path… and so I write…

In the last post, I left off right when I had been accepted into the dietetics program, which was a 2-year (Junior & Senior year) program. The Coordinated Program at EMU can also be a Master’s level program, including additional coursework, but also provides the required ACEND approved curriculum just the same. Upon completion, this qualifies the student to sit for the Commission on Dietetic Registry board exam. To give you an idea of how this program works, all of the coursework is completed online while the 1200 hour supervised practice requirement is coordinated by the student in facilities local to the student. This requires making connections with local dietitians in each of the required fields and ensuring that the proper facility agreements are completed. I cannot say enough good things about this program, especially if you are not in the vicinity of a university with a dietetics program. The distance option is so convenient. However, this program is made for the detail oriented, self-motivated, technologically savvy student. If you can learn via web lectures, power-point presentations and can navigate Office software, Adobe and such, you can do this program.

My program began the Fall of 2014, but beforehand, we took a prep class, Fundamentals of Nutrition Therapy to get us ready for some of the medical terminology and the nutrition assessment process. This was helpful because when the classes began in September, we had a brief “boot-camp” prior to our 1-day per week clinical schedule and we needed to be prepared. The striking difference between the coordinated program and a typical internship is that we were learning all of the didactic material at the same time that we were completing our supervised practice hours, whereas, in an internship, the didactic work would have been completed before the student ever steps foot in a healthcare facility. The benefit that I saw in the Coordinated Program is that I was able to put in practice what I had learned right away, thereby solidifying my knowledge immediately. Initially, there was a bit of a learning curve because some of the RDs were not fully aware of my field knowledge base and anticipated that I would have the same understanding as an intern who had completed the didactic work. With a little clarification, they all were more than happy to adjust their method of instruction.

The first semester of the program was split between Nutrition Therapy (in an acute care setting) and Foodservice Management. My Nutrition Therapy Supervised Practice Hours were at a ~280 bed hospital and my Foodservice Management Supervised Practice Hours were completed at a ~70 bed long term care facility. Both of these locations were utilized for future rotations; I completed the long-term care supervised practice hours at the LTC facility and at the hospital, I completed half of a semester in Foodservice Management and again for Nutrition Therapy II in the final semester. In the first Spring (EMU called it WINTER), in addition to the LTC rotation, I worked with an outpatient office which was part of a local hospital. One of my special interests is in breastfeeding and lactation counseling, so as an added bonus, that hospital was hosting a weekly breastfeeding support group which was great experience working with mommies as they provided the first nutrition to their babies. It was a highlight!

During the second Fall, the focus was turned towards Community Nutrition in which the Supervised Practice hours were completed in a WIC facility in addition to 1-day events with Head Start, a Senior Center and an elementary school. Additionally, the second fall included a specialty rotation, in which I completed hours with an Oncology Dietitian who also was the Sports Dietitian for a local university and who was a monthly guest on a local talk radio program. Additional hours were completed with a private practice dietitian.  

Study on the beach, study in the car, study study over here, study everywhere...

All of these Supervised Practice Hours are in addition to at least 4 classes per semester. Determination and planning were my left and right arm to help wade through this intense program. Can I also include that this program occurred during my daughter’s final year of high school, my youngest son’s sophomore and junior years in high school (as a home schooler), and through my oldest son away at Bible College and then his wedding. Many of my schoolmates had families as well. There were a couple of super-moms with little children and I think they deserve an additional badge.

The coursework covered Nutrition Therapy I, II, II & IV, Food Systems Management, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Entrepreneurship, in addition to Seminar in Dietetics, Micronutrient and Macronutrient Metabolism, Food and Culture and Nutrition of the Lifecycle.

In all honesty, I would have never guessed that a dietitian would have so much training in Foodservice or that dietitians play such a vital role in critical care. Prior to my experience, it was difficult for me to handle any medically invasive intervention, including needles and wounds, but my preceptors were so amazing and they coordinated many valuable experiences for me such as being in the operating room during a quadruple bypass surgery, a gastric sleeve operation which included a cholecystectomy, I watched gastric band assessments, a bronchoscopy and I shadowed a wound nurse. To my great surprise, I was able to attend each event without any issue, primarily because I focused on the anatomical process that was taking place.  In each setting, I was able to see the importance of a dietitian in either the prevention or the treatment of the condition. Not enough can be said about how important preceptors are to the dietetic student/interns. My preceptors went out of their way to ensure that I gained the required knowledge and experience. Early in the process of preparing for the program, I began to volunteer with a newly forming local dietetics group and the dietitians from that group became my mentors, cheerleaders and now I can call them friends. For the upcoming membership year, I have the privilege to serve as the President-Elect of that same group.

Additionally, the EMU Dietetics Program Director, Lydia and the Clinical Coordinator, Diane, were absolutely amazing. When I think of all that had to go into preparing the students, keeping us on track with dates and requirements, all via the wonders of the internet, I am in awe with their dedication to the success of future dietitians.

Graduation was a sweet time for the distance students who were able to travel to Michigan for the ceremony as well as a celebration ceremony thrown by Lydia and Diane. That weekend was the first time that I was able to meet any of the professors and staff as well as the other students who attended. For over 4 years, I had been in communication with the EMU staff, either preparing for the program or during, so meeting everyone face-to-face was a momentous event. I am so thankful for the opportunity to attend.

#EMU Class of 2016!

I cannot end this commentary without infusing the significance of faith during this process. I truly did not know or believe that I could complete such rigorous course of study, but I truly had to place my trust in God and recognize that His strength was more than sufficient, even in the times when I was so very weak. He taught me so many side-lessons in the process.

If you are considering the field of dietetics and you have questions about EMU’s program, please leave me a note in the comments and I will be glad to help.

In a future post, I will share how I prepared for the RD exam and what I used to study.  

XOXO,

Tasha Brickhouse, RD, LD/N

The Road to R.D.

Over the years, The Brick House has been a place to share encouragement, tips, and how-tos, therefore, it only seems fitting to give a little info about my adventure into Dietetics that is only just beginning. As I was researching the field, I read many student blogs that were extremely insightful, so if you are considering a career in nutrition/dietetics, this may serve as a launch pad for you!

Let me give you a little background. My husband and I married shortly after I graduated from high school with honors in business and within our first year of marriage, my oldest son was born. I entered college, initially interested in computers, but then switched my focus to business. After a year, we relocated to Central Florida and soon baby #2 and baby #3 came along. I knew early on that I would homeschool them, so my days were filled with teaching them how to learn (I’d rather not fill their bucket, but rather, teach them to learn… but that is another blog post altogether). After 10 years of marriage, my husband and I began an installation business that is now in its 10^th year. In effort to assist him to the best of my ability, I took several classes through Daytona State Center for Business and Industry and Daytona State College Small Business Development Center. These resources were invaluable to the establishment of the business. A family based business offered several opportunities for our family. Aside from an income source, each of my children have been able to help their dad prepare for projects, learn a trade and be exposed to the entrepreneurial lifestyle (both good and bad). 

When the economy threatened to squeeze the life out of our business, I reenrolled in college. My oldest son began dual enrollment as a high school/homeschooler, my daughter was a freshman and my youngest was in 7^th grade, all homeschooling through Florida Virtual School. This offered some flexibility for me to study, work part time all the while trying not to lose my mind!

Initially, it seemed that the best thing for me to study was business management. During the second semester back, I took Biology (for non-science majors) with a professor who held a Bachelor’s in nutrition. He was assigned to teach this class in effort to convert non-science majors into science majors. It worked. While I always enjoyed reading about nutrition on a casual, need-to-know basis, I soon realized that I absolutely LOVED learning about the impact of nutrition on health. By this point I had begun cleaning up my diet and getting active, resulting in about 40+ lbs of weight loss. 

I quickly began researching the nutrition profession. Soon I discovered that the credentials for being able to work in the area of nutrition took dedication as well as commitment to a competitive education path. Quoting the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “All registered dietitians are nutritionists, but not all nutritionists are registered dietitians. This is a distinction that can matter a great deal to people’s health.” The time investment of education would only be well spent in a program that would allow me to serve the public as a qualified professional.  So I was on the hunt for an accredited program that would meet all of the needs of our family.

The Academy’s website offers links to the accredited programs throughout the country and explains the different programs. One option is to enroll in a Didactic Program (Bachelor or Master’s) plus internship. The other option is a Coordinated program that allows students to complete the didactic studies and complete supervised practice hours within their Bachelor or Master’s program. There were several blogs that I read in which students who had completed the Didactic program were having an extremely difficult time being placed in an internship. Only about 50% of the applicants get placed. This seemed like a very scary position, because without the internship time, the students were unable to take the Registered Dietitian’s exam. I called into the Academy and discussed the options with an advisor, and based on where we live, there were no local programs of either kind available. They suggested that I look for distance programs, and specifically recommended Eastern Michigan University Distance Coordinated Program in Dietetics. There were some huge advantages to this program.

·         I could stay in my area and do my coursework online

·         The science pre-requisites could be taken locally and transferred in (upon approval)

·         Because it is a fully online program, out of state tuition cost do not apply

·         It allowed me to become familiar with local dietitians while I secured preceptors for the program

In a traditional internship program, the field time is already prearranged by the internship program director. This very unique program allows the student to make contact with potential preceptors and establish supervised work hour rotations. I will come back to this in a bit.

The science of food...

So, with all of this information in hand, it seemed that I had a long road of science prerequisites to fulfill, and it seemed very daunting. So many of my classmates were already on a science tract, and I’m over here with a handful of business experience. Folks, my prayer life greatly increased as I worked my way through chemistry, organic chemistry, anatomy & physiology, microbiology and biochemistry. My friends heard me cry and whine all the way through.

During the summer of 2013, I attended Florida Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Annual Symposium. It was so enriching. The information sessions were dynamic and I felt right at home. During a meet and greet session, a dietitian from my county gave me the number of someone in our area who was developing a local dietitian’s chapter. That put the ball in play with regard to securing preceptors for the program. She will never know how valuable that 10 minute conversation was to me.

In January of 2014, just 18 months after I set out to complete the prerequisites, I was sending in my application, which was a 3 ring binder full of requirements. At 37 years old, I was actually applying to my very first program of study, with a pocket full of life experience. The program has just 20 slots available each fall, and 82 students applied.  I was slightly nervous, but God opened so many doors up to this point, that I had a peace in the fact that I only wanted to do what HE wanted me to do, and if this was it, I would earn a spot. To be entirely honest, I am supremely humbled that He has opened so many very specific opportunities for me. It has been the sort of journey that I literally felt as if He walked every step with me, grabbed ahold of each and every door that we encountered and held it opened as I walked through... My most important task? Well, of course, it was to be WILLING to walk through the door. That required getting out of my comfort zone, breaking out of the mental box that I had myself in, and believing that He can do all things in me when I am willing to calm myself into His presence. 

Mid-March, my son trotted in with the mail and I mindlessly begin opening the letters. I look down to read the details of the letter in my hand and see that I had been accepted into the program! There was a mighty shout in the house that day!

So here I am, in May 2014, just a couple of months before I begin the program in late August, anxiously awaiting the experience of the next 2 years. While I feel like I have learned so much just in the preparation, I have not even begun yet.

Why did I choose nutrition/dietetics? Let me count the reasons:

·         I love food

·         I love nutrition

·         I love people

·         I love helping people

·         I love being a positive part of peoples’ growth and recovery

·         I love that God has created us in such a magnificent way, and that He has created food sources for us to specifically meet EVERY SINGLE nutritional need that we have.

In closing, while I am not YET an expert in the area of nutrition, I hope to share some things along the way that may spark a desire for others to take ahold of the great benefits that come from placing a priority on eating well.

Xoxo,

Tasha