New Developments

This week passed by in a flash! A few interesting things happened. First, I finally had the opportunity to meet people who work for Aramark and with UK Dining. Not to mention, I had the chance to see a lot of friendly faces during our on campus meetings later in the week!!

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​Monday: Marketing Meeting

Everything is related to marketing in one way or another, lending this team a multitude of responsibilities. From our perspective as Registered Dietitians working for Aramark, marketing assists us with quite a bit such as creating restaurant menus, event promotion, and social media management. Since my first day on the job with UK Dining, I have worked relatively closely with the marketing team at Aramark, but not until last Monday did I finally meet them in person. I had the opportunity to attend a professional meeting with Aramark employees that I have been in contact with via email for the last 7 weeks.

It was nice to put faces with names and to attempt to create some sort of a personal relationship with them, no matter how fleeting my time with Aramark may be. Much of what was discussed at this meeting was related to events for the fall semester, which unfortunately I will have no role in developing. Nonetheless, being a part of the team and observing the interactions of coworkers is always interesting. I enjoy learning more about the business side of this corporate wellness program.

Wednesday: In-Service and Unit Managers Meeting

This day began bright and early with an in-service event that I had the pleasure of leading with employees at Blazer Dining. I have really come to appreciate the manager at this facility, as he is always willing to help me with my projects while exuding cheerful optimism. The manager asked me to address the importance of recipes with his employees, and my preceptor suggested reviewing the National Menu Labeling (NML) law as well. The NML law was briefly discussed in a previous post, if you would like to review that information.

The in-service was pitched to employees in a manner that was non-threatening, and I tried to make the information as applicable to their daily tasks as possible. Essentially, I explained what was meant by the term "standardized" recipe and related the importance of adhering to recipes to customer satisfaction, budget, and nutrition information. Not only does following a recipe ensure the nutrition information is accurate, but according to the NML law the information must be posted with each item sold in order to avoid a $10,000 fine. That tiny recipe card suddenly feels a lot heavier with a dollar sign attached to it!! 

​I used a pre- and post-assessment during this in-service, but could have given better direction of how to fill them out. I printed them front and back to avoid employees having to write their names on them for comparison, but the audience staggered in and the directions were not relayed properly to everyone. I also printed signage that the manager could post in the restaurant which reminded employees to post their recipe cards.

Later that day we attended a unit managers meeting that included all restaurant managers on UK's campus. Similar to the marketing meeting, this was an opportunity to meet a lot of people face-to-face that I had heard of merely by name in conversation. Knowing the people we will be working with will help to facilitate the process of compiling menu information from each restaurant on campus. More importantly, if the managers have seen me at least once before they will be more likely to cooperate with me if I am sent alone into their restaurant to request specific information about their facility. Calculating nutrition information for restaurants on campus is tedious work, and a lot of managers become frustrated with the process. Simple social graces can help to ease this process.

Thursday & Friday: On-Campus Meetings

It is hard to believe we are more than halfway through with the dietetic internship program with UK DHN. Last week we had our May Meeting and interns presented either their research project or case study. My presentation was specific to my MNT case study project, and I am happy to report it went really well. 

Below you will find a copy of my presentation slides for your viewing pleasure:

Overall, it was a great week of experiences. The in-service presentation was a nice warm up for my case study presentation. After attending two professional business meetings I am feeling a bit more involved with the Aramark team. I'm looking forward to the last few weeks of my FSSM rotation with UK Dining.

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The 142nd Kentucky Derby

On a personal note, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Kentucky Derby for the first time in my life over the weekend. Surprising that as a native Kentuckian I have never been to the derby or Churchill Downs.

My fiancé (that never gets old) bought us tickets for seats that were right next to the track!! It was a beautiful day in the Commonwealth for participating in this age old tradition and we had a phenomenal time.

Although we did not win a lot of money, we also did not lose a lot of money, so we considered that a success! It was nice to be able to relax and unwind from the busy life of a dietetic intern!

Competencies:
CRD 1.1 Select indicators of program quality and/or customer service and measure achievement of objectives. (Tip:  Outcomes may include clinical, programmatic, quality, productivity, economic or other outcomes in wellness, management, sports, clinical settings, etc.)
CRD 1.3 Justify programs, products, services and care using appropriate evidence or data.
CRD 1.4 Evaluate emerging research for application in dietetics practice.
CRD 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 Dietetics Practice and Code of Ethics for the Profession of Dietetics.
CRD 2.2 Demonstrate professional writing skills in preparing professional communications. (Tip:  Examples include research manuscripts, project proposals, education materials, policies and procedures.)
CRD 2.3 Design, implement and evaluate presentations to a target audience. (Tip:  A quality presentation considers life experiences, cultural diversity and educational background of the target audience.)
CRD 2.8 Apply leadership principles to achieve desired outcomes.
CRD 2.11 Demonstrate professional attributes within various organizational cultures. (Tip:  Professional attributes include showing initiative and proactively developing solutions, advocacy, customer focus, risk taking, critical thinking, flexibility, time management, work prioritization and work ethic.)\
CRD 3.2 Demonstrate effective communications skills for clinical and customer services in a variety of formats. (Tip:  Formats include oral, print, visual, electronic and mass media methods for maximizing client education, employee training and marketing.)
CRD 3.3 Develop and deliver products, programs or services that promote consumer health, wellness and lifestyle management. (Tip:  Students/Interns should consider health messages and interventions that integrate the consumer’s desire for taste, convenience and economy with the need for nutrition and food safety.)
CRD 4.1 Participate in management of human resources