Re-thinking Things

We are changing pace at UK Dining this week. As restaurant managers deep clean facilities that will be closed over the summer and begin to gear up for summer camps, we have called our quest for calculating nutrition information to a halt. 

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As it turns out, higher-ups in Aramark are still working on finalizing plans for restaurant menus and availability in the fall. This is known as the Market Match, where professionals crunch numbers and determine what is working, what is selling, and what we could do without on campus. This means there could be some closing of restaurants and cafes on campus, and definitely some menu changes at the very least. Do not fear, however, our beloved Fusion is safe from harm, I have been told. Other places like Ovid's and K-Lair will not be going anywhere either, as they are staples and traditions on our campus at UK.

Looking Ahead

The change of pace and backtracking at UK Dining this week opened up a bit of free time for me to look ahead in the internship and begin preparing for the next step. After this rotation, life is going to get a little crazy as I dive into my third and final rotation. My community rotation is only 7 short weeks, one of which will be dominated by Camp Hendon, which is Kentucky's camp for children with diabetes.

On top of this major time crunch I have also decided this would be a perfect opportunity to do research.
Ha, I must be insane! Actually, I have been in contact with my preceptor since January about the opportunity to do research at her facility and she has been above and beyond supportive. Since I had a little bit of free time (and her office is a football field away), I scheduled a meeting with her to discuss the project in person. It was also a great opportunity to go ahead and introduce myself before beginning my rotation at her office. What felt really great was hearing my preceptor's encouragement for being proactive about my project. 

​When I received my rotation assignments, I suspected my community rotation would be my personal favorite. After discussing the research project and opportunities that lie ahead I can definitely confirm my excitement!

​Counseling is of particular interest to me, and it sounds like I will get the chance to build up those skills within these brief 6 weeks. Perhaps it is my background in the service industry, but I am a self-proclaimed people person, and I look forward to the opportunity to enhance my capabilities with guidance from seasoned professionals. Hopefully my experience with UK Health & Wellness will prepare me for what I will be faced in graduate school counseling courses!

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Competencies:
CRD 2.2 Demonstrate professional writing skills in preparing professional communications. (Tip:  Examples include research manuscripts, project proposals, education materials, policies and procedures.)
CRD 4.5 Use current informatics technology to develop, store, retrieve and disseminate information and data. (Tip:  Informatics can include a variety of technology in the supervised practice activities.)
CRD 4.6 Prepare and analyze quality, financial or productivity data and develops a plan for intervention.
CRD 4.8 Conduct feasibility studies for products, programs or services with consideration of costs and benefits.
CRD 4.9 Analyze financial data to assess utilization of resources