At the end of our clinicals, we have “Staff Relief,” a time when we become part of the professional staff and work as if we were full-time. This is the homestretch; it’s the time when we figure out whether or not we have it in us to be hospital dieticians. By the time it’s over, we will walk away with confidence….thinking I can do this job.

Today, I started week one (of two).  The idea behind these two weeks is for the hospital dietitians to think of us as staff members. We have our own patients that we follow, we do assessments, and we write up the notes. This is exactly what I’ve been doing for the past eight weeks; sooo….I wasn’t too worried. The only difference is the amount of work on my plate.  Rather than doing seven or eight  patients per day, I’m doing around 13 to 15+. Whew.

Again, I’ve survived another “Day 1.” I knew I would be fine; it was just a matter of time. How much time would it take me to see this many patients? How much time would it take me to write the notes? Would I be there for 10 to 12 hours just trying to get things done in time?  Well, it turns out that I work a little bit faster when I have a little bit more to do.  And just like I had hoped, I’ll be fine.

I think it will be hard to understand what this is really doing for us until we’re out there, in the work world.  Hopefully, it will mean starting a job, already knowing I’m able to do what will be asked of me.  And if this isn’t what I want to do, I’m thinking this is the time to figure that out.  Pretty quickly.  The only thing left to worry about will be what this crazy economy will look like in six months. Here’s to hoping the jobs still actually exist.

Luckily for me, my last day is followed by a break.  Yesss! Two weeks off. Home. Away from the city and enjoying good company. 

Posted by Mary Ellen Nunes at 12/10/2008 08:22:21 AM |