CRMC last week...

Okay, so this blog is actually for my activities last week since it turned out to be such a busy weekend. It was one of my favorite weeks so far. I am finally feeling really confident reading charts and finding information in a timely manner. Most of my week was spent working on cases involving GI disorders and nutrition support. At CRMC, there is one pharmacist that does all of the micronutrients for the TPN and we work on the macronutrients. I had several opportunities to work with her to initiate and adjust several TPN formulas. Today we checked up on a lot of those patients and she walked me through the process of adjusting electrolytes and ordering new adjustments. This was a good lesson and hopefully I will get more chances to work with the macronutrients, as I'm sure other hospitals expect their dietitians to be able to do this!

Also last week, I was able to sit in on an Ethics Committee meeting. This was interesting. Although no nutrition topics really seemed to come up, an attorney employed by the hospital gave a presentation about discharge planning, gaurdians, and living wills. This turned out to be helpful in understanding the decision-making involved in healthcare and the legal processes involved. Committee members from several different disciplines were able to add to the discussion and provide their own experiences with this.