I can’t believe that this day is here.
{The past 10 weeks have zoomed by.}
Today is my last day shadowing Carol Plotkin at On Nutrition.
I have learned so much from Carol. This experience has been invaluable.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever gone into much detail about my experiences, so [without breaking any HIPAA rules] here is a general overview of my experiences.
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Let’s start with an quickie, simplified breakdown of what Carol does:
Carol is a private practice dietitian specializing in weight management, sports nutrition, cardiovascular nutrition, diabetes, gastrointestinal health, and much MORE. She helps improve the health and wellness of her clients through counseling and coaching, with the goal of empowering and providing the tools to allow for change and progress toward individuals’ goals. Carol dispenses the most recent nutrition information and research to her clients, along with specialized meal plans and guidelines for nutritional change. She spends an enormous amount of time and effort on each client to ensure they are set up for success!
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Now that you know Carol does, let’s take a look in to what types of daily activities goes on in a private practice:
March 19
+ Introduction to the Metabolic Cart to read BMRs
+ Prepped to speak to a local high school cream team about eating to support athletics, “power” foods and pickle juice (for cramping).
March 26
+ Follow-up appointments with two clients: one with low FODMAP recommendations, and the other a boxer looking to cut weight
+ Observed counseling and recommendations for a client with excessive water retention following surgery
+ Submitted SOAP notes to insurance companies
+ Explore the Nutrition Entrepreneurs Dietetic Practice Group opportunities and signed up for their ListServ e-mail
April 2
+ Composed article on Barrett’s Esophagus for On Nutrition’s blog while Carol attended the ACSM annual conference
April 9
+ Observed counseling for a Gout client
+ Observed recommendations client undergoing surgical menopause with an estrogen-sensitive tumor
+ Received an introduction to Office Ally, an electronic medical record keeping and billing system
April 16
+ Accompanied Carol to market her business at Doctor’s offices where we distributed her business cards, brochures, sticky-note pads, and cover letters with listings of her services
+ Observed a follow-up/coaching session with a weight loss client
April 23
+ Submitted insurance claims on Office Ally
+ Reviewed and discussed Carol’s recent trip to Washington D.C. for the Public Policy Workshop
+ Prepared a meal plan using the exchange system for a weight loss client using information from the metabolic cart reading and caloric expenditure calculated from METs of activity
+ Observed an initial visit for a weight loss client
April 30
+ Gave a presentation and distributed information to high school parents about healthy eating for athletes
+ Opened a bank account for the business, learned about the differences between being a Sole Proprietor vs. a PLLC
+ Observed recommendations for a weight-loss client
May 7
+ Attended the NYSDA Annual Meeting and Expo
May 14
+ Visited Congressman Reed’s office to discuss and advocate for the Farm Bill and Preventing Pre-Diabetes in Medicare
+ Follow-up appointments with an weight management clients – one looking to becoming more defined and one post-partum woman
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And this is only one day out of the week! Private practice dietitians work hard!
As you can see, the clients and activities are varied. Things are never the same day-to-day, which I love. I also love the fact that you absolutely must stay up to date on the most current research.
I know it’s still early in my career, but private practice is totally for me!
A HUGE thank you to Carol Plotkin for donating her time, energy, and resources to allow me this amazing experience! I have learned more than I could have imagined over these past 10 weeks and I truly appreciate it!
And for those future RDs who are interested in private practice, get on the NEDPG ListServ, contact an RD in your community, and gain experience! Your eyes will be opened and a fire will be lit in your little bellies!
Be Inspired and Do Work!
Stephanie Wilson, RDN 