Things have been quiet here this week in light of Boston and my heart is still heavy. Sending love and prayers.

{Today is the last installment of the so you want to be a nutritionist post – part 1 | part 2 - I hope you have enjoyed learning more about what dietitians actually do!}

Hello, my name is Amanda Hernandez and I am a registered dietitian that blogs at The Nutritionist Reviews. I am happy to be here to share with you what I do as a dietitian and what a typical day looks like for me.

I work full time at a nursing home as a long term care dietitian. I did not originally plan to work in long term care but I love it.

When I first graduated college with my bachelor’s degree in dietetics, I was not matched to an internship the first time. I was devastated but kept working toward my goal to become a RD. I found a full time job where I worked as a Certified Dietary Manager in a nursing home which was a similar position to my current one. About a year and a half later, I was matched to an internship and became an RD in July 2012.

At my job in the nursing home, I get to see and do so many different things. Here is what a typical day looks like for me:

I arrive at work at 6:45 AM. When I first get to work, I usually check my email, catch up on any new admissions and discharges and check the FAR (Food Acceptance Record- shows how much the residents are eating). At 9 AM, I attend a daily morning meeting with the management staff and right after is our clinical meeting. In the clinical meeting, weight loss, falls, pain, behavioral and clinical issues are discussed with the care team.

The rest of my day varies a lot depending on what is going on with my residents. Some of the things that I do are:

• New admission assessments where I look at resident’s diagnoses, diet, weight history, labs, medications and nutritional needs. 
• MDS assessments and care plans
• Log and chart on weight loss and gain
• Add supplements to resident’s diets as needed to meet nutritional needs
• Calculate and monitor tube feeding
• Ensure that resident’ s with wounds are getting proper nutrition
• Work on food service issues (this is not often because the dietary manager mostly handles food service)
• Do quality assurance audits where I explore ways that we can improve our current systems.
• Attend resident care conferences with family members where we discuss the plan of care for the resident and solve any issues going on. 

As you can see, I do all kinds of different tasks which helps to keep my day interesting. I love what I do and would highly recommend checking out long term care positions for anyone who is a RD or who is interested in becoming a RD. Many new dietitians do not think that they would enjoy working in a nursing home but it is a great option. I get to use many of my clinical skills and nutrition knowledge.

After work, I often work on my blog, The Nutritionist Reviews or write nutrition articles for Demand Studios.

If you have any questions about becoming a dietitian or about what I do, please feel free to email me achernandez711@yahoo.com.

A big thanks to Emily for letting me guest post on her blog!

{Thank you Amanda for sharing your story and what a typical day for you looks like! Stay in touch with Amanda here: facebook | twitter}

{Today is a follow-up to my so you want to be a nutritionist… post – I have Kristina LaRue, RD, LD sharing what her day at work looks like. In a few weeks I have another guest post scheduled from a dietitian who works in a more traditional setting – enjoy!}

As a dietitian I wear many hats. I’ve enjoyed it that way since I first began my career. Mostly because I don’t like to get stagnant, however it can create a case of scatter-brained, so I’m always learning what that balance looks like for me.

Graduating from Auburn University with a degree in Nutrition/Dietetics, I did my internship at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama. My internship was a distance program so it allowed me to shadow and learn from the dietitians that are in my local– Orlando, Florida. During college I had dreams of working with sports teams, eating disorders and writing.

I cannot thank my internship enough for the experience and doors it opened up for me. After getting my RD, I started a few jobs. Again I like to keep it interesting! I did project work at the hospital for a food service initiative, started consulting at the YMCA and teaching their diabetes prevention program, consulting with eating disorders and doing freelance writing.

After I finished the project at the hospital I transferred to another local hospital and worked as an outpatient dietitian working with underserved teens in the school system. We taught an afterschool camp for the kids that included Zumba, yoga, training for a 5K, and of course nutrition education and cooking demonstrations.

Currently my day looks very non-traditional, but I absolutely love it! I work for a big media RD, Tara Gidus, www.dietdiva.net, who is the RunDisney Nutritionist and Orlando Magic team dietitian.

We always have a new project going on, so my days never cease to look different. Sometimes I’m cooking at home, other days I’m at Disney, managing social media accounts, or on set preparing for a TV segment.

A big portion of my time is devoted to the University of Central Florida Athletics as I work as the sports dietitian. I’m co-authoring a cookbook, The Belly Fat Diet Cookbook for Dummies, so I spend many hours writing and creating recipes in the kitchen.

I continue to work with eating disorders and do consulting through my blog, www.loveandzest.com, recipe development, nutritional analysis, speaking, writing, and Skype/phone consultations.

A career in dietetics is what you make of it. You can truly pursue your dreams and create a niche for yourself if you desire. I love going to work every day, it’s a lot of fun!

A big Thank YOU to Emily for having me on her blog, A Nutritionist Eats is one that that I’ve been reading ever since I discovered the blogworld. I’m honored she asked me and happy to share my nutrition journey with you.

If you have any questions or want to send me a note please don’t hesitate to email me loveandzest@gmail.com.

{Thank you so much Kristina, your job sounds so incredibly interesting and exciting, I’m a little envious!  Stay in touch with Kristina here: facebook | twitter | linkedin | pinterest}