Oops

So apparently I haven't posted in a while. Oops. Nothing terribly exciting has been going on. On Friday we just had a project day to get things done. Another intern and I did a practice run of the tour for the Open House.

Speaking of, the open house went really well. There were many eager potential interns from all over the state and country. Our group was extremely quiet, so I felt as if the other intern and I were just chatting away the entire time. We would ask them time after time if they had any questions, but we just got "deer-in-the-headlight" eyes. I guess when I went to the open house a year ago now (YIKES!), I was really scared and overwhelmed as well. But, during lunch we got lots of good questions. It just helped to remind me how lucky I am to be where I am, and how grateful I am!

Then, after the open house, I did my Healthy Eating Tip of the Month board. I must say it's much more colorful now than it was before. But, you can see for yourself...

Before...

After!

That took me about an hour and then after that I hung out at some of the intern's apartment in Ann Arbor. It REALLY makes me want to move. We celebrated an intern's birthday with making homemade pizza, eating "ice-cream" cake, and drinks. Then we went out to a ritzy club and danced the night away...then, I drove back home in the morning. Guh.

But it's the last week of my second rotation. ALREADY. My literature review presentation is tomorrow, which I plan on working on all day. Such is life.

More and more room service

Yesterday was another day of supervision of trayline. Unlike the day before, we assumed more of the role of a supervisor. This meant that we had to look at a list of tasks, find out which ones were done and still needed to be done, and then go out and know who to assign them to. Then, we had to tell the staff member what they needed to do. Definitely weird telling someone twice my age what they had to do when I had been there for a week and they have been there for years upon years. But, overall a great day for practicing supervision. It's nice that the staff in the kitchen are becoming more comfortable with us being there. We're interacting more, helping them on trayline and cold production, and just talking to them. One staff member put it best, "I love coming to work, it's like one big, loving, and dysfunctional family."

Today we visited a nearby hospital, Henry Ford Hospital in West Bloomington, and got to watch a cooking demonstration and had a quick tour of the kitchen and hospital. This 24-hour room service operation is SO nice, but they only serve about 120 patients at each meal. U of M? About 400-500. They have everything made to order, nothing from a frozen box, everything from scratch. Optimistic, yes. Realistic, probably not. But, it was nice to see what other organizations are doing. The hospital was beautiful and had wonderful art. They also had a farmers market inside the hospital, which was neat. 

Other than that, not much! Just working on a literature review for foodservice, which is about employee recognition programs and ideas. Not as easy as it sounds! There are lots of options but choosing one for PFANS needs a strategic approach. More on that later...

And, Gram, probably my (only?) religious blog reader, reminded me that I didn't say anything about the salad creation/taste test results. Unfortunately, we didn't win, but another group did. They created a delicious Michigan Salad with dried berries, raspberry balsamic vinaigrette, Granny Smith apples, and sunflower seeds. It's all in the hands of the executive chef and department directors. Over all though? Amazing experience and learned so much. Even though the Michigan Salad won, there wasn't one salad that wasn't tasty!

Weird to think I'm already halfway through my second rotation...

245 days...

Supervise THIS!

Today was a day of trayline! The shift started at 6am, which meant I left the house at about 5am-ish. ROUGH. Either way, we started off the day by watching trayline do breakfast and how things work. When they were done, we checked and approved staff clock-in and then helped out with Meals on Wheels. We did sweeps of the area for quality assurance and then ate lunch.

The whole day was honestly a blur.

But, for lunch we did get to order trays and do a tray audit. Another brave intern ordered the dysphagia pureed diet. She got pureed and shaped carrots, pureed and shaped beef, really runny cream of chicken soup, custard, and pureed and shaped pears. Honestly, in all, it wasn't that bad. Definitely something I wouldn't order, but if I had to eat it, I would.

After that, we shared our regular diet trays with her! Then, it was out to trayline to supervise. We basically just walked around and made sure everyone was all set with everything and made runs back and forth between stations. We had to make a substitution because they ran out of tater tots, so we subbed mashed potatoes. Just some of the quick-thinking things that supervisors do on a daily basis. We then helped out with Meals on Wheels again, then called it a day at 3pm.

Tomorrow? Same time, same place.

But, we did get the lists of people who are coming to the open house on Saturday. I'm so excited to give tours! I know exactly how these potential interns feel, only because I was in their exact spot a year ago and just as nervous and lost. It was an awesome experience though and definitely solidified my urge to attend U of M's internship - where I am now and loving it.

Also really good to see a few Central Michigan University students on the list...although it makes me feel a little old not to recognize all the names...

Another long week came and gone. Friday was an exciting day, and quite unexpected. We started the day with a tray temp track, which was pretty easy and delicious. I had a turkey dinner at 9:30 in the morning, no big deal. After that, we headed over to another building and mannn we didn't know what we were in for.

Basically four of our precetors switched spots with us. We became the supervisors and they assumed the role of our food service staff members. Then, we had to give them oral warnings and written write-ups. And - they gave us worse case scenarios. And - they videotaped all of this! What's a worse case scenario? Outrage. Throwing the papers at us. Arguing. Excuses. Yelling. Lashing out and telling us they walked in on their husband with another man! Needless to say it was tough to keep a straight face.

But, overall it was one of the most beneficial sessions we've had so far, at least to me. When I take over during the professional staff experience and I have to discipline a staff member, I will be ready. And if anything, this experience really exemplified the dedication and enthusiasm that our preceptors have for us. They were very encouraging and while it was a funny/serious, I got so much feedback, I think I can take on this challenge if I came to it again.

All I know is, these weeks need to keep going quickly...

RD-clerk-clerk-DT-trayline

So many names to remember! RD. Unit clerk. Diet clerk. Dietary technician. They're so crazy connected and it was confusing at first. But, today we went through the flow of a diet order from the doctor and dietitian to the foodservice staff down in the kitchen. It has to go through so many channels and people before it can actually be implemented. While it is good for the diet order to be checked by so many people, it just stinks because it leaves more room for error. Although it was an overall fun and informative day. Three of we interns actually got to log in, make a fake patient, and send notes back and forth to each other like they really would in the system. 

We also walked around with the person who controls/monitors all the refrigerators and freezers in the hospital. Think about it, some floors have as little as four refrigerators/freezers, while some has as many as twelve or more! And don't forget about the super-important appliances down in the kitchens. All of these fridges and freezers have a Temperature Tracker device which sends digital information down to a computerized system. Today we met with the guy who monitors all of these and he also walked around and showed us how he goes through all of the refrigerators every day and throws away expired items. Interesting position and experience - but not my forte of career path. After that, we completed nourishment room quality assurance checks to make sure that stock is properly rotated and everything looks clean and is in working order. They do these checks once a month.

Other than that, pretty relaxing day. Just working on projects and literature reviews so my life isn't movie-worthy at the moment.

252 days...

So stuffed

Today was the food show! It was downright A-MAZING. So many vendors and so much food just being shoved at you to try. Chocolates, coffees, wines, beers, liquors, casseroles, breads, oils, veggies, etc. etc. Also, because it was technically a "restaurant show," they also had tons of cleaning products, insurance companies, equipment, and marketing products. Overall, really cool. There was also seminars about how to market your restaurant on social websites such as Twitter and Facebook, maximize your menu, and appeal to all customers. Oddly enough, we ended up staying from 10am-5pm. 

Our preceptor, the executive chef at the hospital, walked around with us for the last hour or so. This was actually really fun because he knew a lot of the vendors. Because of this, when he walked up to the vendors with us, they took more time to explain their product and how it could affect our patients nutritionally. I came home with bags and bags of loot and foods...and I think I've sampled enough beer and random food to make me float.



And of course...

Pizza crusts, mayo, coffee, tattoos, shot glasses, ice cream scoops, cook books, tortillas, bottle openers

T-shirts, informational handouts, pens, first aid kits, cleaning products, pizza cutter, bumper stickers, drink mixes

But here are some fun vendors we sampled and visited that were really delicious/cool...

• Frostyogurt (frozen yogurt products, no added sugar or other additives) 
• Zoey (new soybean oil that is non-hydrogenated, made in MI)
• Randy's Granola (made in MI, yummyyyy)
• Mama Mucci's Pasta (cheese stuffed dumpling pasta and barley mushroom risotto)
• Hacienda Mexican Foods (chips and salsa)
• Olive-it! (Garlic stuffed olives!...one of 100-some kinds)
• Saugatuck Brewing Company (hard cider)
• Chazzano Caffe (had a really cool scientific double-filter coffee contraption and espresso maker)
• Dunkin' Donuts (yumm coffee and donuts)
• Big Moe's BBQ Sauce
• Gourmet Mondiale (white balsamic vinegar, raspberry balsamic vinegar...etc. etc.)
• Earthy Delights (mushrooms, honey, tea)
• Grand Traverse Distillery (cherry vodka, made in MI)

Among many, many, MANY others! Honestly I am really surprised that I didn't get a stomach ache going from eating small samples of roast beef to pickled asparagus to vodka to smoothies to chocolate and on and on.

Today was orientation for the second set of rotations in food service. It will be dealing more with supervision, quality assurance, and making sure everything is working in good shape! Luckily, this rotation only contains one large project - an in-service on fire safety and evacuation. 

Basically, there are 9,309,481 places where a staff member might be and they need to evacuate in the UH, CVC, MCHC...anywhere! The problem is, many of the "fire boards" have maps on them that are so tiny and complex to read. We're going to simplify them and come up with neat tactics to help staff in event of fire (or panic)! 

Tomorrow is the food show!! And to make it better, it doesn't start until 10am. And even better...it's in the same town that I'm living in! NO COMMUTE TOMORROW! Yayy! A food show is basically when hundreds of food vendors come and try to promote their new products to stores/hospitals/restaurants. This means that they throw hundreds of samples at you...I love samples. I'll definitely take a picture of all the goodies I bring home tomorrow.

254 days...

Round 2

So, the next round of foodservice rotations begins tomorrow at 8am. It will begin with another meeting and I'll probably be given another folder (my folder count is up to five), and then I'm sure we'll be given more projects to complete. It's just overwhelming to know what my work load will consist of now that the first round of rotations is done. 

But, the presentation on Friday went well. A few other interns and I made a doughnut cake and the preceptors seemed to love it. Our presentation was about an hour and a half and covered all of the projects we completed. After that, we were free! So the six foodservice interns all went to lunch (well, brunch), and then it was on the road to CMU! Homecoming was fun and exhausting, but of course, I didn't want to drive back...

Homesickness sucks.

I really hope my car makes it for the next nine months, too. It's really disliking the five hour round trip drive to Mt. P and back. Weird noises. It jerks when I accelerate. Wonderful.

Well...here goes nothin'.

255 days...

Doin' work

Work, work, work is all it seems to be this week. Nothing too much to report, just finishing up projects and writing informal and formal reports for everything. Tomorrow is the big day for the taste test, so I'll report later what happens with that, which probably won't be until next week sometime. I need a weekend off, so it will be up to Mt. P for me.

3rd week, here I come!

Well, the third week has officially started. This week I have project days, or days dedicated only to finishing projects. But, that doesn't mean it'll be easy. At all.

Today was our first in-service. My partner and I actually created and held an in-service based around knife cleaning, use, and safety. It was neat to actually present to a group of kitchen staff and have them understand and (seem) interested. We learned (beforehand, of course) how to use a knife sharpener and how to cut properly, so we could show staff. Then, we had them take a short quiz and a pledge. The main problem is, is that staff are using knives for things they shouldn't be used for; opening bags, cutting open boxes, etc. So, hopefully they obtained some new information and hopefully will make changes. 

Then, the rest of the day was spent preparing for tomorrow's in-services, which are about cleaning, sanitation, and proper hand washing techniques. We made a sweet poster of how to properly wash your hands and someday I'll figure out how to post it here. That in-service is a little more formal than today's in-service. It will be held in a classroom with PowerPoint and quizzes. Whereas today was more of a short, 15-20 min class on proper knife use. 

While I do have all these project days and I do get a lot of homework done at the hospital, I come home and still feel like I have lots to do. 

So, sadly there probably won't be any updates that are too exciting this week. Just trying to wrap everything up. 

261 days...

Week 2...CHECK!

So, week two of the first set of foodservice rotations is all done. Three days this week I was up at 4am to be at the hospital by 5:30am. That SUCKED. Not only was I up super early, but by the time I was finished, I was too exhausted to work out, do homework, or anything. The thing is, is that I wouldn't have a problem working this shift as a professional, as long as it was a consistent shift. 

But, we are getting a lot done on our projects. This upcoming Friday is the big day, the "Wrap Up" day. Monday and Tuesday will consist of presenting knife and safety and sanitation to kitchen employees. Then, the rest of the time will be dedicated to writing formal and informal reports, preparing our recipe for the taste testing/judging for Thursday, and trying to scramble to get everything done. THEN...it's back to CMU for Homecoming!! Finally get to see my sorority sisters, friends, and of course, Jordan. <3

Also, some people have asked why I don't post lots of recipes and stuff like that on my blog. Well, mainly because my blog is to document my internship experience. I do like cooking and making meals, but, reading through recipes isn't my favorite past-time. How can I be in dietetics and not like looking at recipes all the time?! Because...a) I like to invent my own foods and combinations, and b) a lot of the time, the recipe calls for things I don't have in my kitchen! Which is frustrating.

Finally the weekend, time to relax and hang out at grandmas. I'm going to try and explore the area I'm living in. I want to go to the mall, but I feel like I'd just be teasing myself. I know I don't need anything, and can't really afford to shop anyway.

Rawr.

SO EARLY.

5:30am is a rough time to start a shift. Especially when you have to add an hour commute to that. Oh, and how could I forget? I'm not getting paid to do any of this!

But, today we worked in production within the B2 kitchen. We did things like portion audits and forecasting. They're having a problem with inconsistencies of the scoops using to portion out items. Things aren't being as uniform as they should, especially when patients need a specific amount of food. Why might this be? If they're diabetic, on calorie counts, or on restrictive diets. We also worked on our recipe with Chef Steve. Who is very Italian, but fun to work with. We're making a BBQ Chicken Salad with an Herb BBQ Ranch Dressing. Tomorrow we get to work the huge majority of the day with him on our recipe. I'll definitely post a picture when it's finished. 

Then, a week from tomorrow we will have the taste test. The best salad out of the other two intern groups, Chef Steve, and our group will win itself a place on the menu! Which may not be exciting to some, but it is for me. Today I finally completed the patient surveys and yesterday I finally got done the tray-tracking worksheet. It's just so many projects to keep track of and it's not only confusing but definitely hard not to catch myself getting them mixed up. It might have to do with the fact that I've been up for 13 hours already today...

But it is nice to be home early. But, that means more time being alone. Grandma always seems to be outside working on the yard or downstairs. A lot of alone time - could be good or bad. Ideally I'd love to go home every weekend but a) it's so expensive, b) I have 8 projects due in 1.5 weeks, and 3) I never seem to get anything done when I'm home. After living in the dorms for three years and then a sorority house for the last year, it's tough being completely alone for a huge part of your day. I do get a lot done, but sometimes I wonder...

But, next weekend I'll be going to Mt. Pleasant for Homecoming. And I'll be leaving the afternoon on the 15th. October 15th ring a bell? It's when all of my projects will be due! No projects for a whole weekend! What will I do!? And, the following week, our whole day is going to be dedicated to going to a food show. It will definitely be a good time, think of it this way:

Love going to Sam's Club, Meijer, Wal-Mart, or wherever and they have a product sample at the end of the isle? A food show is like a HUGE building dedicated to product samples. It's going to be better than Halloween. Any "foody's" paradise. Snacks, frozen dinners, juice drinks, alcoholic beverages...I'll definitely report on what I end up with.

Other than that, while some days are much harder than others...I'm just tryin' to live the dream...

268 days..

More, more, and some more...

Job shadowing. I feel that's all we've done lately. But I have learned a lot. On Friday, another intern and I job shadowed one of the managers in the Maternal and Child Health Center (MCHC) Room Service from 12:30pm-9pm. That was a long night. I ended up driving back up to CMU that night, hence the not posting all weekend. It was fun, but definitely didn't prepare me for today.

In which I had to wake up at 4am, in order to be at the hospital in Ann Arbor by 5:30am for the 5:30am-2pm shift. Definitely rough. Especially with the commute. This random sleep schedule and lack of sleep in general is making me sick. Runny nose, headache, being flushed. Great. Definitely sleeping in tomorrow because I have a project day; a day where nothing else is planned except the fact I have to be at the hospital, wherever I want, working on whatever project I want to work on. I can make my own hours. Yes...

Overall, the MCHC rotations went well. Another intern and I did tray accuracy audits, portion audits, recipe audits, meal satisfaction surveys, patient surveys, time sheets, planning sheets, and a bunch of random information. It was fun and it was good to see the different managerial styles of the two managers we shadowed. After my project day tomorrow, I'll have to do the 5:30am-2pm shift in the production area on Wednesday and Thursday. I just need to get on a usual schedule or my body is going to royally hate me.

The good news is that the University of Michigan Dietetic Internship open house is this month. Basically prospective 2011 interns can come and get a tour, find out more about the program, talk to current interns (like me!), and put a face-to-the-name for Joyce, the internship director. If you're interested in attending, it's on October 30, and you have to RSVP by October 15 to (click on link):

University of Michigan Dietetic Internship Program Open House

270 days...