!!!

1:15pm....epiphany...

I LOVE LEARNING.

Now I know for a fact this sounds crazy. Don't get me wrong, I had an amazing time receiving a priceless education at CMU. I had top-of-the-line professors, amazing classes, grueling case studies and research which all helped me wind up where I am today, at such a great internship.

But, while sitting in a foodservice hands-on session doing inventory, ordering, and procurement, I had this epiphany. In undergrad - all of high school, middle school, and elementary for that matter - I've been judged and graded on every single project and assignment I've ever had. Now that I'm in this internship? No grades, no judging. Just evaluating. HUGE difference. I'm being evaluated on my performance and my attitude towards the profession. And it's not just an evaluation, it's constructive feedback. Such as undergrad, I might receive a grade on a paper and the only feedback I receive might be highlighted areas where I made mistakes or failed to mention something...

And again, I'm no baby. I can take harsh criticism very well and learn from it. But, the feeling I get from preceptors, faculty, staff, and even the foodservice workers make me love learning. It makes me that more excited to go in the next day, even if it is at 5:30am. 

And it's not just those who are above us. It's the people I'm around all day: other interns. In undergrad, it's almost as if I had to compete with my classmates for the best grades and to be the best candidate for an amazing reference letter from a professor or supervisor. I had to be to class the earliest and stay the latest to make sure I obtained everything I could. I had to be involved in this, that, and everything. 

Here? All the other interns and I are on the same level. We've all worked just as hard as the other to be where we are. The only thing we have to get used to each other? Knowing we can trust each other. In undergrad in group projects, you know there would always be a leader, some good workers, and some slackers. As a natural leader, I'd always end up taking on more than I could handle, seeing as how many times if I didn't, none of the work would get done. It's tough, but nice and reassuring to know that when we do a project as a group, we're all leaders; when we are assigned something, it will get done by that person. 





Well, that was fun...

Today was another day in purchasing and procurement. We did a quick daily inventory, which would normally take our preceptor about an hour to do the entire food service program, but it took two other interns and I about 2 hours to do about 3 stock rooms. Ha! Basically it all boils down to knowing your organization. I'm sure that with more practice, other interns and I would be able to whip through inventory like its our job. Our preceptor taught us many things today, some of which include...

• Knowing your organization and inventory 
• Knowing what items are popular and move off shelves quickly, and vice versa
• Being aware of production schedules and holidays
• Seeking out competitive prices and bargaining with suppliers

This lady's been at her job for more than 30 years. She's a pro. After finishing inventory, we then went into CBORD and entered her order in and then loaded it into the supplier's website. From there, items are double checked and flagged if they seem like odd amounts (40 cases of celery). The program asks you like 1,304,239 times if you're sure you want to submit the order (duh, it's about a $20,000 bill), and that's it! But, it has many more steps than it seems, I'm just cutting it down for time, and for my Grandma's boredom tolerance (I know you're reading this Grandma Z)!! :)


Overall a great day though, just exhausted, as usual...

Officially a CBORDian

...among many others...
 PFANS = Patient Food and Nutrition Services

UMHS = University of Michigan Health System

UMHHC = University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers

DI = Dietetic Internship

UH = University Hospital

CVC = Cardiovascular Center

MCHC = Maternal and Child Health Center

MPB = Medical Professionals Building

HETM = Healthy Eating Tip of the Month

NSS = Nutrition Services Suite

FMS = Food Management System

CBORD = ????

Needless to say...there are lots of acronyms. Today, a group of interns and I worked with CBORD - a food management system program which it's acronym-type name stands for nothing. CBORD is where the PFANS staff set up food items, recipes, menus, etc.

Definitely more complicated than it seems.

• Every food item is linked to something
• An item must be logged and given proper names and numbers, within character limits
• Items need a unit of measure for ordering and production 
• Inventory done every day and logged, items and recipes forecasted
• Items must be logged with how much they costs and which supplier to come from
• There may be one item, but it may come in...
• 7 different varieties
• 6 different diet variations
• 20 different portion sizes
• (7 x 6 x 20 =  840 different ways to prepare one item)
• There are prep cost yields and nutrient yields to consider
• Items must be linked to specific menus 
• Nutrient information must be linked into items so they will appear in linked recipes
• Recipe ingredients must be done in pounds (1/2 teaspoon baking soda = 0.008 lb...literally)

Lastly, CBORD then prints a bunch of reports which break down the recipes for where they will be prepared, when, and who will prepare them. Reports to also do inventory, track waste, and so on...so on...so on...


Did I mention that for every food item and recipe - every single one - staff must go in and determine if it is compliant with all 110 different diets?!

 I learned a lot today. 

But, the preceptors for this session were amazing and so much fun, which made the experience that much easier. And, we got out early! But that means into bed early, as I must report to the hospital at 6:30am tomorrow. That means I should leave the house by about 5:30-5:45am, which means I should wake up at about 4:45am. 


Yay!


275 days...

And so it finally begins...

So, the rotations have officially started and it is SO nice that they have. Today our task was to do inventory, which might seem simple but it's definitely not. I worked with one of the purchasing managers and she took me through her daily and monthly routine of doing inventory. U of M has thousands of products and produce that they have, not to mention nourishments and formulas.

The manager I was with was awesome. She first let me do the looking around in inventory, counting the cases or individual boxes or flats of product, then I would tell her. Seem easy? It's not. First, everything in storage comes in similar looking boxes, especially the formulas. With those, there might be one slight number variation and it was my job to find it on the cardboard box. Then, boxes aren't always where they're supposed to be. I may have thought I counted them all, but 10 minutes later, I would find a box out of place and then have to go back and add it. To make it better, a shipment came in while we were doing inventory so we had to go back and add all of those to our list.

After I was on that end, my manager let me be the one to write. That was also neat to see because again, it's unbelievable how closely related some of the products were. One product might read "For Enfamil Lipil 1.5 RTU" and another might read "For Enfamil Lipil Unfl RTU." And, of course, those products would be right next to each other in the storeroom and on the inventory checklist.

In other good news, I finished one of my projects today. Quite an easy project, actually. Each of us are to be assigned to a camera for 2 days during our rotation. Our task is to take 2 pictures for each of the following categories: Teamwork, Automation, Service, Quality, Communication, and Empowerment. Definitely harder than it sounds, but an easy project nonetheless and fun to do. We then turn the cameras in and they will have a contest during our wrap up session and people will be awarded prizes. I volunteered to be one of the first people with the camera so I could get this project out of the way and have one less thing to worry about. I'm really excited to see what people come up with! 


And, last but not least, of course, I'm started to get a head cold. There has been weird shifts in weather lately in Michigan, which always seems to mess with my health. A few days ago it was sunny and 80 and then today it shifts to 55, windy and rainy. It just seems to give me super bad headaches and make me feel like crud. But, luckily we got out early today and I was able to take a nap.

Short day, but felt very long. Basically we had an orientation that reviewed the 7 projects we're going to have due in three weeks! Which include....

1. Customer Satisfaction Survey and Statistics
2. Tray Delivery and Pick Up Time Statistics
3. Cleaning/Sanitation In-Service Program
4. Knife Handling In-Service Program
5. Personal Journal Reflection Paper
6. Camera Project
7. Recipe Development and Taste Test
8. Healthy Eating Tip of the Month (just for me!)

So, lots to do! Not a lot of time to get them done. But, that's why we're a team and we're going to tackle them head on. Then, on CMU's Homecoming on October 16th, the day after everything is due...I might be able to relax. We'll see...

277 days...

Well...

Hm, guess it's been a few days since my  last entry. Had a bad day on Thursday and yesterday we attended the Michigan Dietetic Association Fall Conference in Mt. Pleasant. It was cool to be back in Mt. Pleasant, but I was bummed I couldn't visit anyone while I was there. The conference was all about how to market yourself as a dietitian and they also touched on everything that's going on in Lansing about a bill that helps RD's getting a license to practice (which I LOVE). This would mean that only a licensed RD would be able to give out nutrition information and advice.

The best part was after the conference when we stopped at the Uncle John's Cider Mill. We did wine tastings and enjoyed cider and donuts. A few girls in our internship group had never been to (or heard of) a cider mill, so we decided to take a quick tractor ride around the apple orchard and pumpkin patch. It was lots of fun and it was nice to hang out with everyone outside of the internship. These are the times I wish I lived in Ann Arbor...

279 days...

...

I can't even begin to explain how exhausted I am today. We really didn't do too much out of the norm. We had a speaker on how to give an effective evaluation, an introduction to PFANS (Patient Food and Nutrition Services) and the B2 kitchen, and a tour. But - there was a big storm last night that woke me up at about 3:30a and I couldn't seem to get back into a good sleep...and the fact that I'm not used to sitting so much. I'm ready to start rotations and finally be on my feet and moving around. Can't complain though...we did do some moving around...

Easily the best part of the day! After lunch, we went back to our rather cramped room and it was no longer just the presenter and six interns, but about 10-12 other supervisory/managers from the PFANS B2 kitchen! We all shared introductions (as usual) and then moved through a PowerPoint about what each supervisor/manager/director does and how they all come together. It was good to see where everything falls in place. Then, we got up and went downstairs and had a tour of the B2 kitchen. Still, nothing too crazy.

After our tour, our tour guide told us we had one more assignment until we could go. Nothing other than...A SCAVENGER HUNT! Now, sounds childish at first right? But totally awesome. We were split into two teams of three and we had a "coach" and a "cheer squad" composed of the managers and supervisors. We were then given an envelope and in relay fashion, interns were given one strip of paper that said a place we had to locate in the kitchen.

Time out. When I say kitchen, don't think of like a restaurant kitchen where it's not all that big. This kitchen is MASSIVE. And it's not only the kitchen, but locker rooms, loading docks, special elevators, millions of offices, galleys, etc. This place was floor plan size of an entire hospital but on the bottom floor. HUGE = understatement.

Time in. So after we were given our strip of paper, it had a location or thing in the kitchen that we had to go and find. When we found the right place, we found a small piece of paper that verified we found the right place. Then, as fast as we could (and we HAD to walk through the dish area), we made our way back to our central meeting place. Then, it was another team members turn. In total, there was 16 places/things we had to locate, so it took about 30 minutes to do the entire scavenger hunt.

WE WON! It was so much fun. Not only the game part but also having the kitchen staff and managers/supervisors help us. They were incredibly friendly and played along. Our prize was a little gifty bag with a lunchbox, water bottle, a small bottle of hand sanitizer, and a cooking thermometer. What may seem like a bag of random gifts is, in fact, a "foody's" lottery. 

In other words, I can't wait to start my food service/kitchen/production rotations next week. Only one day left of food service administrative classes, then a conference in Mt. Pleasant on Friday. Then, lots of homework and project work needs to get done this weekend. Then...rotations start!

Finally. Bedtime. 

282 days...

Almost to rotation time!

Today was another great day. Literally. Our classes today were based on customer service, planning budgets, marketing, disaster management, and creating in-service presentations. I realize some of this information seem dry and dull at first, but I assure you, it was awesome.

First, our schedule called for a four hour session with Aramark this morning. I wasn't sure what to expect and with a four hour session being so early, I knew I would be drowsy. But I was wrong! We walk in and there was Starbucks coffee waiting for us, along with a yogurt parfait "buffet" set up, along side with heart healthy muffins made with carrots and fruit purees. Needless to say I stayed wide awake through the first half of the day.

Then, lunch came. Again, provided by Aramark so I was assuming we were going to get basic sandwiches and box lunch materials...wrong again. Chicken fajitas! With all the fixings, including chips and salsa, and pound cake with fresh whipped cream and berries for dessert. Again, I stayed wide awake after that, even through the calculus and budget planning math problems. In the marketing presentation, we were split up into two different teams and we competed for a bid to become a new catering company. Our company was named "Crisp!" and based our concept around specialty organic/local/fresh salads with homemade signature dressings. Fun stuff!

The only downside today was the terrible commute home. We were on the other side of the medical campus that picks up people, so we didn't get to the bus stop until about 5:15pm, after the big rush. So, all the buses were busy and we stood there for a good 20 minutes, which is terrible compared to the normal 2-3 minutes we usually wait. After that, we were shuttled to the car, then the actual commute home. I got home much later than normal days, but the fun conversation at the bus stop made up for the time wait. And the fact that I got an up close and personal spot on the bus. I really do think that I was closer to the windshield than the bus-driver was. Completely illegal because I was far ahead of the yellow line, but I felt like I was "ON TOP OF THE WORLD!"...that was a Titanic movie reference, P.S.

Then, grocery shopping with Grandma. I'm pretty sure we shut down the entire deli section getting yummy turkey, ham, extra-sharp cheddar, pepper jack, and baby Swiss cheese. I'm officially in love with the Better Health store here in town; the fact that everything is organic and with all best attempts at products and produce being local. And my Bridge Card works there! We then came home and had delicious grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, fresh garden tomatoes, and vanilla yogurt with fresh pineapple. 

I forgot to mention we got our schedules for the first three weeks of our food service rotation. Oh yea, and did I mention I have seven projects due in three weeks!?