Janelle Y Morris

Mercy Medical Center in Redding, California

Skill Area: Management 

What I learned: Working in the kitchen at the hospital while taking Nutrition Science courses, I sometimes see disconnect between what is taught and what is done in a practical setting.  This is challenging because I am not in a management position and there are policies and procedures in place that sometimes need to be altered.  I learned how to speak advocate for patient needs and implement knowledge of therapeutic diet orders and empower employees with confidence to feed patients with special needs while working in a hospital foodservice.  This in-service also taught me how to think about who the audience is that I might be giving a presentation to and how to cater the presentation to that unique audience.

Reflection to assignment: Making this In-service made me realize how much I enjoy teaching and empowering others.  I enjoy public speaking; especially when I am able to teach or inspire a group with new information.   Assignments such as this which enhance management and leadership skills are valuable to any career.  As a Registered Dietitian, I will likely be asked to speak in front of groups to teach nutrition.  It is important to practice speaking in front of groups to gain confidence so that I can affectively promote nutrition interventions.

Relevance to profession: Registered Dietitians are frequently asked to speak in front of groups to teach about a variety of topics.  Whether the audience that I am speaking to is foodservice staff working for a hospital kitchen, a group of Registered Dietitians, I will need to be able to be engaging and present material that is relevant and appropriate for each specific audience.