Clinical Rotation

My clinical internship at Kaiser Permanente provided extensive hands-on experience managing complex medical nutrition cases in the inpatient setting.

I performed comprehensive Nutrition-Focused Physical Exams (NFPE) and applied ASPEN/Academy criteria to accurately identify and classify malnutrition.

Each day, I interpreted labs, reviewed diagnostics, and used clinical judgment to guide medical nutrition therapy decisions, with the focus of delivering appropriate monitoring of patients according to nutrition-risk level.

I gained significant experience developing and adjusting enteral and parenteral nutrition regimens, including formula selection, rate calculations, advancement plans, and ongoing assessment for tolerance and refeeding risk.

A central part of my role included delivering bilingual (English/Spanish), culturally responsive nutrition education for individuals with diabetes, and other chronic health conditions.

Throughout my rotation, I collaborated closely with interdisciplinary teams—physicians, nurses, pharmacists, speech-language pathologists, nutrition partners and patient care technicians—to integrate nutrition into comprehensive treatment plans and advocate for evidence-based nutrition care.

This internship experience strengthened my clinical confidence, sharpened my assessment and critical-thinking skills, and solidified my commitment to providing patient-centered, culturally informed nutrition therapy. I will always be grateful to my preceptors.

Learn more about Kaiser Permanente

Educational Resources that supported my Journey

Nutrition Diagnosis

Identifying the correct nutrition diagnosis allows a dietitian to deliver focused, individualized, and effective care.

It connects the assessment findings to targeted interventions, it ensures accurate monitoring, and it improves outcomes.

Without an accurate diagnosis, even well-intentioned interventions may miss the mark.

Nutrition Diagnostic Terminology

Nutrition Focused Physical Exam

Training in NFPE is critically important because it equips dietitians with the clinical skills needed to directly observe and assess nutritional status in ways that standard labs, intake records, or weight history alone often miss.

NFPE training improves dietitians competency to detect subtle or early signs of malnutrition or nutrient deficiencies, it supports a more accurate nutrition diagnosis (for example, malnutrition per ASPEN/AND criteria), which then guides targeted interventions, monitoring, and improved patient outcomes.

FREE Training in NFPE by Abbott

Motivational Interviewing

Motivational Interviewing is essential for dietitians because it helps clients make meaningful, lasting changes by focusing on their own motivations rather than external pressure.

Motivational Interviewing creates a supportive, non-judgmental space where clients feel heard, understood, and empowered to set realistic goals.

By using skills like reflective listening, open questions, and affirmations, dietitians can strengthen client engagement, reduce resistance, and promote long-term adherence to nutrition recommendations.

The course linked below is CDR-approved for 18 CPEUs for RD/RDNs and DTR/NDTRs, and CBDCE-approved for 18 CEUs for CDCESs.

CPEU/CEU Course options

Dietitians on Demand

Dietitians On Demand’s Clinical Resources help dietitians bridge the gap between textbook nutrition science and real-world clinical practice, offering practical tools, up-to-date clinical guidance, and flexible learning — all designed to empower clinicians to deliver high-quality, evidence-based nutrition care to their patients.

Clinical Resources

Nutrition Support

During my clinical rotation, I was exposed to Nutrition Support (Enteral Nutrition and Parenteral Nutrition) in the hospital setting.

At first it was very daunting, but the more I practiced calculating EN and TPN, I realized it was not only interesting, but really understood the importance of developing further knowledge and improving my skills.

My next step was to enroll in the Nutrition Support Skills Course by Sara Griffin MS, RDN, CNSC from Edge Clinical Nutrition.

My goal is to become much more confident and empowered as a future dietitian, and this course is great for anyone with an interest in learning more about Nutrition Support, or anyone pursuing the CNSC credential who would appreciate some help.

Click Here for CPE Course