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In This Issue:
BWH Bulletin sat down with Kate Sweeney, MS, RD, senior clinical dietitian and manager of BWH's Nutrition Consultation Service, to learn more about BWH Nutrition, which is currently celebrating National Nutrition Month.
What brought you to BWH?I came to BWH for its dietetic internship program and joined BWH Nutrition after completing the internship last year. When you are studying nutrition, you have to complete an internship to become a registered dietitian, and the process is similar to matching as a resident. BWH was my first choice; I knew the high level of care here, and the Nutrition department and internship are among the best in the country.
Describe a typical day for you. I see six to eight patients a day, mostly obstetric patients, but also some thoracic, lung transplant and sports nutrition patients. When meeting patients for the first time, I strive to find out who they are and why they want to see a nutrition professional. I typically meet with patients two to six times depending on their goals. Patients come to BWH Nutrition for a variety of reasons. Some patients want to eat healthier for overall wellness while others need guidance on gluten-free diets because they have been diagnosed with celiac disease. Some are being fed through tubes, and it's my job to make sure they are getting enough nutrition, evaluate their labs and monitor their progress. It's holistic care. I also teach dietetic interns, who shadow me and work on their counseling skills. And, I bounce questions and ideas off of an extremely dedicated and knowledgeable group of dietitians at BWH.
What is Nutrition Month all about?It's about bringing awareness to food and nutrition in our daily lives, since they impact so much of our health and the health care delivery system. We also want to let everyone-patients and employees alike-know that we're here to guide them in making long-lasting nutrition and lifestyle changes that will enhance their well-being.
What's your favorite part of the job?The patients! I love connecting with people, listening to their stories and helping them meet their goals.
What inspired you to become a registered dietitian?When I was a swim coach, there was no dietitian on campus at Colgate University. Student athletes couldn't find the nutrition information they were looking for, so I started doing research on how nutrition affected performance, and I shared it with them. During that time, I decided to go to the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University to learn about food policy and science. After that, becoming an RD was the next step.