If promoting healthy living through healthy eating is the career path you are travelling, know that the future looks bright. As the general public becomes savvier about healthy eating habits and more medical studies show the value of nutrition therapy in conjunction with traditional medical treatment, the more valued becomes the Dietician.
One example of this fact appears in this month’s Journal of the American Dietetic Association in the article “The Evidence for Medical Nutrition Therapy for Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes in Adults.” The article discusses the key role Registered Dietitians (RDs) can and should play in Diabetes treatment as part of a health care team. In addition to reviewing research showing the effectiveness of nutrition therapy, the article also provides nutrition practice recommendations, practical tools for RDs to put to use as they work with other healthcare professionals to treat Diabetes. RDs are also being welcomed into non-medical settings such as health clubs. No longer content to rely on personal trainers with limited nutrition knowledge, some fitness centers are bringing RDs on staff, eager to take advantage of the rigorous nutrition education required to obtain the status of Registered Dietician.
Not only can RDs make a lasting impact on individuals striving to make healthy, life-changing choices, they can make an impact on the bigger picture, as advocates. A healthier America is high on our government’s agenda, so if you have a passion for changing lives not just individually, but across the nation, know that RDs are not just a support network for other health care professionals, but an important force with an important message for the frontlines.
A wonderful resource for future and current RDs is the American Dietetic Association (ADA), committed to improving the nation’s health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy.
After three helpings from the Christmas dinner buffet and countless returns to the dessert table, feeling stuffed and uncomfortable, I wondered if the holiday season is any different for RDs. Are Dieticians free of this compulsive behavior to overeat during the holidays? Do they lecture their families on healthy holiday eating habits? Then I thought of the approaching New Year and the many resolutions that will be made, spoken or silent, and wondered, do RDs see more new patients in January than any other time of the year? I didn’t find the answers to these questions while surfing the web in my post-buffet stupor, so some of you Dieticians out there will have to weigh in (umm, pun intended)!
If you’re a current med student yet to choose a specialty, here are some things to consider: Your personality type, the kind of work setting you enjoy, the kind of patients you enjoy and what will give you the most satisfaction. A minority med student coming out of a low-income, underserved area might have a passion to go back and serve in that area. Someone naturally gifted in math and science and who loves solving mysteries might be drawn to a highly-funded research hospital. Others, perhaps those raised in a multigenerational family with a great respect for their elders, may have empathy for the needs of the elderly. For these folks, a career in Geriatric Medicine is the route to go, and the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) hopes that more doctors will tap into that side of themselves and consider a career as a certified Geriatrician.
Last week the AGS announced that geriatrics has been included in the eight primary care paths included in the new Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) funding opportunities authorized under the Affordable Care Act. This program pays for the costs of training residents who must fill new positions in primary care residencies that are sponsored by a community health center or graduate medical education (GME) consortiums. This is big victory for the AGS whose mission is to improve the health, independence and quality of life of all older people.
Currently there are only about 7,000 certified Geriatricians in the United States, far lower than the 16,000 the country needs. And, as Baby Boomers age, the need will rise to about 36,000 by 2030. A recent CBS News special reported that doctors who specialize in the care of older patients, especially those 80 and older, are seeing a great improvement in the health of their patients. This is due in part to the fact that Geriatricians are highly sensitive to the needs of seniors and these seniors in turn feel confident and comfortable with their doctors.
Geriatricians do not earn as much as other specialists, but they are reportedly the most satisfied. The AGS website is a helpful resource for anyone considering this career path, including wonderful testimonies from current Geriatricians. The AGS is working diligently to reverse the anti-aging, youth-worshiping trend in our society. If you have a compassion for the elderly and value their place in our world, consider a rewarding career in geriatrics and advance the efforts to bring affordable, quality healthcare to all senior citizens.
The American Public Health Association, founded in 1972, exists to both inform and protect the public. They are the oldest and most diverse organization of public health professionals. As you likely know, they play an important role in communication, disease prevention and crisis control, when there are serious health issues that threaten our nation.
With a goal of true education and prevention, The APHA also publishes books, papers and articles on disease control and preventative measures, including the peer-reviewed “American Journal of Public Health” and the award-winning newspaper, “The Nation’s Health”.
Some of the projects that APHA accomplishes include protecting funding for public health services, providing vaccines for school-aged children, regulating prescription drugs for safety and effectiveness, ensuring access to clean water and air, measuring of air quality, providing educational campaigns to reduce childhood obesity and developing school nutritional programs.
APHA understands that:
A healthy public gets sick less frequently and spends less money on health care, which equals better economic productivity and improved quality of life.
Healthy children become healthy adults. Healthy children also attend school more often and are better performers.
Public health educates people about lifestyle choices and also reduced the impact of disasters with preparation.
APHA is a central point of communication and education when disasters do occur.
APHA hires a variety of people to fulfill public health duties. These include:
Dream Jobs, of course, don’t always come within a standard hospital setting. Many healthcare workers discover that a job in an outpatient clinic, or even with a medical association or non- profit, is the perfect job for them.
This series on Health Organizations will raise awareness of the mission and goals of these great organizations, as well as help our readers become more aware of the opportunities within them.
Here is a startling and sad fact for this week: One in seven American adults now has kidney disease. This is up by 30% in the past decade. The nonprofit health organization, Northwest Kidney Centers, exists to help sustain the lives of those affected by kidney disease and provide hope to those who are suffering.
“Northwest Kidney Centers has been at the forefront of kidney disease treatment and research since its inception in 1962.” States their website, “As the largest provider of dialysis services in the Pacific Northwest, NKC has twelve centers located in King and Clallam counties, and employs over five hundred people.”
Their strategic goals include:
Improve quality while aligning payments and costs.
Bridge gaps in care with information, services and technology.
Deepen trust and collaboration between NKC, nephrologists and patients.
Grow to meet the need for kidney care, directly and through partnerships.
Collaborate in research to promote innovation in treatment and better quality.
Increase community knowledge about and support for kidney care.
Foster a culture of philanthropy throughout NKC to cultivate robust investment in NKC’s nonprofit mission.
Develop our workforce and leadership to be the best, in the future as well as today.
Northwest Kidney is the first outpatient dialysis center in the world and the only community-based, free-standing, not-for-profit dialysis organization in the United States. Learn more about them on Facebook and Twitter.
If promoting healthy living through healthy eating is the career path you are travelling, know that the future looks bright. As the general public becomes savvier about healthy eating habits and more medical studies show the value of nutrition therapy in conjunction with traditional medical treatment, the more valued becomes the Dietician.
