Hi there! I'm Gianina a 3rd year student dietitian.
Here are a few tips that I found useful when I was in my B placement.
- Before starting your placement make sure to refresh you knowledge, it helps if you check what areas your hospital/trust specialises in and research those conditions, as well as treatments and medications.
- Make crib sheets in biochemistry and once you are in your placement is useful to make a crib sheet with the PENG requirements of the conditions that you use/see the most, that way you don't have to be carrying that little heavy book around with you all the time.
- One thing that I found quite challenging was writing PASS statements, so make sure to practice practice practice, it is also a good idea to carry some written examples with you 😉
Using Technology
Apps can be very useful, my favourite ones are:
- The ESPEN guidelines
- Nutricia, Abbott and Nestle where you can check the nutritional profile of their sips and enteral feeds.
- Apetito has the nutritional profile of their menu items, and of course you'll come across many type of medications for that one the BNF app is very useful.
Get a little address book to write down terminology and concepts that you don't know as well as medications, that way you'll always have it on hand and it'll make you more confident when going to the wards, talking with patients and writing medical notes/charts.
Words of advice
Be gentle with yourself, placement can be stressful at times and the pressure builds up as you advance, comparing yourself to others is not going to help, so take it one day at a time. Remember that you are learning and it's ok to say "I don't know", knowing your limitations and asking for help is also a sign of strength.
Don't forget to take time to relax and take care of your mental health, which is THE most important thing.
My supervisor was amazing, she used to tell me: "for every negative thought think of 2 positives, 2 things that you did well"
Good luck!