This week at Meals On Wheels was sort of a transition week. We are settling into our roles as interns and project managers, but still have a lot to learn. On Tuesday I had the opportunity to see clients out in the field with one of our awesome dietitians, Jennifer. Later in the week, we were taught the process for follow-up phone calls and began to call clients. It’s reassuring to see how the things I’ve learned in the classroom will be used when I enter the workforce. Still adapting to that 40 hour week, but I’ll get there!
There were three guest speakers this week as well, all experts in their fields and great communicators to top it off. Ann Salyer-Caldwell, the Deputy Director of the Tarrant County Health Department, spoke to us about the wonders of the public health field and her time in the Navy. Her talk definitely reinforced my love of public health (as most things seem to do) but also has me considering the military as a potential career jump-start. Dr. Scott Walters gave us a much needed crash course on motivational interviewing, and Sherry Simon talked about her role as an RD in hospital administration- she oversees food service for the Baylor Scott & White hospital system.
I loved getting into the kitchen this week too. Since I’m managing kitchen audits and inventories, it was cool to see the back end of how we get meals out to clients. It was also the cleanest kitchen I’ve ever been in, which makes my job that much easier. The commercial equipment awed me, as did the not one, not two, but six walk in coolers/freezers. Really makes you appreciate exactly how much food passes through our kitchen each week.
Working with the other interns is a blast, as we all collaborate & help each other out. I’m slightly apprehensive about what will happen after this upcoming week, since Allison, the intern director, is moving on to bigger and better things. I know it’ll be good experience seeing how a new employee is trained and adjusting to their style, but we’ll definitely miss Allison even after only three weeks!
