There is a clear connection between proper nutrition and the health and wellbeing of every person. That connection becomes even clearer—and more crucial—when a person is being treated in a hospital setting.
As specialists in clinical nutrition counseling and interventional therapies, Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) are an integral part of the Aramark Healthcare+ team. They work closely with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, the culinary and food service staff, and other hospital team members to ensure patients receive the nutrition they need for optimal health.
In an interview below, Nakia Spencer, RDN, MBA, LD, National Director of Clinical Nutrition Development and Deployment for Aramark Healthcare+, provides more detail on how dietitians work to improve patient experiences and health outcomes.
Q: How important is clinical nutrition to healthcare?
It’s incredibly important. Dietitians are part of the patient care team, working shoulder-to-shoulder with physicians, nurses and pharmacists. Engaging with the patient and reviewing their medical record, dietitians gain an overall understanding of their health conditions, nutrition history, and social factors.
These activities allow dietitians to create a specific nutrition plan for the patient and provide tailored counsel based upon the patient’s needs and the recommendations of the physician.
In certain client facilities, dietitians write orders for necessary nutrition intervention, for example, parenteral (IV) nutrition therapy so patients get the proper nutrients necessary for healing.
Literature shows us that early nutrition intervention in conjunction with medical care can assist in resolving health conditions to positively impact patient outcomes. That is important to the patients and important to our healthcare clients.
Q: How do dietitians work with the food services team?
We are all part of one team. In a healthcare setting, the department is usually called Food and Nutrition Services.
When a patient needs a specific diet plan, the dietitian ensures it becomes part of the patient’s record so they receive meals from nutritionally verified and medically accepted recipes and menus.
Registered Dietitians at Aramark also work closely with the company’s culinary development team to create therapeutic diet menus that align with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Nutrition Care Manual, as well as other accepted and proven resources for various medical conditions. These are used throughout Aramark client locations.
Q: Does an RDN’s job end when the patient is discharged?
Where our clients have established outpatient programs, the dietitian plays an integral part. For example, the hospital or healthcare system may have specific outpatient clinics for conditions such as oncology, diabetes, cardiac and transplant to name a few.
A physician may also recommend that an inpatient receive nutritional counseling once discharged from the hospital, so the dietitian may now see them on a regular basis as an outpatient.
Aramark dietitians also pitch in to provide nutrition education and counseling during clients’ community health fairs and other community involvement initiatives supported by Aramark.
“Dietitians are such an important part of the patient care team. We help coordinate nutrition therapies, of course, but we also often act as the voice of the patient.”
Q: How does the Clinical Nutrition Development and Deployment team support Aramark dietitians at client locations?
I lead a team of three regional directors. Each one is an RDN and has been an operator in the field, as well. We help develop the tools that our clinicians use to provide medical nutrition therapy to patients. We ensure nutrition and menu standards are in place to provide the most positive, healing environment for patients.
We provide other field support to Aramark Healthcare+ regional and district leadership, sales teams, and others. In a way, we also help guide our field dietitians’ career paths with employee engagement, career growth and competency initiatives.
On a related note, Aramark has developed a very robust and successful dietetic internship program. Because there is such a focused teaching lens to the program, it allows our existing clinical dietitians to stay sharp while they precept and mentor future RDNs. It also gives the interns a path to pursuing employment with Aramark.
We are one of the largest employers of dietitians around. Dietitians work not only in Aramark Healthcare+, but in Education K-12, Higher Education, Business Dining, Corrections, and corporate positions.
Q: What drew you to nutrition as a career?
My family has had a lot of nutrition-related conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. I knew I wanted a career in health.
I always loved science, and thought I wanted to be a nurse. Then I quickly discovered nutrition.
Some members of my family would have led healthier lives with more nutrition education and access to good healthcare.
With that in mind, I earned a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. I had some great professors there who really invested in me and encouraged me to pursue a career in clinical nutrition.
Dietitians are such an important part of the patient care team. We help coordinate nutrition therapies, of course, but we also often act as the voice of the patient, translating our findings to nurses, doctors and other members of the patient care team. I find it so rewarding.
