Today marks the end of my Community Nutrition/Aboriginal Health placement with Nipissing First Nations Health Services, the end of my third to last rotation. Today also was the first time I genuinely felt sad leaving a placement. The health team at NFN and the community of Garden Village made me feel welcome, and a member of their community. They didn't treat me simply like an inexperienced intern, but instead like an equal who brought unique knowledge and skills to their team. The community of Garden Village were always open to answering my questions, allowing me to attend traditional ceremonies and gain a deeper understanding on First Nations cultures, traditions and belief systems. During my short 4 week's with NFN, I was able to:
I loved being able to blend my love for cooking and teaching food skills with nutrition! I find that it is easy to discuss nutrition with clients when you are in the kitchen with them. It also provides an opportunity for knowledge and skill sharing, and a way to build rapport with clients and the community as a whole. My preceptor Erika, was an amazing mentor, allowing me plenty of independence to develop and deliver my own programs to the community, and was always there to provide me with support and guidance so that I could gain an understanding of the role of the community dietitian. I also had the pleasure of working with the Maternal Child Care Nurse and one of the health promoters during my time. For my last day, the health team surprised me with a fish fry/potluck and plenty of going away gifts. Stella, the health promoter, gifted me a wooden recipe box with a few recipes inside. On the back of each recipe card was a picture of me in my hair net from my cooking workshops.. what a little family I gained!
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Sara FriedrichCanadian Registered Dietitian
Eating healthy isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle Archives
June 2018
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