February Reflective Statement A large portion of the past 4 weeks has been learning the process of screening new

admissions and assigning nutritional statuses. The nutritional status is determined through analysis of the medical record along with information collected in person from the patient. I have increased my confidence in interviewing patients over this first month and gained a deeper understanding of the types of questions to ask in order to better evaluate a patients nutritional status. The other major learning experience has been how to present the information obtained from the patient into the appropriate formation for the chart. Each dietitian I work with has a slightly different approach to charting. While the exposure to different styles and methods is beneficial, I do feel that as a result it has took me longer to fully understand the charting format. The separate components of the charting process are coalescing and I have a much better understanding of what is pertinent and where the different types of information go in the chart. During February I was able to spend a portion of the day with a speech pathologist. She reviewed in detailed the phases of swallowing, how and where aspiration can occur and the steps to avoid aspiration. I was also able to observe a barium swallow evaluation. The time with the speech pathologist was extremely beneficial and I feel more certain in my understanding of dysphasia.