When you get stuck, you need to know where to go for help. These dietitian resources will help you find ways to work around whatever problem you can’t seem to solve on your own.
Dietitian resources when you’re stuck on clinical
It doesn’t matter if you’re straight out of your internship or have had the RD credential for 20 years. Clinical nutrition questions come up all the time, for all dietitians.
It can happen when you suddenly blank on the MNT for a specific condition. It can happen because you never learned the ins and outs of a medical issue (we don’t learn everything in school or our internships). And it can also happen when you’re starting something new like building a private practice, figuring out how to start group sessions, or are even just looking for another job.
Wherever the questions come from, you need to have a place to start answering them. So here are a few ways to help you work through even the hardest dietitian problems.
Dietitian Resource #1: Everyone you know
The people you know (and meet in your career) might be the most significant resources you’ll have available as a nutrition professional.
These include the network you’ve developed in:
- School
- Your internship
- Each of the facilities you’ll work in
The dietitians, doctors, nurses, CNMs, and even non-health care professionals will form the central part of your personal resource center.
For a lot of new dietitians, the idea of asking someone a question is nerve racking. Especially someone you might not know very well. It can feel like a sure sign that you don’t know what you’re doing or a clear indication that other people shouldn’t take you seriously.
But asking for advice or help isn’t a mark of being a bad dietitian. It’s actually a sign that you not only know your limits but you’re invested in getting better, which are both essential and necessary parts of growing as an RD.
Wherever and whoever you can reach out to, do it.
Dietitian Resource #2: Do your research
Before you tap into your network, the best place to start is by doing the research you were taught to do. With so much information online, it’s helpful if you first find out if your answer is an internet search away.
As a dietitian, if there’s one thing we were taught how to do is vet information and evaluate scientific studies. Lean into that skill, especially if you have a patient who stumps you with a tricky question. Spend 20 minutes doing a little light reading (ha) about the condition, question, or scenario you’re stuck on.
You know what a quality source of information is, even if your patients don’t. It’s not your job to give your patient a lesson on how to do quality research. But it is your job to make sure the information your patient walks away with is relevant and scientifically backed.
Where to start doing clinical nutrition research?
Start with Google and see what NIH (National Institute of Health), PubMed, Healthline, and national organizations like the National Kidney Foundation or American Heart Association have to say.
Facebook groups have excellent resources available in the form of thousands of experienced RDs willing to answer complex questions and share information and experience.
If you’ve never bothered to join Facebook before, these groups are a great reason to consider it. You can find everything from RD groups focused on functional nutrition, insurance and billing, how to build a private practice, even job openings or dietitians needed for a podcast interview.
When it’s time to confirm what you’ve learned, check out Google Scholar to take your research to the next level for free.
Having this research and references available when you’re presenting your case to a doctor or simply need to justify your recommendation when writing your note can make a big difference in the authority and respect you get when you share your patient care suggestions.
Dietitian Resource #3: Reference current protocols
Part of researching an answer is making sure you confirm the clinical guidelines that currently exist. It can save you a lot of time if you do a quick reference check for even a related condition or situation.
These references aren’t always the easiest to find. And there will be times when it’ll feel like you’re searching forever for what feels like a simple answer. Other times, you’ll find them locked behind a firewall or a paid registration.
For those moments when you simply are unable to access the specific answer you need, this is a perfect time to direct those clinical questions to your network. Someone at some point learned that protocol and will be able to share it with you.
And when you finally get it, SAVE THE ANSWER. Keep it in a Word doc, in a notebook, or printed out on your desk so you’ll never have to go through that process again.
Where to find clinical nutrition protocols?
For clinical nutrition answers, some of the best places to start are ASPEN (American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition) and ESPEN (the European counterpart). Our governing body AND (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) is also an option, though most of that information is tucked away for members only.
You can also find wound care guidelines through ASPEN, dysphagia support references through IDDSI (International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative).
Dietitian Resource #4: Start with what you know
Every once in a while, you’ll find there’s no easy answer. This might mean there are no protocols or guidelines around that condition or your network simply can’t give you a concrete or final answer.
This means it’s up to you to use your best clinical judgment.
Don’t forget medical nutrition therapy is what you were trained to do. You already know the basics and that’s often a solid place to start. This is true even if what you know is only adjacent to your issue and not specific to it.
For example, if you know that a compromised gut needs to do less work in order to digest foods, it follows that your patient might feel better supported with a low fiber diet even if you’re not wholly familiar with all the details of their current condition.
Or if you aren’t familiar with a specific medical condition and there’s no clear MNT available, start with what you do know and work backwards. When you hit a wall or run into the limits of your experience, it’s a great time to tap into your network for support.
Dietitian Resource #5: Lock in the basics
If even the idea of leaning on what you should know feels too big, it might mean you need a better set of basic clinical skills.
Sometimes, maybe more often that we’d like to admit, we find ourselves looking up EVERYTHING. And as much as this list emphasizes tapping into your network and asking all the questions that need to be asked, there’s a line that’s drawn at the absolute basics.
These are the things you should know without having to ask, and without having to look anything up.
And by basics I mean:
- Understanding the medical nutrition therapy for the four most common diet orders
- How and when to liberalize those diets
- Doing the calculations for a patient’s estimated nutritional needs and their enteral nutrition diet order
- Knowing whether to use an IBW, a CBW, or when to choose between a UBW and ABW
This, along with some other MNT basics, are the kinds of foundational knowledge you should have as an RD. Asking questions that elaborate on these basics are one thing. Asking how to do them is something else entirely.
And this is where Clinical Bootcamp comes in.
This self-study course includes a live space to ask all the questions you’re expected to know in your first job. You can work through the kind of real life situations that depend on MNT fundamentals, without judgment and with all the access you need until you’ve locked it all in.
And That’s It!
There’s only ever one way to get an answer to a question you can’t figure out on your own: ask.
Ask the internet, ask your colleges, ask anyone who might know the answer.
And if you’re feeling stuck on even the most simple parts of MNT, join Clinical Bootcamp and get all your questions answered.
Want even more to help in clinical?
Check out The Nutrition Cheat Sheets Shop for all the nutrition education and clinical resources that will make your life easier.
