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Paid
Experience

"To fulfill a dream, to be allowed to sweat over lonely labor, to be given a chance to create, is the meat and potatoes of life. The money is the gravy."

– Bette Davis

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“Your career is like a garden. It can hold an assortment of life’s energy that yields a bounty for you. You do not need to grow just one thing in your garden. You do not need to do just one thing in your career.”

— Jennifer Ritchie Payette

Aug. 2021

Aug. 2022

Jan. 2021

Aug. 2021

1 / University of Tennessee Athletics —

Sports Nutrition Intern

Highlights:

  • Creating athlete educational materials dependent on physical requirements for specific sport (i.e. varying fueling schedules for track and field meets vs. practices)

  • Assessing nutrient content of snacks available in fueling stations to best meet athlete needs.

  • Creating post-workout shakes to improve athlete training outcomes.

2 / East Tennessee Human Resources Agency — Nutrition Program Assistant

Highlights:

  • Performed SAMS/WellSky ILA assessments on referred homebound seniors in six county service area to determine meal assistance eligibility.

  • Guided community seniors through LIHEAP, Choices, Options, HUD, and CREVAA information to determine best additional services to apply for.  

  • Performed menu reviews alongside RDN using CACFP Nutrition Analysis Worksheet to meet meal quality mandates.

  • Recorded monthly client meal data for Financial Department and Area Agency on Aging and Disability.

Work
Philosophy

“People always lecture the poor: "Take responsibility for yourself! Make something of yourself!" But with what raw materials are the poor to make something of themselves? People love to say, "Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he'll eat for a lifetime." What they don't say is, "And it would be nice if you gave him a fishing rod." That's the part of the analogy that's missing.”
― Trevor Noah

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I aim to be the full package provider: share information, supply materials and skills necessary for success, and encourage self-efficacy.

1 / Judgement-Free

The combination of empathy and listening to understand, rather than respond, breeds an effective practitioner that can make a lasting impact on clients. It is my goal to build positive rapport with my clients through allowing them to come to me as their genuine selves, and treating them with grace and respect.

2 / Empowering

Proactivity, confidence, and adaptability are three key traits to handling difficult circumstances. I emphasize these attributes because life is complicated, and my patients deserve to continue succeeding once they have graduated from needing my expertise and guidance.

3 / Balanced

Sleep, hydration, stress reduction, and mental health indisputably impact nutritional status. I consider the various aspects of health and how they function together to help the body and mind function optimally. 

Skills

(Full skills listing available upon request)

Medical form with stethoscope

Clinical Documentation

Distinguished health-related patterns and recorded information relevant to overall care plans in EMRs (NextGen, Cerner). Experienced in ADIME documentation format. Identified optimal treatment plans and recorded in the following categories:

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  • Nutrition Education

  • Nutrition Counseling

  • Counseling Theoretical Basis

  • Coordination of Nutrition Care

  • Enteral Feeding Regimens

  • Nutrition Supplements

  • Medical Foods

  • Therapeutic Diets

Soup Kitchen

Food Safety

Attained ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification and heavily utilized FIFO during work-study.

 

Experienced in appropriate food packaging and processing steps, specifically HACCP, preventing and managing various types of food spoilage, commercial sterility, food additive safety, heat/cool processing, and canning techniques.

Modern Office

Data Management

Managed 4,000+ client database for OAA program recipients using WellSky/SAMS database as required by Tennessee Area Agency on Aging and Disability.

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Collected and organized independent living assessment data, monthly meal data for six counties in service area, and COVID-19 emergency relief funds data in conjunction with Mom's Meals and Meals on Wheels CAC Kitchen.

Seniors Socializing

Educational Resource Development

Routinely created educational materials, including:

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  • Workplace chronic disease self-management

  • Workplace mental health for hybrid/remote employees

  • Healthy habits for lowering serum triglycerides

  • Microwave meal options for CKD and T2DM

  • Optimal creatinine supplementation for college athletes

  • Optimal nutrient timing for high school athletes

Flexible Payment Planning

Reimbursement Assessment

Performed CACFP assessments on home delivered and congregate meal plans alongside RDN to determine reimbursement eligibility via USDA.

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Performed private practice medical billing using CMS 1500 form for coursework.

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Performed data collection and reporting for Federal COVID-19 Relief Fund for OAA programs.

Woman Preparing Food

Meal Plan Design

Assisted college athletes in designing meal plans alongside Tennessee Athletics RDNs, focusing on nutrient intake and improving energy availability during training sessions, competitions, school breaks, and post-college athletics or entry into the workforce.

Typing

Nutrition Advocacy

Lobbied for SB1862/HB1863 and SB1977/HB1914 at the TN State Capitol for TAND Hill Day 2024.

 

Promoted community nutrition programs during annual budget meeting for Knox County Community Action Committee and Tennessee Area Agency on Aging and Disability.

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Performed Community Needs Assessment on wellness needs of hybrid/remote workers for the Knox County. Health Department.

A Walk in Park

Patient

Assessment

Performed Independent Living Assessments, determining Activities of Daily Living/Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scores for senior clients receiving human resources assistance.

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Routinely performed Food & Nutrition-Related History, Anthropometric, Biochemical, Clinical, and Dietary assessments, combined with Nutrition-Focused Physical Exams on pediatric, adult, and geriatric patients. 

Lifestyle counseling

Nutrition Counseling

Performed skills related to nutrition counseling for coursework, using the following theoretical frameworks:

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Cognitive behavioral theory

Health belief model

Social learning theory

Transtheoretical model

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