TO:

Megan Even

FROM:

Cassandra Pedersen

DATE:

September 27, 2016

SUBJECT:

Unit 2- Job packet

The exploration of jobs all begins with the background. I am just starting to look into
positions that I will be qualified for when I am done with my schooling. Most of the
positions I am looking at will be for a bachelors degree as that is what I will have
this spring. However, there is one position that requires a masters degree which is
something I am also interested in doing.
Job Postings:
The first position I am interested in is with Sodexo as an entry level dietitian at
United Hospital. The requirements are as listed below:

Basic Education Requirement - Bachelor's Degree

Basic Functional Experience - 1 year of work experience in health care
including
hospitals, nursing homes, assisted or independent living facilities, long-term
care, retirement homes, or clinics.
Meets eligibility requirements for certification as a Registered Dietitian.

I am qualified for this position as I will be done with my Bachelors degree in May
and I will have passed the RD examination by the time I am going to go for this job.
Also, by the time I have applied I will have had two years of experience in a health
care setting through my dietetic internships. Finally, my job at CCRI is also
certification of working in a health care type setting with patient care.

The second position I am looking at is with as a dietitian for Waianae Coast

Comprehensive Health Center in Waianae, HI. The requirements are as listed below:

Credentialed as a Registered Dietitian by the Commission on Dietetic

Registration (with current CDR Registration from the American Dietetic
Association)
Masters degree in nutrition preferred (including public health courses from
an accredited college or university)
Must be adaptable to change.
Must be experienced with computers, to include Microsoft Office (Word,
Excel), and Outlook.

The duties were also listed in the job description. These were to provide medical
nutrition therapy to all levels of severity for various disease states with a strong
focus on diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease at several outpatient clinics.
By the time I graduate from my masters program specializing in dietetics and
public health I will have already passed my RD exam providing me with the
credentials. Through my internships I have had a variety of experiences with

different disease states in both an inpatient and outpatient basis. The job ad has a
big focus on diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease which is what the
dietetics program at NDSU has a strong focus on. Also, through my schooling I have
had to master using both Microsoft Office and Outlook. As for the ability to adapt to
change, I have my CCRI experience. Here I get thrown into new houses all the time
with new clients. You have to learn to adapt to their conditions and their way of life.
At work, one client is completely different than the next.

The third position I am looking into is a Registered Dietitian at Center for Discovery
in Montverde, FL. This is another position I am qualified for in a variety of ways. The
qualifications are as followed:

Licensed registered dietician strongly preferred

Minimum of a bachelor's degree at a US accredited university or college and
course work accredited or approved by the Accreditation Council for
Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) and an RD credential
Two years experience in dietary education and management preferred
Able to demonstrate understanding of the medical consequences of eating
disorders, the hazards of re-feeding and how to avoid complications
Must have the ability to communicate effectively to all staff in implementing
the dietary program
Able to provide documentation or obtain a state required food handler's
permit, or Serve Safe Certification, upon hire

By the time I graduate I will have my bachelors in dietetics and I will pass my RD
exam to get my credentials. Also, by the time I graduate I will have had two years of
experience through a variety of different internships providing me with the dietary
education practice needed. One of the internships will actually be at an eating
disorder clinic where I will have to deal with re-feeding and the nutrition process
that goes along with that. Finally, I already have proof of my Serve Safe
Certification.

The next position I am interested in is as a registered dietitian with 21st Century

Oncology in Boynton Beach, FL. The qualifications are as listed below:

Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of nutritional care and

counseling
Skill in planning a variety of nutrition education programs
Ability to identify nutrition education needs and to develop appropriate
programs to meet those needs
Ability to communicate ideas effectively, orally and in writing
Ability to deal effectively with individuals and groups
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with
physicians and staff
Graduation from an accredited college or university with an advanced degree
in nutrition or its equivalent in education and experience; or a

bachelor's degree in nutrition with licensure as a registered dietitian; or

any equivalent combination of training and experience
I am qualified for this position as I will be graduated in May and I will obtain my RD
license. All of the abilities have been met through my schooling, internships, and my
job at CCRI. I have had a tremendous amount of experience in all of those areas.
Finally, there is a clinical dietitian position I was looking at with Oconee Regional
Medical Center in Milledgeville, GA. The following are the qualifications:

Needs Bachelors degree

Registered dietitian

This is a small hospital in Georgia that I would be more than qualitied for with
everything I have done though schooling and my internship. I will have both of
these requirements without a problem as they are very basic.

Comparing two Companies:

The two companies I am going to look more into are the Center for Discovery and
United Hospital. There are major differences between the two companies I have
picked. As seen below in table 1, I have picked a few things to focus on first before I
get too in-depth in my research. To start off, their location and the demographics
that go with the area. This information will help me better understand the clientele I
will be working with. The two locations seem to be very different. One will require
me to move across the United States where the other one will be near my
hometown. United Hospital has a greater population which means it has a lot more
clientele and I also noticed that the ethnicities varied more. With more of a mix in
ethnicities. I would have to familiarize myself a lot with their culture and way of life
to provide proper care. Center for Discovery on the other hand is almost 100
percent white for their ethnicity. This would take the wide variety of backgrounds
away. Center for Discovery is also very specialized since it only does eating
disorders. This would make me very proficient in eating disorders, but I wouldnt get
the variety of conditions as I would at United Hospital. Finally, there is who the
company treats. Center for Discovery strictly does children and adolescence,
whereas United Hospital does everyone throughout a lifespan. These are just a few
things that I have looked into the companies so far. I believe demographics and
knowing who you are going to be working with is the most important thing when
trying to decide where you would be the best match.

Company
Location
Population size of city
Demographics of area

Center for Discovery

Montverde, FL

United Hospital
St. Paul, MN

1,562 population
$64,766 mean household
income

297,640 population
$49,469 mean household
income

Predominately white

White predominate, but

high populations of
Hispanics, black, and
Asian ethnicity
Type of diagnoses seen at Eating Disorders
All conditions in all stages
the company
of severity.
Gender and Ages
Children and adolescence Babies all the way
provided with treatment
Male and female
through elderly
Male and female
Table 1. Comparison of Center of Discovery and United Hospital

Compare and Contrast:

If I were to write a cover letter and resume for each of these ads they would be
pretty similar. Its not that I wouldnt include a certain experience in my cover letter
and resume, because I believe that all experiences are relevant. However, I would
use a different explanation as to why a certain experience would be relevant to their
specific company. An example would be my experience as volunteering as head of
food at an event put on by the local hospital at elementary schools. For United
Hospital, I would aim my explanation to be more about having that leadership
experience from being in charge of different volunteers. For the Center for
Discovery I would say something more about working with the elementary aged
children since this is the clientele they provide services to. Another example is my
internship at Sanford and Essentia. I would mention this in both of my cover letters
and resumes, but for Center of Discovery I would talk more about the motivational
interviewing that was done and the clinical experience rather than the specifics of
what was done for all the other diseases. United Hospital, I would be able to go into
more of the specifics of what I did to get at the different bullet points they had on
their job posting to show that I have experience in those areas. These are just some
of the examples of how I could compare and contrast how I would write the cover
letters and resumes.
The company that I would most like to work for is United Hospital. It is a 556 bed
non-profit hospital that provides services to over 200,000 people per year. That is a
huge number! This company initially stood out to me because of its location in St.
Paul, MN. I am from the suburbs of the twin cities and I am very much a homebody.
However, this was not the only reason I chose United Hospital. Their mission
statement was all about wanting to help people of all ages and not only treating
them, but also in preventative care. Prevent the condition or disease is the best
route. Preventative care is what I want to do as a dietitian and with the hospital
serving so many people I just imagine all of the good that can and is being done.
They seemed to have high value on keeping their clients at their best from the
beginning of life to the end-of-life stages. The hospital is not just focused on treating

the disease once it happens. Also, from their Facebook page, I saw how active they
are in the community. They are very involved with different events, conferences,
charities, and so on. Right on their main page they say that United Hospital wants to
improve community health by encouraging physical activity, healthy eating, and
maintaining a balanced life. This is exactly what a dietitian wants to achieve and
work towards. Giving back to the community is a huge thing for me. I want to make
a difference not only to those who come into the hospital, but to the community as
a whole. Finally, they were recognized as a top- ranked hospital in the MinneapolisSt. Paul area in 2012.

United Hospital Qualifications:

United Hospital did not have very many qualifications required for the position.
Below in table 2, I have provided the qualifications that were specified on the job ad
as well as some of the skills that are summarized for the position. To start off, they
want a bachelors degree in Dietetics and my RD certification. I will have my
bachelors degree by the end of spring semester and I will take the RD exam right
after the semester, so this will not be a problem. The other qualification they had
was to have at least 1 year experience in the health care setting. I will have over 1
year very easily. Just between my Sanford and Essentia Health internships I will
have 2 years of experience in a hospital setting. Also, working at CCRI will give me
another year of experience with health care and interacting with clients. Then, they
specified that they need someone who has excellent communication skills. I have
many examples of how I have excellent communication skills. For my internships I
have had to give presentations to groups of 3 all the way up to 45 people on various
nutrition subjects. On top of that I am treasurer of the Student Association of
Nutrition and Dietetics, so this involves a lot of communication skills for leading
meetings as well as getting information out to everyone in the organization. Finally,
being able to work in multidisciplinary teams. Mainly when interning at Essentia
Health I was part of the multidisciplinary teams every week. I got the opportunity to
work with all floors, so I worked with many different multidisciplinary teams of
doctors, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, and so on.

Qualifications and skills

Bachelors Degree and RD certification
At least 1 year experience in health
care.
Excellent communication skills

Be able to work in multidisciplinary

teams

Examples
Dietetics program at NDSU
CCRI
Essentia
Sanford
Student Association of Nutrition
and Dietetics
Presentations
CCRI
Essentia

Table 2. Experiences to support qualifications for the position at United Hospital

I believe I can benefit their company. My passion is to help clients prevent disease
which is the same goal United Hospital has. Sharing this passion would make me
want to stay with their company for a long time and move up in my career there. I
would also be willing to go out into the community to provide various
demonstrations and presentations on nutrition subjects to get the company out
there even more in the community giving back. In addition, I strive in learning new
and improved ways of counseling and treating clients making the dietetics
department thrive in the latest research. I believe I would be an excellent fit for
United Hospital.

Works Cited
21st Century Oncology. (n.d). Registered Dietitian at 21st Century Oncology., Boynton
Beach, FL 33425. Retrieved from http://rtsx.hrmdirect.com/employment
/jobopening.php?req=429044&jbsrc=10
14
Allina Health. (n.d) About Us, Retrieved from http://www.allinahealth.org/About-Us/
Aramark Healthcare. (n.d). Clinical Dietitian at Oconee Regional Medical Center.,
Milledgeville, GA 31061. Retrieved from
http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Aramark/jobs/Clinical-Dietitiancb52e0b16320bf16?sjdu=QwrRXKrqZ3CNX5W9jEvcj5ae13bOP2tAebFrKJVCamFODjgm6W7SUMlURnuX5BwSTPphRL7pN6xW8pFq-tdxpD_DttoT35gSzjtodvI
Center For Discover. (n.d). About Center For Discovery, Retrieved from
http://www.centerfordiscovery .com/about_center_for_discovery.html
Center for Discovery. (n.d). Registered Dietitian at Center for Discovery., Montverde,
FL 34756. Retrieved
from http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Center-forDiscovery/jobs/Registered-Dietitiana04bed5ec16c5bf1?

sjdu=QwrRXKrqZ3CNX5W-O9jEvScFjl-_DomyYevDSs AMHVJgrM FctLJK9vsx

MdG1hmTnv2eTy9AleEhY9NFmNAEkYAQGCm6nO9SxUMD0zICuxMKZC3zTHeiZMnL31WLpBKE
City Data. (2016). Montverde, FL. Retrieved from http://www.citydata.com/city/Montverde- Florida.html
City Data. (2016). St. Paul, MN. Retrieved from http://www.city-data.com/city/St.Paul-Minnesota.html
Facebook. (n.d). Center For Discovery Eating Disorders. Retrieved from
https://www.facebook.c om/C
enterForDiscoveryED/
Facebook. (n.d). United Hospital. Retrieved from
https://www.facebook.com/UnitedHospital/?fref=ts
Sodexo. (n.d). Registered Dietitian at United Hospital., St. Paul, MN 55102. Retrieved
from https://exter
nal-careers-sodexo.icims.com/jobs/56160/clinical-dietitian1/job?mode=job&iis= Job+Board&II
sn=Indeed&rcmo_src=Indeed&mobile=false&width=840&height=500&bga=true&n
eedsRedirect=false&jan1offset=-360&jun1offset=-300
Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. (n.d). Clinical Dietitian at Waianae
Coast Comprehensive
Health Center., Waianae, HI 96792. Retrieved from
http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Waianae- Coast-Comprehensive-HealthCenter/jobs/Clinical-Dietitian-e0eb3e6654e12f58?q=dietitian

Appendix
United Hospital Job Ad

Clinical Dietitian 1
System ID
56160
Location
US-MN-SAINT PAUL

Relocation
No
Category
Nutrition

Type
Full-Time

Unit Description

Sodexo is seeking an entry level Registered Dietitian to provide nutrition care at United
Hospital, the largest hospital in the Twin Cities east metro area serving over 200,000
patients and families yearly. It is recognized for care in a wide variety of areas including
oncology, cardiac, diabetes, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics and general surgical.

Position will report to Clinical Nutrition Manager and ideal candidate will be:

Responsible for a variety of patient units; must be willing to work with both inpatients
and outpatients

Serving as a Preceptor for University of Minnesota and other dietetic students.

Participating in interdisciplinary team rounds

Performing patient satisfaction rounds along with monthly test trays and patient
rounds.

Self-directed, organized and a team player

Excellent in communication skills and the ability to work within a multidisciplinary

team

Familiar with the nutrition care process and electronic medical record charting

Able to conduct quality improvement projects either independently and/or as part of

the clinical team

Working with the Clinical Nutrition Manager to provide exemplary care to patients,
staff and community

Position Summary
Provides basic nutrition assessments and care planning for patients/residents. Plans special diets and supervises
their preparation. Instructs patients/residents and/or hospital personnel in basic principles of nutrition and
modifications of normal diet. Performs routine care responsibilities without training and direction.

Qualifications & Requirements

Basic Education Requirement - Bachelor's Degree

Basic Functional Experience - 1 years work experience in health care including

hospitals, nursing homes, assisted or independent living facilities, long-term
care, retirement homes, or clinics, meets eligibility requirements for certification as a Registered
Dietitian.