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The term nutritionist or dietitian has been used interchangeably by some but
there is a key difference. Only the dietitian has the expertise to advise
patients with medical conditions on their diet. A nutritionist can only advise
the general population with no medical conditions.
A dietitian has access to a patient's medical records and will first analyse
the clinical condition of the patient and other relevant parameters such
as biochemistry and medications. Then a diet record is taken by interviewing
the patients. The dietitian will customise their counselling/education session
according to the diet history of the patient and work closely to provide
a sample meal plan for the patient to follow. For patients on tube feeding,
dietitians have to calculate energy and nutrient requirements and prescribe
the appropriate amount of feed
for the patient.
At CGH, Valerie sees a variety of patients mainly patients with medical conditions
such as diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. She also
sees elderly patients and those who require enhanced supplementation as well
as patients who require tube feeding.
Seven months into the job, Valerie has encountered her fair share
of patients
who are resistant to receiving a dietitian’s advice.
"It
can be challenging because we are selling the idea of
healthy eating, which is very much an issue of personal
choice to many patients. There are many emptations around
and food is a source of comfort, thus some patients may
find our advice very hard to swallow. However, it is rewarding
to see patients who
are empowered with the knowledge of
adopting the correct diet and experience the
positive side effects as a result." |
Ms Valerie Tan joined CGH’s
Dietetics and Catering Department in February 2005. This
is her first job after graduating
from University of Sydney, Australia.
Many food-loving Singaporeans may be surprised that the training to be a dietitian
takes up to 4 years. Valerie studied biochemistry, anatomy/physiology and nutrition
topics in the first 3 years of her BSc (Nutrition) degree. Her final honours
year was spent doing clinical studies, with attachments in the hospital. She
also had a chance to do a community posting helping to conduct nutrition surveys
and food service posting.
Dietetics is a course of study that is not currently offered in the local universities
so what made Valerie decide to pursue it overseas?
“It is a growing area and as the public becomes more aware of the importance
of a healthy diet, we need professionals to give sound dietary advice. I wanted
to be involved in public health awareness and promote sound nutrition to various
groups of the population,” said Valerie.
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