Bradley’s Health Science Organization (HSO) held a nutrition meeting about the role of dietetics in healthcare on Tuesday. This meeting was led by guest speaker Jessica Nigg, assistant professor and director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics.
The informational meeting showed students interested in pursuing a career in dietetics how dietitians work with physical therapists.
“We have several classes to prepare students for clinical, community and food service roles,” Nigg said. “All students in the department have to complete work experience as an undergrad. In our graduate program, students get over 1,000 hours of practicum and supervised experiential learning.”
Additionally, Nigg shared the diverse roles and work settings available to dietitians such as hospitals, food service management in schools and public health services.
The HSO executive board had several questions for Nigg, and she had the answers. Secretary of HSO Nicole Eldrenkamp found her insights particularly helpful.
“I am most interested in learning about how this field of healthcare interacts with other fields. Dieticians can play a very important role in someone’s healthcare team,” Eldrenkamp, a junior kinesiology and health science major, said. “Dr. Nigg did an excellent job in teaching students about the importance of dietetics, and she helped me better appreciate how dieticians play a crucial role in enabling good patient outcomes.”
HSO treasurer Gavin Turvey expressed how joining this organization can truly be impactful for students.
“This organization is significant to me because it unites students studying dietetics, students who you wouldn’t normally collaborate with just because they’re in a different grade or you never have classes with them,” Turvey, a sophomore nutrition and dietetics major, said. “It makes for great relationships and further connections.”
“I believe it is important to spread information about nutrition-related health, as I know [many people] don’t have the information as to where to start making corrections or improvements with their habits and diet,” Turvey added.
Nigg was thanked for attending and offering insight into the experience of working in healthcare as a dietitian.
Information regarding HSO and how to contact the organization can be found on its Instagram.
