Exam Room Nutrition: Where Busy Clinicians Learn About Nutrition
As a clinician, your patients are asking:
“What should I eat for diabetes?” “How do I lose weight?” “My child is so picky. What do I do?” But here’s the problem—you probably didn’t learn much about nutrition in school. The National Academy of Sciences recommends 25 hours of nutrition education for med students. Most of us? We got maybe 5.
Enter Exam Room Nutrition. Hosted by Colleen Sloan, a PA and RD with over a decade of experience, this podcast gives you clear, actionable strategies to tackle those tough nutrition questions with confidence—even when you’re pressed for time. From picky eaters to diabetes management, I’ll renew how you approach nutrition.
Exam Room Nutrition: Where Busy Clinicians Learn About Nutrition
50 | What Does A Dietitian Do, Anyway?
What is a Registered Dietitian and what do they do? Maybe when you think of a dietitian you think of the food police, spoiling all the fun. Or maybe you imagine a lady wearing a hair net serving hospital cafeteria food. Or maybe you think they'll just put your patient on a diet and hand them a meal plan. Can we even trust dietitians? Or are they all set outs, getting paid by Big Food to recommend highly processed foods?! To celebrate my 50th podcast episode (yay!), I wanted to make sure my listeners know exactly what what a dietitian does, how they work with patients and the immense value they provide to patients and YOU, the provider.
In today's episode you'll learn why an RD's education makes them THE authority in nutrition and how you can collaborate with and refer to dietitians. You'll gain a clear understanding of what diagnoses are covered by insurance, how to refer to a dietitian and what your patients can expect from their visit.
Sign up for the Dietitian-Provider Virtual Mixer! Don't miss our next RD-Provider Mixer ... a quarterly, virtual meet-and-greet where dietitians and providers meet!
Resources:
Primary Care Provider Toolkit to Refer to a Dietitian - from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
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Disclaimer: This podcast is a collection of ideas, strategies, and opinions of the author(s). Its goal is to provide useful information on each of the topics shared within. It is not intended to provide medical, health, or professional consultation or to diagnosis-specific weight or feeding challenges. The author(s) advises the reader to always consult with appropriate health, medical, and professional consultants for support for individual children and family situations. The author(s) do not take responsibility for the personal or other risks, loss, or liability incurred as a direct or indirect consequence of the application or use of information provided. All opinions stated in this podcast are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my employer.
