Nnanna Gladys

Supporting information I write to express my interest in working as a band 5 dietician in your NHS Foundation Trust because this is an exciting opportunity to gain a wealth of experience with such a reputable trust and bring valuable contributions to the team. I possess Bachelor Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. Post graduation, I did one year internship placement where I was expose to clinical acute patients, I received the necessary educational and training requirements, demonstrated competence in the field of dietetics. Having met the professional standards, fundamental requirement and ethical guidelines set by the regulatory body I am qualified as a registered Dietitian with Dietitian Association of Nigeria (DAN) which is an affiliate to International Confederation of Dietitians Associations (ICDA). I have completed my registration with the Health and Care profession council with registration number DT033352. I engage in CPD by attending webinars on leadership and public speaking Skills, nutrition conferences/workshop held by Dietitian Association of Nigeria (DAN), taking online professional courses in Nutrition and maintaining a good HCPC standards of proficiency, standards of conduct and ethics. Initiative and Independent Work: I take initiative in both clinical and service development work. For example, when noticing high rates of re-admission due to poor post-discharge nutrition follow-up, I proposed a “Nutrition at Home” telephone review service for high-risk patients. With support from the team, this pilot project resulted in improved nutritional outcomes and fewer unnecessary admissions. My initiative is driven by patient need. I also believe in working as part of a team within the wider health community (Medical doctors, nurses, senior colleagues, academics) to drive excellence in clinical care and service improvement within the specialty seek advice when faced with difficult caseload. This offer me the ability to meet deadlines and use initiative/ current research in meeting patient needs in a timely manner. I demonstrate my leadership skills by participated in quality improvement during my rotational posting, my role involved reviewing current practice, conducting literature reviews, and developed new patient educational materials. I also contributed to drafting a revised protocol, which was piloted in one ward and showed improved patient referral and satisfaction rates. I have the ability to analyze clinical problems, and create practical solutions to provide best clinical care. For instance, during my placement, I worked with a patient at risk of malnutrition due to poor appetite, which I identified as a side effect of their medication. I recommended high-calorie, protein-rich foods based on the patient’s preferences. This helped the patient maintain stable nutritional status until the medication was discontinued, ensuring effective management of their nutritional needs. I have strong written and verbal communication skills to interact with people from different background. I ensure clear understanding by active listening, compassion, respecting patients preference, work with together to develop their meal, show empathy, kindness, paraphrasing, and adapting my communication style to suit patient’s background. In cases of language barriers, I use interpreters. For example, during my placement, while managing a patient with limited understanding of English, I utilised an interpreter provided by the hospital. I was able to effectively carryout my nutrition assessment, understood patient's preferences and tailored my interventions to suit them. This led to patient's satisfaction and improvement. For written communication, I document interactions thoroughly, following department policies. During my placement, I communicated with both service users and staff via emails and text messages, and comprehensively documented every encounter with patients in accordance with the department's policy. Presentation skills is valuable for me when sharing knowledge, engaging with audience, educating patients or colleagues, presenting research findings I make sure I stated clear objectives of the topics and always do my presentation with simple languages and give room for questions and provides the feedback. I Possesses knowledge and skills in behavior change, negotiation skills and motivational interviewing which is valuable to me in helping patients make sustainable lifestyle changes. These skills enable me to work collaboratively with patients, exploring their motivations for better options, addressing barriers, and empowering them to adopt healthy behaviors. I have experience using behaviour change techniques like CBT and motivational interviewing to support patients in making sustainable dietary changes. My organizational skills are necessary and have helped me to manage a busy caseload, prioritize tasks, and stay organized amidst various responsibilities. Good time management ensures that I can effectively allocate my time to different tasks and patients. Additionally, good record-keeping is important for me in accurate documentation and continuity of care. One of the main things that set me apart from others is that my work is always focused entirely on meeting the values laid down by the healthcare organization I work for and I manage a clinical caseload within a defined clinical area autonomously. Having understand that professional ethics is crucial for me to ensure I provide ethical and safe care to my patients. This includes respecting my patient autonomy, maintaining confidentiality, avoiding conflicts of interest, and upholding professional boundaries. I prioritized my caseload and I have adaptation, flexible and innovative approach which enables me to tailor interventions to suit individual patient needs, explore new treatment options, and adapt to changes in healthcare policies or practices. I give higher priority to my clients at greater risk over those at lower or moderate risk while considering the interventions that would give a better outcome. My Experience I am an enthusiastic, innovative, respectful, responsible, self- motivated and courageous Registered Dietitian with over 3 years of experience in Dietary consultation, having known that solid clinical foundation knowledge in general dietetics is essential for providing effective and evidence-based care to patients. This includes understanding the principles of nutrition, dietary requirements for different medical conditions, and the ability to assess and diagnose nutrition-related problems. It enables me to develop appropriate and individualized nutrition plans for my patients. My career growth has helped me build my level of confidence and professionalism in various areas of specialization such as gastroenterology, pre-natal nutrition, diabetes management, pediatric nutrition, weight management, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, liver and kidney diseases and much more. I am confident and well-equipped for this role in Nutrition, patient care and medical nutrition therapy, which includes, acting as a resource for patients assessing their individual needs and observing the principles of holistic care when planning treatments that are sensitive to the ethnic, cultural and spiritual needs of the patient of diverse range both in hospitals and community health care Centre, calculating nutritional requirements, conducting diet history interviews with my patients, interpreting complex biochemical analysis or results, gathering comprehensive information on medical notes and dietetics notes hereby using this information to build nutritional care plans for my patients, monitoring and evaluating of patients care plans against outcome measures set and adjusting to facilitate achievement of medical nutrition goals with the recent dietetic guidelines and evidence- based practice. I enable patients to make informed decisions regarding treatment options through the provision of expert knowledge and utilization of relevant resources. I also act in the best interest of my clients and ensure I practice safely, effectively, ethically and competently by deciding which patients are at nutritional risk, knowing if my patients need nutrition support like enteral Nutrition which include Assessment: I comprehensively take assessment to determine the patient's nutritional needs, underlying medical conditions, and any contraindications to enteral feeding. Feeding Tube Placement I liased with my patient on the best enteral nutrition support to Select (e.g., nasogastric, gastrostomy) based on the patient's condition and long-term goals. Nutritional Formulation: I Calculate the patient's caloric and nutrient requirements, calculate the amount of water required for flushing of the tube and selecting the suitable enteral formula, whether standard, disease-specific, or specialized (hepatic disease). Monitoring and evaluation : I Regularly assess the patient's tolerance, fluid and electrolyte balance, and clinical progress. I Adjust the feeding regimen as needed. Complications Management: I Address potential complications such as aspiration, tube dislodgment, blockages, diarrhea, or infections promptly. patient Education: I Provide education to patients and their caregivers on tube care, feeding schedule, signs of complications, and the importance of following the enteral nutrition plan. Team Collaboration: I Coordinate with a team of healthcare professionals, including nurses, and physicians, to ensure holistic patient care. Documentation: I Maintain accurate records of nutritional intake, lab values, and clinical observations to track progress and make necessary adjustments. Transition and Follow-up: I Prepare patients for transition back to oral intake when appropriate.I ensure smooth enteral feed discharges by providing individualized nutrition plans, coordinating with multidisciplinary teams, and educating patients and caregivers. I assess nutritional needs, select appropriate feeds, and offer guidance on feeding techniques and pump use. My role includes liaising with community services to ensure continuity of care, minimizing readmission risk, supporting patients in confidently managing home enteral nutrition. I possess strong keyboard and internet skills on the knowledge of MS programs such as word, excel power point and spread sheets which is essential for me in offering efficient, effective documentation of medical records. I will be delighted to have this great opportunity to be trained in your Trust.