Field Placement: Veteran's Administration (VA) Hospitals – VA West Los Angeles
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Preceptor:
Student Name: LeeAnn Smith
Year: 2003

WHO: The population I worked with this summer during my field experience consisted mostly of veterans attending the Veterans Administration (VA) hospital where I was a dietetic intern. This patient population is composed of a varied group of individuals ranging widely in age, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. The veterans are of many different ethnic and racial backgrounds, as the patients I saw were very culturally diverse. Some of the patients whom I interacted with were homeless while other patients were quite wealthy. Therefore I was exposed to a variety of personalities and cultures.

In order to gain exposure to more women and children, who are scarce among the veteran population, I completed rotations with various organizations affiliated with the VA. During the week I worked at diabetes camp the kids I interacted with were boys and girls ages eleven to thirteen from all over Southern California. Also, I spent two weeks working for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), an organization that targets women and their children up to five years old. Approximately eighty-five percent of the participants at WIC are Latino and all participants qualify for this welfare program based on low income and residence status.

WHAT: As both a public health student and a dietetic intern at the VA hospital I completed ten weeks of community nutrition rotations in order to fulfill both of these roles. My Combined MPH/ Dietetic Internship program allowed me to complete 400 hours of field experience in Community Health Sciences through my community nutrition rotations that are a part of my dietetic internship at the VA hospital.

WHEN: In June I completed an orientation to the VA hospital and then completed 400 hours of community health experience July through mid- September. I worked forty-hour weeks, except during diabetes camp when I stayed at the camp for one solid week.

WHERE: The fieldwork completed was based out of the VA hospital in West Los Angeles, but I completed rotations all over the Los Angeles area including Long Beach, Big Bear, and Panorama City. I worked out of many different sites in order to gain experience with various organizations and patient populations.

WHY: Fieldwork is a necessary part of obtaining skills, experience and knowledge in a professional field. I am grateful to have completed my field experience at a teaching hospital because the healthcare professionals are accustomed to working with and providing insight to students and interns.

HOW: During each rotation I reported to a registered dietitian who acted as my preceptor and supervised my experience. At many of the rotations I had an intern notebook that described the assignments and reading to be completed in order to assure that rotation objectives were met and appropriate knowledge was acquired. At the end of each rotation I completed a unit and preceptor evaluation and the dietitian evaluated my work, professionalism and achievements. Finally, the dietitian and I evaluated what I completed in order to meet my personal objectives or learning plan. I attempted to build upon my growth through the completion of my objectives.

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