Dream Job Search: Environmental Nutrition Ed.

In regards to the healthcare field, you really can go anywhere. Earlier this morning I was on the phone with an old preceptor from my dietetic internship (public relations rotation) who provided me with some guidance as to my next step. Her advice for non-traditional job opportunities as a Registered Dietitian (RD)? Network, NETWORK LIKE NEVER BEFORE. Because if you decide to take the non-traditional route, you'll have to take a non-traditional approach down that route. This means, less utilization of job search engines, and more emailing, calling and researching (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, etc.) non-traditional RDs. And so, ladies and gentlemen, Monica continues to email, call and research her non-traditional, dream job.


This week's approach? Environmental Nutrition. Point of inspiration? FRESH, the movie.



Food/Nutrition Writer Sharon Palmer, RD wrote a blog about FRESH which I found refreshing. Refreshing in the sense that she had officially combined two things that intrigued me: environmental nutrition and writing.

My point is...what you want to do with your healthcare career is out there, you just have to make every effort to look for it. And sometimes, it's right under your fingertips (literally).

Happy research and networking! :)

Posted by Monica at 4:53 PM 0 comments

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The U.S. Air Force ... Keeping an Open Mind

I feel like a rebel. I feel like a rebel because I have this itch to go against the norm. I have this inexplicable craving to avoid the 9 to 5's, as unavoidable as it may seem.


Did I lose you? Let's just say I understand. Let's just say that I've been there. About a year ago I got a call from an Army advisor, and after that first phone call I refused to pick up any other phone call. Not because I wasn't interested, because I probably was, it's just...in a way, I wasn't ready to be interested. I was scared. Scared because I know that my parents wouldn't want me to. Scared because it was an unknown territory that I wasn't sure I wanted to explore.

How did I get into it? A really good friend of mine started looking into it...I mean really looking into it. It's something he's always wanted to do since he was a kid, and he claims he's being hit by all kinds of signs to just do it already. He was able to answer all the questions I've been wondering about, which aided my suppressed curiosity towards a

If you're in the healthcare field, there's a place for you in the Air Force:

As far as paying for school? The Air Force offers a Health Professions Scholarship Program, which provide the following:
  • tuition
  • textbooks
  • small equipment items and supplies required for study
  • monthly allowance of approximately $1,907 for living expenses
The catch? Be on active duty in the Air Force for 45 days while on scholarship and serve active duty for one year for each year of scholarship (minimum of three years).

The benefits...the benefits had me at...well, "BENEFITS":
  • Housing allowance (living expenses include utilities and maintenance for on-base housing and a monthly tax-free allowance for out-base residents)
  • Food allowance (receive a flat rate monthly; can save by shopping at tax-free, on-base department and grocery stores)
  • Compensation (salaries are competitive with those in the civilian sector, health professionals receive incentive pay & substantial annual bonuses)
  • Retirement (eligible to retire after 20 years of service with the Air Force = one of the earliest retirements around!)
  • Insurance (comprehensive medical and dental care provided and low-cost plans for eligible family members; temporarily disabled due to injury/illness? = still receive a salary!)
Last but not least, what will your life be like?
  • "A City Created Just For You" is what an Air Force base is like which includes restaurants, tax-free shopping, churches, schools, parks, and more
  • Enjoy 30 days of vacation with pay where you can take advantage of Air Force aircraft (in other words, fly around the world for free!)
  • On-base facilities (including gyms, golf courses, intramural leagues, swimming pools, etc) to keep you physically fit
The only thing holding me back is the thought of being away from my family and not knowing where I'd be deployed to. This explains why I may not be jumping at signing up for the Air Force, but my mind has definitely opened up to it. And an open mind....totally counts.

Photo courtesy U.S. Air Force Academy

Posted by Monica at 6:19 PM 0 comments

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The Attack of H1N1....IN MY HOUSE!

Is it just me or are more and more people getting the swine flu? First my 10-year-old nephew, then his 8-year-old brother who slept over our house just last weekend, and now both my parents have been hit by the H1N1. And then there was Facebook...my niece had it and now an old colleague who says he got it from another mutual colleague. I'm trying not to freak out. I'm trying really, really, hard actually.



So what exactly am I doing to fight my chances of getting it?
  • Lysol...everything...including the air.
  • Hand sanitizers and obsessive-compulsive hand-washing.
  • Wear a jacket, even when "it's not that cold out."
  • Stocking up on oranges/tangerines.
  • Taking my multi-vitamins.
  • Eating right and hitting the gym.
I mean I know it sounds pretty self-explanatory, but considering my nutrition background and my strong desire to not get sick? Prevention is key for me right now. I'm ALL OVER prevention like a kid in line for free candy.

Last week, before my Mom (the nurse) got the swine flu, she gave us all a chart that distinguished symptoms between the common cold, the flu, and the swine flu. I thought it was very helpful to know the symptoms ahead of time to avoid future freak-outs if/when I do develop a symptom. And so, I Googled it...to share with the world. Find it here.

And because I just heard an advertisement for the City of Chicago on the Swine Flu on the radio, you can find more information here.


Posted by Monica at 9:18 PM 2 comments

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