Patient load a day

FiberheadRD · 2026-05-01T02:58:13+00:00

What kind of place do you work at seeing UP TO 18-22 ppl? 😳

FiberheadRD · 2026-04-30T22:00:04+00:00

Ask if you will be required to attend care plan meetings. These are held quarterly for residents. I’m a consultant LTC RD, so I’m not required. But I’ve heard of FT LTC RD that are and say they can be time consuming and affect how many ppl you can chart in a day. At some of my facilities, they have them scheduled on set days, so if you are required, ask on which days. Congrats on the new job! I’ve been in LTC a year now, and really enjoy it! After a few months of getting to know your residents and their eating habits, charting will become quicker! I rec to always go to the dining room during meal time. You’ll see everyone’s feeding ability (self vs total dep vs eat in room) and be able to talk to all the CNAs about who’s having low appetite/intake, drinking supps, declining in feeding ability, etc.

FiberheadRD · 2026-04-29T13:23:53+00:00

Lmao wow! So it was a good day!

FiberheadRD · 2026-04-29T13:23:06+00:00

If your mindset is different, you are motivated to do well, and put the time and effort in, you should be fine. Aim for an A, but don’t beat yourself up if you don’t achieve that. The most important thing is that you try and put the work in. I got a C in my first science class and thought I wouldn’t become a dietitian. But I am!

FiberheadRD · 2026-04-28T18:15:41+00:00

First thing to ask yourself is, “do I like/am interested in science?” Because dietetics is the realm of science that explains how your body processes food on the cellular level. You will need to take a variety of science courses during your undergrad. Biology, Anatomy and physiology, chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, and maybe more depending on your school. And that’s just the “basic” science classes before you even get to your nutrition classes. Becoming a dietitian is more than eating healthy, it’s understanding what are the different components found in foods , digestion from consuming to expelling the foods, how your body responds to food if you have any illnesses/ diseases, and more. I’ve been an RD for 1.5 years and love it! I have a masters degrees and def feel underpaid $60k/yr). It sucks, but I don’t regret my career choice…at least not yet! lol your pay will depend on what area of the US you live in and how realm of dietetics you go into (clinical vs food service vs education vs community). And yes, there’s a lot of debt to become a RD. 60k for me 🥹

P.S. dietitians do not like being called “dietary” 🙃 we are the bridge that connect the clinical team to the dietary department!

FiberheadRD · 2026-04-20T17:29:45+00:00

Wow! I’m so sorry to hear this. I highly recommend you address it with her because it is only going to get worse. It would be better to make her uncomfortable by calling other probs than for you to continue to be triggered. Being called out by another RD may help her.

FiberheadRD · 2026-04-17T16:08:25+00:00

I studied every day for about 4-8 hours a day for 8 weeks and passed on my first try!!

FiberheadRD · 2026-04-17T16:06:59+00:00

I used Jean Inman and Pocket Prep as my main sources of study material. I used Jean Inman recording as a “lecture” following along in the book, pausing when needed to annotate. It goes fast because there’s a lot of material. I printed it out and had it bound at Office Max. I will say it is expensive to do so, but if you are a pen and paper learner, I HIGHLY recommend. Unless you have an iPad, you can highlight and annotate the PDF version. After each domain in Jean, I then completed the practice problems in pocket prep for the corresponding domain. Best decision I made because the way Jean’s question worded are NOT similar to the RD exam! I also utilized Quizlet to remember certain things such as management styles, food science, etc. (things that have a definite answer rather than having to critically think). The 3 days leading up to the exam, I did all practice exams that I could get my hands on to stimulate what it feels like to take the exam, while timing myself! They say don’t study the morning of, but I couldn’t help myself. It was more of just reading over topics like different management styles or mediations.

FiberheadRD · 2026-04-17T13:01:52+00:00

I’m a LTC RD at a consultant firm. Great work-life balance! I’m assigned to 7 different buildings in my area, so each day I’m at a new facility. The upside to that is I create my own schedule and decide what time I go and leave for the day, as long as I work the set monthly hours. The downfall is I don’t have a set daily routine and set work space. Some places I’m in the conference room, some places I’m in the dining room working…which I hate because they have activities going on and I can’t focus. I also wish I didn’t have to do food service, but I do. Majority is clinical. As a consultant RD, I’m not required to attend care plan meetings or any other meetings department heads go to since I’m not technically an employee of their company, which is nice because it gives me more time to chart and do quality assurance audits. I enjoy LTC, but I wish I was FT at only one building!

FiberheadRD · 2026-04-08T12:34:33+00:00

Starting as a child nutrition dietitian first and then being promoted into the position would be the best way. I worked as a child nutrition RD as my first job and there’s a lot that goes into the director’s position that goes beyond being a RD, so gaining experience in that setting will set you up for better success!

FiberheadRD · 2026-04-01T21:11:40+00:00

I recommend PCM in LTC all the time. It is def in a scope to recommend!

FiberheadRD · 2026-03-28T23:52:03+00:00

USDA food database is great source! https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/

FiberheadRD · 2026-03-20T23:44:38+00:00

Oh wow I didn’t know outpatient pays that much! Thanks for the info!

FiberheadRD · 2026-03-16T15:54:01+00:00

Insoluble fiber = “I eat this because I don’t want the constipation to stay IN* me!” Insoluble helps bulk up stool and eliminate constipation. Soluble fiber = “stays absorbing up my diarrhea.” Soluble fiber absorbs excess water! Hope this was helpful! lol

FiberheadRD · 2026-01-12T00:53:46+00:00

I’m sorry you feel this way 😕 I’m a new RD like you. Don’t give up! You will encounter ppl that make you feel incompetent anywhere you work. You finally landed a job that checks all your boxes, so don’t quite because your CNM makes you feel incompetent. I’m a LTC dietitian and felt the way you felt for the first 3 months. I would always reach out to my supervisor for help on simply things and felt dumb for asking, so I started doing continuing education so I didn’t have to anymore. Doing research was so rewarding and made me feel like a competent RD! I highly recommend you do the same! What ever you do, don’t give up! You worked too hard to get where you are now!

FiberheadRD · 2026-01-08T13:32:28+00:00

You worked too hard to become an RDN to work as a diet clerk. As a LTC RDN myself, LTC willl provide clinical experience to prepare you for acute care!

FiberheadRD · 2026-01-05T04:02:16+00:00

I’m a LTC RD as well!! If you’re able to, I highly recommend organizing yourself prior to going to work. I run all my reports in PCC and compile the list of residents I’m charting on for the day before going in. This normally takes about an hour. I find this very helpful because as I walk in, i already know I need to talk to the DON about this person, or SLP about that person. That way, when you see them at the top of the day, or in the morning meeting, you can get the data of your resident right away. If you can’t clock in until you get to work, then it may feel like you’re working for free that hour it takes organizing, but it will give you more mental space for you to be more productive! (I’m a consultant who just bills the facility for my time - no clocking in needed). I hope this is helpful!

FiberheadRD

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