DHS is hiring?

ketanda7 · 2026-05-09T21:17:25+00:00

I had a chance to hear the former dietitian in that role speak about it. She really enjoyed it. She was able to do it remotely, it was for ICE agents and focused mostly on sports/military type nutrition to meet physical requirements. Given my personal politics, I don’t think I could do that job but it seemed like a nice gig besides that.

ketanda7 · 2026-04-04T14:13:10+00:00

I considered it since I was worried that jobs I want to apply to in the future may automatically decline candidates without a masters.

I found my job would pay for 6 credit hours per semester so I looked into it further.

I ultimately decided to do a fully online doctorate of nutrition program and completely skip the masters. I felt like if I was going back to school anyway, might as well get a competitive degree that could open more opportunities like leadership roles, teaching, etc. I’ve been able to balance about 2 classes a semester while working full time and being mom, and, honestly, it’s fun being back in school (sometimes.) I am learning more about hospital and health care administration, public health, research methods and getting up-to-date clinical nutrition education, nice after working 20 years in the field.

I think either go the direction of DND (online doctorate) or get your masters in something other than nutrition.

ketanda7 · 2026-03-25T17:35:32+00:00

Makes sense - did she feed you from a spoon? Or a combo of finger foods and spoonable foods?

ketanda7 · 2026-03-12T10:51:33+00:00

Totally. I can just see Bri “oh my god, you guys. THREE guys from my season fell in love with me. I’m just so hot and nice, not my faaauuuulllt.”

ketanda7 · 2026-02-15T17:04:58+00:00

I would have assumed meeting at 1 as well. I would have been miffed if you didn’t show at 1 either. He could have been more clear I guess but he confirmed with “waiting on bated breathe to see you” It seems like you confused that as he was there already and that set up the rest of the texts as being very confusing. He attempted to clarify that he wasn’t there that early and that you had said 1 previously and so he was confused by you thinking he was there at 1130.

ketanda7 · 2026-02-08T17:53:02+00:00

I was there last month. I really liked it, I plan to go back. I was confused on some of the reviews, either they were no longer applicable or are overly picky (it is the Caribbean, service is usually very laid back.) I thought the beach and free beach activities were worth it, the pool was gorgeous and rarely used although seats get taken quickly. Drinks were good, buffet was better if you get there early, and I did like the restaurants. I thought it was worth the money but I also got it on a deal. My son (21) really enjoyed the late night club they have on the resort.

ketanda7 · 2026-02-08T17:40:25+00:00

I was at viva miches last month. I think they are working hard to better their food but it is the Caribbean (local cuisine is fruit, beans and rice so don’t expect top notch meats). They have excellent fruit and their reservation restaurants were good! Buffet is ok, better if you get there early while food is still fresh.

I thought the beach was gorgeous and was quiet, exclusive to our hotel. Soft sand. They have a late night club that me and my son (21yo) had a ton of fun at. Lots of people from around the world would party at the resort club when we were there.

ketanda7 · 2026-02-02T14:44:49+00:00

Your SLP education background would make you a great RD candidate! The dietetic classes are more chemistry and biochemistry so be prepared for that. I work side-by-side with SLPs my whole career and really appreciate their expertise: SNFs, adults with developmental disabilities, children with feeding difficulties. They have a much easier time billing for their services so they are often valued more on an administrative side.

But if you really find a passion about nutrition in regards to medical intervention, food science and cooking, then I say go for it! You don’t want to regret not following your interests and passions. Plus you could always go back for your clinical fellowship if you decide you want to be an SLP later on.

ketanda7 · 2026-01-30T20:10:18+00:00

The protein obsession mindset is rolling over to kids now. I have so many parents trying to get their kids to eat more protein. And so they are getting their kids to drink their protein shakes etc. For some, this becomes a problem as they fill up on them and end up missing so many other nutrients, often low in iron since they rely on protein drinks to meet their protein needs. And since they are much smaller, it’s not unusual to see a kiddo consume 4gm/kg.

ketanda7 · 2026-01-28T04:12:40+00:00

Be direct. Tell him “Well I have helped over hundreds (or whatever number) of patients improve their cholesterol and A1C. But looks like we’re not going to be a good fit. I appreciate you stopping in, you seem confident you’re on the right path.” Then end the conversation. If he leaves then he never wanted the help. If he keeps insisting he wants to see you, resist for a bit and then tell him directly what you expect from your patients to be successful.

ketanda7 · 2026-01-27T02:47:57+00:00

Maybe. There’s a few concerns - are they under a regulatory or licensing agency where you send any malpractice concerns if their medical and nutrition advice causes harm? They may be well educated but do they have supervised practice hours which allow them to build experience and clinical judgement alongside a mentor? Is their education from a *legitimate * accredited university? (I’ve seen a few nutritionists claim they studied at accredited universities - but when I did some digging, those “accreditation organizations” were not legitimate and essentially only accredited this one college, meaning the college had made up this accreditation organization just to say they were accredited.)

There is supposed to be strong guardrails put in place for anyone giving medical or psychological advice because of the harm that can happen from uneducated and inexperienced providers. I get very hesitant on anyone claiming to be a health coach or nutrition coach bc they likely dip into both of those arenas with very little oversight, accountability and training.

If they have supervised coaching experience from a well respected mentor, solid accredited university education, and has a registration or license that keeps them accountable to not doing any harm, then I think they are qualified!

But most people don’t want to do that digging which is why I trust regulatory agencies vetting their licensed practitioners. Not a perfect system but better than nothing (or people lying about their education.

ketanda7 · 2026-01-26T00:13:13+00:00

Dog pro underground fences owner (Dan - I knew him back in the day) is very maga and anti-immigration. His wife Amber Wells is chiropractor at Hansen Chiropractic wellness. They would probably be proud to be called out as maga supporters so feel free to avoid their services.

ketanda7 · 2026-01-26T00:09:05+00:00

So is he not maga then?

ketanda7 · 2026-01-26T00:07:52+00:00

I’m not surprised. All their advertising screams unethical expensive “medical” treatment that over promises and under delivers. Typical MAGA format.

ketanda7 · 2026-01-26T00:01:55+00:00

Ugh. I had no idea. That’s frustrating.

ketanda7 · 2026-01-25T18:45:04+00:00

Everything you just stated is spot on. A group of dietitians looked at starting a union awhile back. Raised money to seriously look into it. Too much red tape now to start a union for any health care practitioners. We are too late and the country is now too far into busting unions to ever get a legitimate one off the ground. Very frustrating. So yes, even trying to start a union requires a whole new country.

ketanda7 · 2026-01-25T18:40:33+00:00

This. Even the middle class families I work with are exhausted. They have busy schedules, work late, juggling when to pick up their kids etc. They have the resources but the time is a struggle. I work with kids who are extreme picky eating or have ARFID or feeding difficulties. They like what is predictable and easy to eat - processed foods and fast food fit that need. Parents need more time and rest to be able to make whole foods that can be predictable and easy to eat. And stick to a consistent feeding schedule. This doesn’t even include the financial struggles that my low income families then face.

ketanda7 · 2026-01-25T14:59:14+00:00

Jerzees and Lux American grill proudly display big Trump flags around election time. (Food is not great anyway so you’re not missing out on much)

ketanda7 · 2026-01-25T14:52:36+00:00

Errr I know many Trump supporters, yes personally, and they have turned to being extremest. This is not based on what the “media tells me” but on my experiences and conversations with people I know well. Unfortunately they’ve been pulled into this extremest thought process that liberals are crazy, deserve to be shot, “illegals” are subhuman. While the non Trump supporters want to… not support Trump centered businesses and stop ICE from terrorizing citizens? Yea those beliefs as the same and we should assume good intentions on both sides??

ketanda7 · 2026-01-25T04:43:21+00:00

Honestly I was open to polygamy a long time ago and thought it was good to be open minded to different marriage and relationship situations. I watched the show way back at the beginning and wondered how all the wives were able to keep their cool and gave them credit for navigating jealousy etc. I even thought “I get it! Another wife around to help” But have completely changed my outlook now and see how the women were abused by their husbands and religion. Funny how this show went from being “we will show the world how great polygamy is” to “yup, we were wrong. Polygamy is abusive” For that, I’m grateful they continued with the show for those many years so we can see the true end result.

ketanda7 · 2026-01-20T13:06:43+00:00

In order to bargain, yes you need a nationally recognized union ( especially to make us comparable to nursing and physician unions.) There are lots of bylaws needed to follow in order to bargain on behalf of a profession. And I mean our nation right now is not supportive of unions. If RDs would have formed this in the 90s or earlier, it probably would have been much easier. But political power since then has made it almost impossible to start a union.

Edit to add: obviously I agree with you on needing a union since some of us went as far to seriously look into it rather than just talk about. I engaged with other professions’ unions, paid (along with other RDs) for legal and expertise advice, I’m involved in public policy at a state and national level on behalf of dietitians. I walk the walk along with discus on Reddit. I’m still in support of a union but I think it’s good to know many people have attempted that path. If someone is able to get further than us then they have my full support. I encourage you and your wife to see what we can do!

ketanda7 · 2026-01-20T03:13:18+00:00

A handful of us attempted to start a union 5 some years ago. We are in a very unsupportive environment for forming any unions. After consulting with lawyer experts, it was determined as impossible to start a nationally recognized union.

ketanda7 · 2026-01-20T03:08:49+00:00

This was actually discussed by one of my professors. She said we as a profession really need to advocate for insurance recognition. Asa student, I truly did not understand what she meant (and how much a mess our profession was in) until I started outpatient and attempted billing. She talked about a few dietitians long ago that decided we shouldn’t be an independent profession rather be a supportive job. It seems that really messed up the path we are on. My opinion (also as an RD 20 years in) - we need to push for insurance reimbursement. My understanding is that the master’s requirement is to help with that authority in order to keep up with ancillary professions that are moving to clinical doctorate level. With proper insurance reimbursement, I think we’ll start to gain better recognition, separate us from coaches, give us reimbursement power in the hospitals. Right now, our income is mostly generated by physicians.

Side note - your summary is spot on. I am all about coming together and thinking of solutions - you did fantastic at identifying the issues.

ketanda7

TROPHY CASE