Quantity Food Production Lab with Clinical Focus for Dietetics Majors Abstract Quantity Food Production has long been a requirement in dietetics programs; however, students do not always see its importance and relevance to clinical dietetics practice. Over the past several years an opportunity was presented to introduce a clinical element into the lab portion of the course – and at the same time demonstrate a clear link to the Clinical Nutrition classes taken by the students. The course now includes two “clinical quantity labs” each semester. One of these focuses on modified texture for dysphagia and stroke patients. The other focuses on a special diet selected by student managers from a case study from one of their Clinical Nutrition classes. Students work with Certified Dietary Manager or Registered Dietitian guest instructor with experience in food production for the condition, to plan the menu and organize lab demonstration, product display, and discussion for the class. Faculty and interested students from Dietetics, Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy, and Nursing have been among invited guests to participate in discussion and sample the meal. Student reactions and online search results are then recorded in an Elluminate Live! online session as a follow-up and debriefing activity. Face-to-face and written comments from students have been both positive and constructively critical; these provide valuable feedback for development of future clinical quantity labs. Brief History 2008-2011 Modified texture lab first done as a “special lab activity” with puree & thickener demo Lab more formalized into syllabus with handout & recipe packets prepared for students by guest instructor Increased student manager involvement in planning menu & recipes with guest instructor Addition of follow-up activity & class discussion of modified diet products (recently converted to online Elluminate Live! session to go along with new online lecture format) Addition of metabolic syndrome clinical lab with display of plates of varying calorie levels Decision to keep modified texture lab every semester but have 2nd clinical lab diet theme selected by student managers from case study in their clinical nutrition class in consultation with clinical instructors *Danielle M Torisky, PhD, RD, *Janet W Gloeckner, PhD, RD, **Victoria HennessyNuckols, CDM, CFPP, *Melissa A Rittenhouse, PhD, RD, & *Lara E Sokoloff, RD *Health Sciences Department, Dietetics Program **CISAT Laboratory Operations James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA Left: Thickening process – from nectar to pudding consistency. Below: Art of plating and shaping for appetizing presentation. Modified Texture Lab Agenda 8:30 - 9:00am - Team conference with distribution of assigned duties, recipes, & production sheets 9:00 – 10:30 or 11:30am (depending on menu) – food production & set-up of puree demo & thickening product display 11:30 -12noon (or earlier) – discussion & Qs, including participation of visiting faculty/students from Dietetics and others interested (e.g., Nursing, Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy) Above: Setting up for portioning & shaping pureed products. Right: Victoria demonstrates how to create pureed meatloaf from ground beef product. 12noon (or earlier) – regular, mechanical soft, and pureed luncheon is served! Enough regular diet is prepared for all, but students are expected to sample modified items as well. Conducting Clinical Lab Future Plans for Clinical Lab Menu planning, recipe selection Completed at beginning of semester Guest instructor with expertise in medical diet being planned Student managers assigned Adding a third clinical lab, with theme also selected by students, but from a more complicated case study (e.g., renal diabetic) Above pureed plate clockwise: Potatoes au gratin, meatloaf & tomato sauce, stuffed tomato. Market order for ingredients, products, supplies Production meeting with above parties plus course instructor as needed One week before the lab Details on demonstration, any class discussion or worksheet to complete during lab Examples of Menu Items For Modified Texture Lab Above: Baked stuffed tomatoes for mechanical soft diet. Expanding invitation to a small class of OT or Speech Path students along with their professors – this would be planned into the syllabi of both classes Continuing to seek practicing clinical RDs as new guest instructors as available Traditional Meatloaf & Tomato Sauce Potatoes Au Gratin Baked Stuffed Tomatoes Planning Clinical Lab Photo Credits & Acknowledgements Beef Stroganoff with Egg Noodles Pimiento Green Beans Menu planning, recipe selection Gramma’s Apple Bread Pudding Completed at beginning of semester Modified texture lab demo photos taken in Spring 2008; photographer: Danielle Torisky Ground Beef Saute w/Pasta & Tomato Sauce Guest instructor with expertise in medical diet being planned (Victoria Hennessy-Nuckols, Lara Sokoloff) Quantity lab scene photos taken in Fall 2010; photographer: Trey Trumble. Photos taken for College of Integrated Science & Technology (CISAT) Creative Services, JMU. Used with permission from Christine Letsky-Anderson, CISAT Creative Services. Student managers assigned Production meeting with above parties plus course instructor (Danielle Torisky) as needed Held one week before the lab Left: Visiting faculty observers enjoying lunch with students from class. Details on production, demonstration, any class discussion or worksheet to complete during lab Above: Students write label cards for modified product display. Right: Dietetics instructor Stephanie Hudy samples products from “buffet.”