Marie (pictured right) is the Clinical Lead for the Renal Dietetics team here at SaTH.
In this post, Marie shares an insight into the role of the renal dietetics team and her own career path which led her to her current role in SaTH.
"My journey into dietetics started with my love for swimming. I was in a swimming club and my coach at the time used to talk to us about how healthy eating helps us perform our best in the pool. That got me curious about nutrition, and since I’ve always been into science and medicine, dietetics felt like the perfect fit. I went on to study it at university, and I loved learning how nutrition plays a crucial role in treating medical conditions."
"My journey at SaTH began when I was a student in the department. Once qualified I was delighted to have been offered my first band 5 post here where I gained experience in various clinical areas, including stroke, oncology, gastroenterology, renal and endocrinology. I then went on to specialise in renal where I was made to feel welcome as part of the renal team from the beginning. Following this, I held a team leader position at University Hospital North Midlands (Stoke Hospital) for four years. I was then fortunate to return to SaTH as the band 7 clinical lead for renal dietetics—an opportunity for which I am extremely grateful."
"As renal dietitians we provide tailored dietary advice based on a patients’ blood results and kidney function. We aim to educate patients to allow them to make appropriate changes to their diet to help stabilise their bloods and also to improve their blood pressure and diabetes control. We see patients who have Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) as well as patients on renal replacement therapy in both an inpatient and outpatient setting and offer nutrition support to patients who face challenges with eating and drinking due to the symptoms of their kidney failure or due to other medical conditions they may have."
"My day to day job is very varied and I am fortunate to be part of a wonderful dietetics team. I collaborate closely with a dedicated renal team including consultants, nurses, healthcare assistants, social and supportive care and administrative staff. There is an appreciation of a dietitians role within the team and we are all committed to providing the best care for our patients."
"I love the clinical aspect of my role, our dialysis patients visit the hospital three times a week for their treatment, which allows me to build up a strong rapport with them and their families. It is rewarding to observe how our dietetic interventions can enhance patients' blood results, optimise their nutritional status and improve overall quality of life."
"In addition to my clinical role, I am the clinical lead for the renal dietetics team. I work with a hardworking and passionate team and I love helping them to develop our service and support team members in bringing their ideas to life. We’ve got some exciting projects in the pipeline, and I can’t wait to see how we can grow the renal dietetics service even more!"
