Celebrating Dietitians’ Week 2022

It's Dietitians’ Week this week (20 to 24 June) and to mark the week and shine a spotlight on this profession, the Trust’s Principal Dietitian Amy Carter took part in a Q&A for Health Education England.

Read Amy’s Q&A below.

Why did you choose to become a Dietitian?
My favourite subjects at school included Food Technology, Biology and Psychology. When I first began considering my career options, I found that Nutrition and Dietetics combined my three favourite subjects whilst providing a foundation for a career that would have a patient centred approach at the core of the job role.

Describe your current role and what it is
I currently work as the Principal Dietitian for Neuroscience, which involves taking a service lead role in the Dietetic Department. Clinically, I undertake dietetic assessments with patients on the intensive care unit. On a daily basis, I aim to encourage and empower junior staff members with the skills and passion to take ownership for the development and promotion of the dietetic team. We complete service evaluation and audit work across all aspects of dietetics including anthropometry, nutritional requirements and glycaemic control whilst providing patient centred dietetic care for our patients.

Describe the journey to where you are now in your career
Qualifying in 2011 from the University of Chester, I started my first job at University Hospital of Morecambe Bay. I moved to The Walton Centre in 2013 as a Specialist Neuroscience Dietitian and have had the privilege over the last eight years to be part of a dietetics team that has flourished locally and nationally. During this time, I progressed to the role of Acute Team Lead for Dietetics, leading on the supervision of the acute dietetic team alongside my clinical dietetic role in intensive care. Over the last two years I have been fortunate to work as the Principal Dietitian to help lead and shape the future of the dietetic team at The Walton Centre.

What’s the best thing about being a Dietitian?
I love being part of a multi-disciplinary team which works together to deliver best practice patient centred care for all our patients. The opportunity to support patients through their journey from ICU, the acute wards and neurorehabilitation is a rewarding and invaluable experience which I feel privileged to be a part of each day.

Why should you become a Dietitian?
Dietitians are the only nutrition professionals to be regulated by law, and are governed by an ethical code to ensure that they always work to the highest standard. If you want a career that delivers in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of dietary and nutritional problems at an individual and wider public health level, then Dietetics is the career for you!

A big thank you to our wonderful team of Dietitians and everything you do for our patients.