Name: Christina Constantinidou
Job Title: Dietitian
What job(s) did you do before this?
None! This is my first job after graduating.
Briefly describe a typical day in your job role (tasks carried out)
Every day is different; however, it usually consists of checking new referrals and scheduled patient reviews and prioritising who needs to be seen first. Then it will either be going to the ward to assess patients and create feeding plans (whether for oral diet, nutritional support, or tube feeding). I hand over plans to doctors and ward staff, and at the end of the day, I need to make sure all patients’ notes and feed plans are on the system.
Some days I am also in the clinic, whether this is the joint IBD clinic with our gastro consultants, or the dietetic gastro clinics. At the end of the clinic, I must send a letter out to the family and GP, as well as schedule when I want to see each patient next.
Have you had any special training/completed any qualifications?
I went to university for 4 years studying Nutrition and dietetics, which included 3 practice-based placements in the hospital, community and private setting.
What would you say your key skills are? What type of person are you?
I would say I am a good team player, which is why I value our team so much. There is a lot of skill and knowledge amongst all our dietetic team, therefore these discussions and support are particularly helpful for a relatively new member of staff like me. I like to think I am also quite organised, which helps me tackle tasks in a relatively efficient manner!