According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “the median annual wage for dietitians and nutritionists was $60,370 in May 2018.  Employment of dietitians and nutritionists is projected to grow 11 percent from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations. The role of food in preventing and treating diseases, such as diabetes, is now well known. More dietitians and nutritionists will be needed to provide care for patients with various medical conditions and to advise people who want to improve their overall health.”  

Nutrition ED.org states that “there has never been a better time to become a registered dietitian in Kentucky. The demand for registered dietitians in the state of Kentucky is expected to increase by 13.9 percent from 2016 through 2026, per the Kentucky Center for Statistics. As of May 2018, the Bureau of Labor Statistic (BLS) of the United States Department of Labor says that dietitians and nutritionists working in the state of Kentucky averaged a yearly salary of $57,980.   Salary.com reports that "the average Dietitian, Sr. salary in Alexandria, KY is $68,227 as of March 26, 2020, but the range typically falls between $60,571 and $77,330. "

According to the Centers for Disease Control, “more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese. Many diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, are associated with obesity.  Moreover, as the baby-boom generation grows older and looks for ways to stay healthy, there will be more demand for dietetic and nutrition services. In addition, there will be demand for dietitians and nutritionists in grocery stores to help consumers make healthy food choices.”

Dr. Barbara Fleming-Phillips, an internist who helps run the weight management clinic at UK Healthcare’s Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center, “states that nutritional education is needed in childhood, but adults also need nutrition education that teaches them to choose “real foods” over convenient, processed foods.”  This is a key strategy in combating obesity. Kentucky Health Facts states that thirty-five percent of the people in Campbell County are obese with Kentucky's percent at 35% as well.  

In January 2020, Shelly Beck, graduate in Dietetics from Eastern Kentucky University and intern from the Garden to Table Dietetic Internship Program from Bothell, WA, began her Elective and Community Rotation with the Campbell County Cooperative Extension Service.   Under the leadership of Ronda Rex, Agent for Family & Consumer Sciences Education, Shelly experienced and worked in many avenues of the Cooperative Extension Service that will enable her to move to the next level in her internship process and toward her career as a Registered Dietitian.  

During her time with Extension, Shelly not only shadowed Family & Consumer Sciences, 4-H/Youth Development, Horticulture and Agriculture/Natural Resources’ Agents but also taught classes and programs alongside and for them.  Shelly also had the opportunity to attend the Kentucky Local Food Systems Summit in Lexington.  She incorporated the knowledge from the Summit into her teaching at the Extension Service.  Shelly’s Capstone Project was a cooking program with 13 American Heritage Girls (AHG) from St. Catherine Church School.  This program was set up through Ronda as part of providing Shelly a platform for her project.   Shelly, with the assistance of Ronda, planned, prepared and taught the students (ages 6-9) about grains (from farm to table).   Shelly also focused on how to make a healthy fruit sauce, butter and bread all as part of a healthy diet.  The students kneaded the dough, watched it rise and bake it.  The students also learned about the nutritional benefits of eating bread:  iron, folate, fiber, magnesium and selenium.  They learned about preservatives in store bought bread as opposed to homemade bread.  “Benefits to teaching youth to cook and bake are:  it teaches math, science, patience, encouragement, empowerment and the cost of store bought foods versus homemade.  Kids who cook become adults who cook” (Sroufe, 2017).  More benefits include:  self-efficacy and increased vegetable preference (Cunningham-Sabo & Lohse, 2013). 

During Shelly’s rotations at the Extension Service, Ronda supervised her, worked with her internship coordinator concerning Shelly’s requirements/responsibilities and conducted 3 evaluations focusing Shelly’s performance:  a Mid and Final Elective Rotation Evaluation and a Final Community Rotation Evaluation.   Through her capstone project, classes and programs, Shelly identified a target population which focused on diversity and inclusion (education, age, language and culture).   She utilized the University of Kentucky Family & Consumer Sciences (UK FCS) Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices, Accessing Nutritious Foods, and 4-H publications/materials for that audience.  She also evaluated the audience through hands-on activities.   

Shelly provided Ronda information about two organizations (Brighton Center and NKU Food Pantries) that teach people to grow and/or cook food and she provided those two organizations with UK FCS publications/materials and recipes from the Nutrition Education Program and Plate It Up Project.    She also worked with Ronda at the St. John Lutheran Church Food Pantry, Basic Trust Child Development Center, the Hosea House Soup Kitchen, the SNAP Office, Saratoga Apartments for seniors, and various Homemakers classes and events.  Shelly recognized the diversity in the population in Campbell County and was sensitive to different cultures including:  gender identity, race, religion, and mental/physical abilities.   She utilized data to describe cost and benefits of the AHG’s Program.  Shelly was very clear in her verbal communication during her presentations/teaching and adjusted to the level of detail to suit the audience.  

Shelly was asked to present to the Northern Kentucky University Nursing Students and their Professors about Intuitive Eating and Making Healthy Food Choices.  Lastly, Shelly’s presentations/teaching was targeted to meet the needs of the audiences that she served.  She focused heavily on the concepts of Mindful and Sustainable Eating in her presentations and programs to introduce a new way of thinking about eating.  Shelly even conducted an Intuitive Eating campaign by passing out bracelets as visual reminders to be mindful of hunger cues and choose “real food” choices.  End of Elective and Community Rotation Evaluations revealed that Shelly logged in 303.75 unpaid hours in a two- month time frame while volunteer in with Extension.  According to the Independent Sector, a volunteer service hour is in the amount of $25.43/hour which is a total contribution of $7,724.36 to the Campbell County Cooperative Extension Service Programs and the participants. 

https://nutritionstudies.org/cooking-at-every-age-why-kids-should-learn-to-cook/  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24320723 

https://www.bls.gov/Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Dietitians and Nutritionists, on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dietitians-and-nutritionists.htm (visited March 22, 2020).  

https://www.nutritioned.org/registered-dietitian-kentucky.html

https://www.kyforward.com/adult-obesity-reaches-all-time-high-of-36-6-in-ky-docter-calls-on-insurance-to-cover-obesity-prevention/

https://independentsector.org/news-post/new-value-volunteer-time-2019/

https://www.salary.com/research/salary/benchmark/dietitian-salary/alexandria-ky 

http://www.kentuckyhealthfacts.org/data/location/show.aspx?cat=1%2C2%2C3%2C5%2C8%2C11&loc=19