day in the life of . . .
Ishana Maharaj Dietetic Manager, Durban
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to the clinic. I sign the orders for statio- nery, cleaning material and feeds etc. We are short staffed, so I stand in for the lipid or cardiac clinic at 9am. The patients here are patients referred from outpatient clinics and the cardiac care unit.
“For dietitians living abroad, it would be an exciting challenge to spend some time in Kwazulu Natal. Our province is very scenic…”
Ishana Maharaj is the Dietetic Manager, at Addington Hospital, Durban, South Africa and PR Officer for the Kwazulu Natal Branch of the South African Dietetic Association.
My day has never a dull moment and each day is unique. It’s Mon- day and I arrive at my office at 7am as our working day always starts early. Our five hundred-plus bed hospital has seven dietitians with me as the team leader. We all meet to make tea or coffee in the kitchen to get into the work mode, as 7am is too early for many. I go off to check emails and the tele- phone messages before my usual 7.30am unit meeting.
My team is dynamic and self-moti- vated making my job less challenging in that area. I manage to make a few changes with Lauren my colleague on a PowerPoint presentation that is due tomorrow. Our meeting usually adjourns on time, but everyone in Dur- ban has FIFA world cup fever. Soccer seems to be the buzz word with kick off coming closer every day. I go through the usual agenda of clinics, diaries, stats, feeds and food- service issues etc with any new matters arising. We discuss the weekly clinics and the number of patients booked into them. We have paediatric, lipids, diabetic, HIV positive and weight reduction clinics. We have a growing number of patients on antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in clinics at many institu-
tions outside the hospital and the dietitians also service these clinics. Because of the important contribu- tion that dietitians make to the care of patients, there is a strong demand for our services, but, unfortunately, many of the dietetic posts are vacant. For dietitians living abroad it would be an exciting challenge to spend some time in Kwazulu Natal. Our province is very scenic and personally I think we have best of both landscapes: great beach- es and fantastic mountains. Summer (in December/January) can be hot, but the winters are mild and tolerable.
'Today I have a
patient who consumes five litres of oil per month for a family of three.'
After addressing matters arising, we all diverge to our areas of expertise. Two dietitians usually spend the day at a dedicated clinic for HIV positive pa- tients on ARVs. We have a discussion on supplements that need to be delivered
Photo: Steve Roetz
The incidence of cardiovascular dis- ease is high in the Indian community in Durban where I come from. We counsel the patients on cardio protective nutri- tion with emphasis on decreasing the fat content of the diet and the use of cooking oil. Today I have a patient who consumes five litres of oil per month for a family of three. It is not surprising, as some of my patients do boast about how much oil they use.
It’s 10.30am and I eat a sandwich at my desk, as I do not take a break until lunch. As I am PR Officer for the Durban Area Dietitians Association, I attend to a few arrangements for the venue of the next ADSA (Association of Dietetics South Africa) Kwazulu province meet- ing. There are two calls from my oncol- ogy wards and I am informed that two consults are on the way. It’s already 1pm and I have to dash off to pick my daughter from school. She is a breath of fresh air and I am back at 2pm re- charged for the afternoon. I am currently collecting annual
performance reports for the annual performance appraisal. A few dietitians are completed with the old cycle and eagerly thinking of three new perfor- mance areas for the next 12-month cycle. A patient with head and neck cancer keeps me busy this afternoon. As a manager I also really enjoy clinical dietetic practice. My areas of special interest are oncology, irritable bowel disease and the ongoing saga about the different fats. I issue my oncology patient with supplements, counsel and book him for a revisit next month. It’s almost 4pm and I can’t believe another day has gone and one less day nearer until the start of the soccer world cup in South Africa.
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NHDmag.com June '10 - issue 55
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