by Joy Bowick, Public Relations

Dietetic intern Jennifer Johnson reviews charts in order to provide nutritional therapy to her patients. For Johnson the dietetic internship program was an opportunity that she could not pass up. She is taking time out from her graduate studies to participate in the internship.

"The spirit of the YES campaign is built on community involvement and employee support. The MUSC employee family makes research, education and patient care programs at the Medical University possible." said Maureen McCartney, YES campaign coordinator. "It takes the effort and talent from all who are involved in the health care circle to provide the best health care possible to the Lowcountry and South Carolina."

This year a fairly new program joins the YES campaign, the dietetic internship fund.

“Giving back to the community the way that the interns have, it seems natural that the MUSC family will give back to them.” said Joanne Milkereit, dietetic internship, director. “The interns receive no other money than what is provided through the William Allen Smith Stipend, raised through private contributions.”

The dietetic internship program is based on hands-on experience. Interns begin their work in clinical areas and throughout their nine-month internship experience reach every area of the hospital. They provide patients with nutritional assessments and implement nutrition care plans. They spend time in the food service area, learning ordering techniques, and how to supervise patient feeding systems.

At this stage of the year, they are involved in the community and ambulatory care. Their experiences with more than 30 preceptors throughout the Lowcountry provide the interns with experience in the wide range of skills to prepare them for work after finishing the internship.

"A tremendous amount of work goes into the dietetic internship program, from both the interns and the preceptors," said Mary Joan Oexmann, dietetic internship steering committee member. "The interns are basically volunteers planting seeds for MUSC and the community. Their special projects, such as videos and nutrition messages, are of such a high quality that they are being used in clinics and can be built upon."

Since the program began three years ago, there has been a fine tuning process to make the program more suitable to the needs of the profession. This year the amount of class time has been reduced to allow for more practical and hands-on experience. Last year's interns had a 100 percent pass rate on the Registration Examination for Dieticians.

“I feel fully prepared to enter the workforce after my dietetic internship experience,” said Jennifer Johnson, dietetic intern. “The level of acuity of this program is amazing. I think that the professional world looks on all of the programs at MUSC with a lot of respect.”

“I think that the dietetic internship has opened doors, not only for our interns, but also our preceptors. Through the training program here we get other professionals involved.” Milkereit said. “Our interns are in the hospitals and in the community spending time with other health care professionals so that everybody learns more about nutrition. That is our goal.”

All contributions made to the dietetic internship program will go directly into the William Allen Stipend that is divided equally among the six interns.

For more information on how to designate your YES dollars to the internship program, contact, the Annual Fund office at 792-1973.

YES Campaign begins April 1

No doubt most MUSC employees have seen the blue and white YES thermometer in the Horseshoe. On April 1, the 1998 YES Campaign will begin, and with the help of everyone in the MUSC family, that thermometer will reach the top and a goal of $215,000.

The Yearly Employee Support (YES) Campaign is an opportunity for MUSC employees to make a meaningful contribution to any number of more than 300 funds that exist in the Health Sciences Foundation. Employee contributions to the YES Campaign are more important than ever. From research to special events to scholarships to patient care, YES dollars help support the important work of MUSC—educating the health care leaders of tomorrow and caring for the citizens of South Carolina.

Completed YES Campaign pledge forms returned by April 30 will automatically be entered into a $1,000 savings bond drawing. Employees will soon be receiving their forms through campus mail or it can be accessed from the web site at <http://www.musc.edu/catalyst/yesform.htm>

Dear MUSC Colleague:

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to MUSC and its future. Since the Yearly Employee Support (YES) campaign's inception in 1988, MUSC employees have donated more than $1 million to the research, education and patient care the Medical University provides. This year marks the 10 year anniversary of Yearly Employee Support. We will not only be celebrating the patients and graduates that have benefitted from our generosity, but the 8,000 employees who have worked and given every day throughout the year to make their dreams a reality.

Throughout the last decade of giving, employee generosity has supported academic enrichment in the form of scholarships, books and journals and faculty development activities. Employee support has funded the groundbreaking research necessary to help find cures for individuals with life threatening diseases. Employee donations have funded programs directed to all ages from the daily care of premature newborns and educational programs for adolescents to community outreach services for the elderly.

On behalf of our community, thank you for your ongoing support of MUSC. Your investment will help make a difference for future generations.

Sincerely,

Rosalie K. Crouch, Ph.D., Associate Provost for Research Dean of the College of Graduate Studies 1998 Campaign Chair