Melissa Cothey

FN 1010
Carrie Hamady
11 December 2014
Dietitian Interview Reflection
For my presentation I interviewed Ashley Judson, who is a metabolic and genetic
dietitian. I chose this Registered Dietitian because it is not a type of dietitian that we have
discussed in class and I did not know much about the field. By interviewing Ashley I was hoping
to learn about a branch in the dietetics field that I was not familiar and what she does on a dayto-day basis that separates her from other dietitians. I also hoped to learn the requirements she
had to have before reaching her career goals. Another thing I hoped to learn from this interview
was how to communicate with others on a professional level. Ashley was able to provide me
with information that gave me a more clear understanding of her job. She was also able to
provide me with helpful advice when it comes to choosing the best career choice for myself in
the field of dietetics.
Metabolic dietitians have encountered several new challenges and opportunities that have
arose because of new information recently discovered in the field of genetics, especially when it
comes to newborns (3). The dietitian is often the primary health care professional, parents, and
later, the patients with inherited metabolic disorders depend on for ongoing care (1). There are
several job duties for a metabolic dietitian on a daily basis. The main duty of a metabolic
dietitian is to plan diets based on the metabolic and genetic needs and requirements of an
individual as prescribed by a physician specializing in genetic disorders or genetic research
(4). General clinical dietitians and metabolic dietitians generally evaluate nutritional status of
patients equally but there are a few differences. Some duties that allow a dietitian to be
specialized in metabolism and genetics is that metabolic dietitians monitor dietary compliance,
nutrient-drug interactions, modify dietary prescriptions, and coordinate patient care with other
agencies and specialists (1). In general, metabolic dietitians are specialized in genetics are the
effects of genetics on metabolism from birth and throughout their patients lives.
Ashley Judson was able to discuss with me where she worked, what kind of education
background she had, and what a typical day is like for her. She started by attending The Ohio
State University and receiving her undergraduate degree. After, she continued her education by

completing her Masters degree at Murry State University, which is also where she completed
her internship. Ashley then completed and passed her exam and began her career as a Registered
Dietitian at Ohio health. Currently, she is working at Nationwide Childrens Hospital in
Columbus, Ohio as a Metabolic Dietitian. Besides working in a hospital setting, Ashley also
teaches a food and nutrition class at The Ohio State University. When I asked what a typical day
is like for her she said that it varies from day to day; however, she was able to give me a
summary. She said that her biggest responsibility is getting newborn babies with metabolic
disorders off of their breast milk or other type of formula and calculating new metabolic
formulas for them. Most of her day requires reading food records, working with physicians to
help control TPN and tube feedings for admitted patients, and reading and evaluating lab values.
Since she also gives lectures on nutrition at The Ohio State University she mentioned that
education is a large part of her daily job duties. Her job seems to move very fast and contains a
lot of important duties when it comes to the health of babies born with genetic or metabolic
defects.
While I was interviewing Ashley I learned a lot of interesting things. First, I learned that
there are a lot pathways and career choices in the field of dietetics that I am not aware of.
Ashley was able to provide me with some basic education on the duties of metabolic and genetic
dietitians. From her, I learned that metabolic and genetic dietitians work with newborn babies
and are able to continue working with them into childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. I was
also able to retain a general understanding of how genetics and metabolism relate to a persons
nutrition from infancy and all the way into adulthood. The most important piece of information I
learned was that the genes of parents can directly affect the offsprings metabolism and overall
nutritional health. I was very pleased with the amount of information Ashley was able to share
with me in such a short amount of time.
According to an article in The Official Journal of the American College of Medical
Genetics and Genomics, in the past metabolic dietitians have been limited to the treatment of a
few single-gene defects (3). However, recently there has been an increase in new metabolic
conditions being identified and diagnosed (3). Since these numbers have increased so has the
need for nutritional interventions and treatments, which will call for an increased need for
metabolic dietitians (3). To become a metabolic dietitian one has to meet the requirements of a
registered dietitian, which are to complete a bachelors degree, participate in supervised training

through an internship, and complete an exam (2). After this, they are able to take the next steps
into becoming specialized in their field. To become and remain specialized, a metabolic dietitian
must participate in professional programs regarding genetic metabolic disorders and the
treatment of these disorders (3). Also, they must continue their education through classes,
seminars, Web-based applications, workshops, or conferences (3). These are requirements help
metabolic dietitians stay up to date on current research and developments in order to help their
patients in the most accurate way.

References
1. Acosta, Phyllis, Alan S. Ryan. Functions of Dietitians Providing Nutrition Support to
Patients with Inherited Metabolic Disorders. Journal of the American Dietetic
Association [Internet]. 1997 Jul [cited 2014 Dec 10]; 97 (7). Available from:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002822397001922#
2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook
[Internet]. 2014 Jan [cited 2014 Dec 10]. Available from:
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Healthcare/Dietitians-and-nutritionists.htm
3. Singh, Rani, Melissa M. Kaczmarczyk. Standards of Professional Practice for Genetic
Metabolic Dietitians. Official Journal of the American College of Medical Genetics and
Genomics [Internet]. 2008 Jan [cited 2014 Dec 10]; 10 (4). Available from:
http://www.nature.com/gim/journal/v10/n4/pdf/gim200843a.pdf
4. Hart, Anne. Genetic Dietitians Tailor Diets to Metabolic Needs in New Fields of
Molecular Nutrition. Examiner [Internet]. 2010 Jul [cited 2014 Dec 10]. Available from:
http://www.examiner.com/article/genetic-dietitians-tailor-diets-to-metabolic-needs-newfields-of-molecular-nutrition