Gwen wrote:Hi again Jeff,
I was just catching up on some reading here on the forums. I saw the postings about caffeine and eye problems. My mom had glaucoma and she drank a lot of coffee. I just put my head in my hands and wished I would've known things like that. I could've helped her.
My question is, do things you learn like how caffeine affects the eyes come up in a tradtional Registered Dietician program, or is that education lacking in applying the knowledge of food to healing the body? Seems like there is so much to learn.....do you learn it in school, or mostly after you've finished and started working/learning in the real world?
Thanks,
Gwen
Hi Gwen
Just like in most professions, your education mostly sets the stage and give you basic preparatory skills to go out and function in the profession. In addition, graduate work, and post graduate work, will give you more education and preparation.
The education needed to get an RD, or to get a BS or a MS or a PhD in nutrition, is valuable and helpful but can never cover everything. As you continue on in the process of graduate work, you can pick a topic that you would focus more on, and so your education in that specific area, would become greater.
Also, once you get the basics, there is specialized education, training and continued education available, but again, you have to really look for it, and it is usually broad scoped or a narrow perspective. I have taken some excellent continuing education classes in the traditional fields,
I consider myself fortunate, that this was a hobby/passion of mine and I enjoy pursuing this information as most of what I call the "meat and potatoes of it"
has come from my own passionate pursuit and study.
Its a life long process and passion that I hope to pursue for many many more years.
In Health
Jeff
