March Member Spotlight: Kelli Jensch, RD, LD

Provide us with a brief description of your job: I am currently working at Centracare St. Cloud Hospital as a Clinical Dietitian primarily in inpatient oncology. 1 day per week I am working at the digestive center providing outpatient MNT for any GI-related conditions such as outpatient tube fed patients, Celiac disease, IBS, etc.

What do you love about what you do? I absolutely love working on such a large team of RD’s. We have, on average, ten Dietitians working daily at St. Cloud Hospital. Working alongside such a knowledgeable team has been extremely beneficial. We are also house to a Dietetic Internship Program, which has been a blast! Our interns will complete their Medical Nutrition Therapy as well as their Food Service rotations at SCH. It has been extremely rewarding working with the interns.

What are the challenges? Every day is a challenge at SCH, and I mean that in the best way possible. Working a position where you are constantly learning and growing is so rewarding in the long run. Patients who come to SCH often require a very high level of care, including their MNT needs. I never saw myself working inpatient clinical as working with nutrition support always made me a bit nervous; but this is now my favorite part of my job! Pushing myself out of my comfort done has helped me to truly discover my passions in the field of Nutrition & Dietetics!

How has your MAND membership benefited you? MAND membership presents many amazing opportunities for networking and leadership. In membership, I found the opportunity to serve on the MAND Board of Directors. I am currently serving as the Education Director and my efforts have been focused on planning the MAND 2022 Annual Conference. Our theme this year is “The Roots of Nutrition & Dietetics- Encouraging New Branches & Planting New Seeds”. Our focus will be evaluating current practices within Nutrition & Dietetics and exploring opportunities for growth and development. I would encourage all nutrition students and professionals to join MAND; it opens many doors!

What do you think is the future of nutrition and dietetics? The future of Nutrition & Dietetics will be adaptive and sustainable. The past year has been a year of change. As nutrition professionals, we will continue to be flexible and creative.

What are your favorite activities/hobbies? Typical Minnesotan, but I love a good weekend away at the cabin up north. I have also recently got more into crafting. With the recent unexpected events Covid has brought us, I found myself with a lot of free time. My sister-in-law and I decided to take a chance and open up an online boutique shop on Etsy, where we would sell handmade apparel and home goods. We have had excellent luck with our shop the last year and now are additionally selling our items at a recently opened shop in Cambridge, MN.

What is your favorite restaurant in Minnesota? A new favorite is The Tipsy Chicken- a locally owned and operated scratch kitchen in Elk River, MN.