A Day in the Life of an HCSG Registered Dietitian
In long-term care, no two days are ever the same, especially for a Registered Dietitian (RD). The RD role blends clinical knowledge with team collaboration, ensuring residents receive personalized, nutrition-centered care that supports their overall health and quality of life.
Healthcare Services Group (HCSG) RD Regina Gibbons exemplifies this essential role. With 32 years at HCSG, 28 of them at Hillcrest Center in Wyncote, PA, Regina brings decades of experience, compassion, and dedication to the residents she serves. Follow along as we shed light on a day in Regina’s life and what it means to be an HCSG RD in long-term care.
Morning Check-in
Regina’s day often starts with greeting colleagues and checking in with staff. She shares an office with Hillcrests’ Nurse Practitioner, making it easy to review any significant changes in residents’ status, new admissions, or recent discharges right away. Regina then updates her notes in MealTracker, an application used to manage and plan menus, track resident nutrition, and ensure compliance with dietary orders, before heading downstairs to the daily staff meeting.
The administrative staff meeting consists of team members from all departments discussing necessary announcements and updates, ensuring a constant flow of transparency. For Regina, it’s a crucial touchpoint that allows her to stay informed and aligned with the interdisciplinary team. Interdisciplinary teams (IDT) in healthcare settings work collaboratively to ensure the health and well-being of residents in skilled nursing, long-term care, and other healthcare facilities. These teams bring together the expertise of various roles including doctors, nurses, therapists, dietitians, and others, to provide comprehensive and effective treatment for residents and patients.
“Being present and proactive is key. Communication is a vital part to providing the best care possible,” Regina explains. The bond Regina formed with her team ensures that residents receive well-rounded, personalized care.
Dining Team Collaboration
Much of Regina’s day is spent working closely with HCSG Food Service and Training Center Account Manager Cierra Evans to ensure that each resident receives a meal that is not only compliant with their meal plan but also nutritious and enjoyable. From reviewing meal plans to observing the tray line or delivering meals to residents, Regina understands the importance of a collaborative effort on both the clinical and dining sides.
“When people think of the main responsibility of an RD, diets and restrictions usually come to mind,” Regina said. “In long-term care, creating the right meal plan involves so much more than a diet. We consider medical needs, preferences, swallowing ability, and so many other factors.”
These factors are the main reason why Regina and Cierra work so closely together. After all, the dining experience is a vital part of resident care. Food can hold memories and evoke nostalgic feelings, like a bite of a warm apple pie, transporting you back thirty years to a Thanksgiving dessert. Those are the moments Regina and Cierra strive to achieve by ensuring meals are balanced with both clinical requirements and comfort.
“I try and taste every meal that we make. I want each meal to taste good. There is always a way to make tasty meals while upholding the nutritional requirement,” Regina exclaimed.
Resident Connection
Between group activities and mealtime, Regina is always focused on connecting with each resident, anywhere and at any time. She knows all residents by name and makes it a point to introduce herself to new admissions to establish a line of trust and open communication. Regina explained, “The dietitian’s role is essential in recovery, no matter what stage of life a resident is in. Establishing a rapport with each resident and going out of your way to ask how their day is or how their meal was is a simple way to build a connection. This way, if they need anything, they feel comfortable coming to me and I can support them the best way I can.”
Regina has been serving the long-term care community since she was 18. She was immediately captivated by the connection between nutrition and recovery. “I quickly understood how food affects behaviors, moods, and overall health. I learned which diets genuinely helped residents and quickly became enamoured with wanting to make whatever chapter of life they were in, as happy as possible.”
Flash forward to today, Regina has done just that. This isn’t just a job for Regina but a calling to ensure each resident is seen, heard, and cared for through the power of nutrition and genuine connection. Healthcare is constantly changing, and the levels of care are evolving. Long-term care allows Regina to adapt her approach to nutritional health. She shared, “Watching residents bloom back to life and recover through nutrition makes me feel like my job is worthwhile. Every success story motivates me to stay in this realm of nutrition and continue to give the highest quality of care possible.”
Every day may look different, but for RDs like Regina, the mission remains the same—using the power of nutrition to make a meaningful difference in every chapter of residents’ lives.
Looking to make a difference through clinical care? Join one of the largest networks of Registered Dietitians and serve the long-term care community. Learn more at HCSG.RD.