Starting last year (my junior year), my classes started to become more centered on dietetics. Along with this came something that I hadn’t yet experienced at the time, but I’m all too familiar with now: case studies. My first case study assignment was SO overwhelming! Looking back now, it’s hard to believe that I hardly knew what SOAP and ADIME were!
Now, case studies are a regular and expected part of my semester and I’ve actually come to look forward to them. Yes, they are still quite overwhelming just because of the sheer amount of work that they require, but I really can’t think of another exercise from which I have learned so much. Case studies have taught me more about diseases/conditions, motivational interviewing, lab values, etc. than any PowerPoint lecture or book chapter ever could. Sure, I could read about these things, but actually using the information really gets it to stick in my memory. Working on case studies has also helped me to practice researching a condition so that I can make a well-informed decision about what action to take.
Finally, case studies provide excellent charting practice. Learning how to use the IDNT codes and what kinds of information to include in a chart will no doubt be beneficial once I begin my internship in a few short years! So in the end, something that seemed like an overwhelming task at first has become one of my favorite ways to learn!
Case studies were the best way for me to learn! Extremely helpful now that I am in my internship I often think back to those case studies we did.
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