SCAN’s Expanding the
Arena - SCAN Sport RD Interview Rubric:
Our September interviewee, Kim Feeney, MS, RD,
CSSD, CSCS, is an experienced sports dietitian within the military realm. If
you’ve ever had an interest in tactical sport nutrition, read on! Kim shares
helpful insights for both RD’s and RD’s to be. Her enjoyment and passion in her
career are evident, and we are so excited she is sharing her knowledge with us.- What is your name, job title,
and main job duties?
I work as a Sports Performance Dietitian for
the 353rd Battlefield Airmen Training Squadron, an organization that oversees
the training of Tactical Air Control Party Airmen. My primary duties involve
assessing the nutrition needs of our trainees and instructors, providing
appropriate group and individual interventions, working on an interdisciplinary
Human Performance Optimization team to improve performance, and liaising with
the dining facilities. I develop and manage programs to include classroom
fueling stations, hydration testing, and a nutrition education curriculum.
2.
What is your
educational background and how long have you been an RD? Do you have any
additional credentials relevant to your position?
I completed a BS in Nutritional Sciences
through Penn State and a combined MS/DI
through the U.S. Military Baylor Graduate
Program in Nutrition. I have been a dietitian
for just over 7 years and have also become a
board-certified specialist in sports dietetics (CSSD).
3.
How did you achieve
your position/ how did you get started with your current position?
I served a total of just under 7 years in the
Army. I had some great jobs in the military but wanted to focus more on sports
nutrition so I decided to resign from service. I had the opportunity to
complete an 8-month sports nutrition fellowship at Arizona State University,
and near the end of my experience, my current job was posted as a brand new
position. Although the position is with the Air Force, the trainees I work with
often go on to embed with Army units so the combination of my experience in a
collegiate setting and my time with the Army made the position a great fit.
4.
What key areas of
knowledge/experiences did you need to have before this job?
My job requires knowledge of fueling
strategies for both individuals and teams to include individual and group
interventions, menu and supplement reviews, and experience with fuel stations.
The ability to read and apply research is critical in my job, as it is with
many sports jobs, where everyone wants cutting-edge information and
interventions. I need to be confident in what I know and comfortable with
getting answers to the things I do not know. My familiarity with military
customs and courtesies as well as military regulations has also been very
helpful.
5.
What is a typical day for
you?
Every day is different! Depending on the
morning, I may watch physical training sessions or just go straight into my
office. I try to go down to our fueling station most mornings to supervise the
trainees picking up their snack for the day as well as stop by the dining hall
during lunch at least once a week. Most of my hours are spent working on
projects, supervising fueling, teaching classes, and seeing patients. My
population has busy schedules so the majority of my individual appointments are
on a walk-in basis when they get free time. I also plan around certain course
milestones, such as focusing on carbohydrate fueling strategies as they start
marching longer distances and spot-testing hydration during field training
exercises throughout the course.
6.
What advice would you
share with an RD (or RD2be) that is interested in a similar career path?
I would encourage anyone who is interested in
being a sports dietitian to give adequate attention to their clinical and food
service rotations – a solid foundation in both of those areas can make a good
sports dietitian even better. Many of the tactical positions I see posted are
looking for a CSSD with 5+ years of experience. Taking the time to get
experience in a collegiate or professional environment helps a lot – my
performance at work would not have been as strong without my experience at
Arizona State. Finally, stay humble, work hard, and have a fun with your job.
7.
What are some of your
interests outside of work?
I enjoy cooking, baking, hiking/trail running,
needlework like crocheting, and gardening.
8.
Why
have you decided to work with athletes or similar groups?
I played several sports growing up and
appreciate the competitive nature and dedication to fitness many athletes have.
Working in sports nutrition is an opportunity to provide some of the knowledge
and resources I wish I had as a young athlete to others. Additionally, I find
exercise physiology fascinating.
9.
How do you deal with the
daily stresses presented to you in your career?
I appreciate using humor to deal with stress or
difficult situations. Fortunately, that is common within the culture of my
current workplace so we have some very entertaining moments.
10.
Prior to getting your
credentials, did you have any experience in nutrition (ie. food service,
volunteering, etc.)?
I had a few food and nutrition-related summer
jobs/experiences: working in a deli, completing a National Association of
College and University Food Service summer internship, two summers as a cook at
a school for children with many allergies and food restrictions, and a semester
working for the university dining halls. I also volunteered with a private
practice dietitian, helping create content for her website and working at a
booth at the American Diabetes Association conference one year.
11.
What do you love about
your career/job?
I love that I can have fun at work. My
population is very competitive so we do several nutrition-related
games/activities to get them engaged. I also appreciate the job that these
service members volunteered to do and find it very fulfilling to help those who
volunteered for something most of our country couldn’t or wouldn’t do.
12.
Is there a course you
took in undergrad or grad school that has helped you in your current role?
My graduate degree in general was very help for
this role. Although I did take a sports nutrition class, the experience I
received reading, analyzing, and writing scientific papers throughout the whole
program has been invaluable for keeping up with the constantly advancing
landscape of performance nutrition.
13.
What are some of the
unique nutritional considerations you must consider for the group(s) you work
with?
There are a few considerations I keep in mind:
1.
Regulations and policy –
much like the NCAA has rules about collegiate athletes, the military has rules
to follow. There on limitations on how we spent money for nutrition-related
items (food, equipment, etc); there are rules on menu items that must be in
dining facilities and how food is provided, how we interact with vendors, etc.
2.
Energy expenditure – during
some of their training events, students may be burning upwards of 4500 calories
a day so we must work around time and appetite limitations to optimize their
nutrition.
3.
Access to food –
military members spend time deployed and also train in environments that mimic
deployment. Trainees will go several days at a time where the only food they
have access to are military rations – no gels, chews, pre-mixed sports drinks,
or other common fueling products.
4.
Nutrition skills –
Military members typically do not have daily access to a sports dietitian.
During deployments, they could potentially go months without ready access to
one. As a result, they have to learn to make their own food choices. Therefore,
the nutrition interventions I perform are designed to prepare them to
independently select appropriate foods in any type of environment.
