During 2017, the Idaho Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics will be highlighting our members and what they do as the ‘Nutrition Experts’ for our great state of Idaho. Today we are recognizing:

Kyle Kamp, RDN, LD

Inpatient and Outpatient Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho

As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, what do you do?  

As an Inpatient Dietitian, I provide nutritional care to patients in various disease states and conditions in a variety of settings including the ICU/CVICU/CICU, medical/oncology, general surgery, rehabilitation, and telemetry. The nutrition care that I provide varies from supplementation recommendation and diet education to TPN/Enteral feeding recommendations. My day may also consist of leading nutrition-based education classes to large groups, serving as a preceptor to students completing their dietetic internship or educating food service staff in cooperation with Thomas Cuisine through in-service mini-meetings. 

As an Outpatient Dietitian, I meet with patients individually to assess and discuss dietary/lifestyle habits. This can include obtaining a diet history, exercise habits, and reviewing emotional and social issues as it pertains to dietary habits. After this history is obtained, we work together to identify goals they desire to achieve and current barriers that prevent them from reaching those goals.  Together, the patient and I then arrive at a plan to help them reach whatever goal it is they set. 

Besides meeting with patients one-on-one,  I also teach evening classes on a variety of  nutrition-related topics to individuals in the community as well as work with refugee organizations in the Treasure Valley to coordinate care for refugee families in need of nutrition education/counseling.  This includes scheduling and utilizing interpreter services to carry out nutrition counseling in the following languages: Spanish, Somali, Nepalese.

Other tasks in my day include marketing, managing and promoting  our outpatient program to our providers in the Saint Alphonsus Medical Group (SAMG) network. Currently, I am working on developing the parameters of the nutrition components of the Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center Metabolic and Bariatric Program.  This includes developing ‘The Saint Al’s New Life Nutrition Plan’ materials, serving as a liaison for the Bariatric Program in coordinating items needed in our kitchen for new bariatric patients and educating kitchen staff on parameters of the new bariatric diet.

What are the benefits you have seen from your services in the Idaho community?

In regards to the inpatient setting, it has been tremendously rewarding watching folks come in after a trauma or high acuity illness in very poor shape and watching their improvement throughout their duration here at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. Nutrition plays a very important part of the recovery process and it affords those patients a tremendous benefit leaving the hospital well-nourished.   

In regards to the outpatient setting, we also see a number of program benefits to the community. Most notably would be in the area of weight loss by helping patients achieve the goals they set to improve their health.  

How can someone reach you to access your services?

If you have any questions about Saint Alphonsus Outpatient Nutrition Services, please call  208-367-7380 or you can call 208-367-3627 to schedule an appointment.  There is some information available about our services at https://www.saintalphonsus.org/nutrition-services

Thank you Kyle for all that you do for our great state of Idaho!

To learn more about the Idaho Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and how you can join, please visit eatrightidaho.org.

To find a Idaho Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in your area, please click here.