Studying for Success
October 2011
A health scholarship from the Counties Manukau District Health Board (CMDHB) has led to hands-on experience in a hospital for an aspiring dietitian.
Esther Kim is in the second year of a Bachelor of Science majoring in Human Nutrition at the University of Otago. Earlier this year she received a Healthy Lifestyles scholarship from CMDHB, the second year her tuition has been funded through a CMDHB scholarship. Applications are now open for scholarships for study in 2012.
“It’s definitely taken a load off my shoulders,” the 20-year-old from Pakuranga says. “Now I can actually focus on my studies and where I want to go without having to worry about my university fees.”
But the scholarship is also creating other opportunities for Esther, who studies in Dunedin. During a recent university break, she spent two days doing work experience at Middlemore Hospital, shadowing a CMDHB nutrition manager.
“I helped with meal planning for the hospital and five satellite sites. We were downscaling the big recipes, used for hundreds of patients at the hospital, for the smaller satellite sites. There’s a lot of work involved in meal planning and it’s not as simple as most people would think, especially with the special diets which some patients require.
“It was so great to have this opportunity and to be able to shadow someone around. It definitely inspired me to study harder and reinforced for me that this is what I want to do.”
Having studied science papers last year, Esther is busy learning about vitamins, minerals, nutrients and food patterns for different cultures and ages. She is also gearing up for her end of year exams.
“What I like about the course is that we get to know a lot about ourselves. Recently we had the opportunity to assess our own diet using various dietary assessment techniques and a blood test to see how many vitamins and minerals we’re getting. That was pretty cool.”
If she completes the final year of her degree next year, Esther is hoping to be among the small group accepted for the Post Graduate Diploma in Dietetics in 2013.
“One day, I’d love to work back in Counties Manukau, especially working with that community on diabetes prevention because I have a family history of that disease.
“I’m just so grateful to CMDHB for this opportunity and for supporting students to pursue a career in health. With the scholarship, it’s great because you get financial support as well as support from CMDHB staff and connections to work experience. I’d definitely encourage other people who are interested in studying health to apply.”
CMDHB scholarships are available for a range of health qualifications offered by tertiary institutions throughout New Zealand. In addition to financial assistance with tuition fees, scholarship recipients are also given support and opportunities to network and do work experience.
Applications for 2012 scholarships close on November 25. For more information, click here or call Hanali Curtis, from the CMDHB Scholarship Programme, on (09) 276 0044, ext 8483.