Dietitians have several roles within the Canadian health care system. Dietitians can work in general within acute care, ambulatory care, food services, education and public health. Most importantly, dietitians do not work in a silo but as part of a larger team. Within acute care settings, dietitians are responsible for the assessment of the nutrition status of patient admitted to hospital and to provide any necessary nutrition interventions including education. Malnutrition is prevalent within hospitals across Canada, and dietitians play a key role in the prevention and treatment of malnutrition.

There is a vast amount of health information and research available relating to many different topics. When accessing this information, it must be determined whether the information is valid and relevant. A thorough assessment of the research including quality of the studies must be undertaken before making any assertations or recommendations. Once health information is collected, it is beneficial to organize, or curate, that information in a way that is easily accessible and understandable. Content curation is a necessary part of any health studies and will benefit the student throughout their learning process. There are several content curation tools that exist and each need to be evaluated to determine their effectiveness for specific purposes and studies.

As a member of the College of Dietitians of Alberta and an employee of Alberta Health Services, it is my responsibility to maintain a professional image at all times. This is true during both work and personal time. At work, I interact with other health care professionals on a daily basis. It is not possible to work in a silo in my current position and not in the best interest of the patients or clients. On a personal level, I am a representative of my employer and college at all times including on social media and need to be constantly aware of that.

An appropriate social media presence for myself is one that reflects my profession as a regulated health care professional. A current evaluation of my social media presence revealed minimalistic Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts with few posts and those relating to family and travels. A self-Google search revealed several accomplishments in my youth in sports and current professional presentations. I am obligated as a Registered Dietitian to follow the College of Dietitians of Alberta Social Media Practice Guidelines at all times. This involves my image as a professional no matter what time of day, and no matter if I am working or at home. Throughout my career I will need to take caution regarding my social media presence.