by Kylie Avery
Beth Mills, MS, RD, LDN, CNSC, Dietitian IV, Nutrition Coordinator, was named 2020 Outstanding Preceptor of the Year by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation and the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics.
The academy, the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, recognizes six preceptors throughout the U.S. who demonstrate exemplary teaching, mentoring and leadership activities in dietetics education programs.
Mills, who is a clinical preceptor for the Dietetic Internship through the Center for Programs in Allied Health at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, will receive the award at the 2020 Food & Nutrition Conference and Expo this October.
“I’m very honored to be receiving this award. I’ve worked with interns since 1988, and it’s incredibly rewarding to have one small part in teaching them and being able to watch their careers grow and be successful. It’s fantastic,” says Mills.
As a critical care dietitian, Mills has been teaching dietetic interns at Vanderbilt since 1992. She is also a guest lecturer for the Multidisciplinary Surgical Critical Care conference on the Basics of Nutrition in Critical Care as well as Refeeding Syndrome topics to intensivist critical care fellows at VUMC.
“I had heard from her students about the ways she helps them to learn and succeed through the use of unique instructional design techniques to the excellent job she does of explaining the importance of every step of care from nutrition management to documenting correctly in the electronic medical record,” said Dianne Killebrew, MEd, RD, LDN, director of the Dietetic Internship Program, who nominated Mills for the award.
“She provides thorough explanations and always encourages interns to think critically and ask questions.”
Mills is a member of six practice groups within the academy, previously served as chair for the Tennessee and Nashville Dietetic Associations and was a past president of the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.
“It’s been amazing to grow with Vanderbilt and help develop this learning experience to teach these self-driven interns who are committed to improving the nutrition and health of the individuals they care for,” adds Mills.