My journey as a PCN First-Contact Dietitian: From Nigeria to the UK

"Being a dietitian comes with its peculiar challenges sometimes and this seems to be even more complicated when you are an internationally trained dietitian in a new field and country with new responsibilities. It begins to feel like all you have learnt in your home country may not be very relevant but that’s just the nerves speaking and you’re more than able to fit into your new role and be great at it.??

This was the initial dilemma I seemed to find myself in, I am Oghuan Unuigbe a dietitian trained in Nigeria with a wealth of experience also in Nigeria, I now work and live in the UK for Primary Care Dietitians (PCD) as a First Contact Dietitian (FCD) working with the Primary Care Network (PCN) at Pontefract and Knottingley. Initially exciting then suddenly became quite scary and enormous to handle but that’s the good side about working with the PCD team, the available materials and personnel at your disposal to make transitioning into this new role and location easier than it should ordinarily be.??

After the remote training sessions, I was introduced to Hanifat Ibikunle, a Nigerian trained Dietitian as an international mentor, also working for PCD, working in care homes in Manchester. She has worked in the UK in secondary care settings and now works through PCD in the Bury PCN. My experience meeting her in Manchester went beyond expectations. She received me with open arms and was more than willing to introduce me to the world of dietetics in the PCN. While in Manchester, we went to one of the care homes she consults in, where I shadowed her during her round at the care home with the senior carers. I was given the opportunity to see how she asks questions to the carers, the type of questions to be asked and how she consults with the residents, communicating with them in individualised styles suiting their needs.??

After the care home visits, we spent some time going over training materials and documentation with emphasis on documentation styles, referral criteria, care plans and training materials.?

The day spent in Manchester learning from and shadowing Hanifat was extremely educational and insightful, I learnt so much that would impact positively my career and my growth in PCD and the PCN. I left Manchester armed with so much information and with a new and positive zest and excitement for my new role and the tasks ahead.?

It is great that PCD does not just hire internationally trained dietitians and leave you to figure things out on your own, but there are plans in place to ensure that you are integrated into the system fast and comfortably, matching you with UK trained dietitians but also dietitians from your location that understand what struggles and difficulties you might be facing in the new role. Additionally, the PCD leadership team provide lots of online training and UK-specific dietary education resources to help ensure I understand the UK food culture. Perks to this training is the fact that it enables you to also teach others if and when the need arises."