Yumni’s passion for nutrition and dietetics can be traced back to her early encounters with dietitians who attended to both her grandfathers when they were hospitalised in SGH.

“I observed first-hand how consultations with dietitians then had made an impact on their lives. By optimising their diets, my grandfathers could still maintain strength even in the final stages of their lives,” she shared.

Inspired by these experiences, Yumni decided to take up a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics and pursue a career in dietetics.

During her four years of overseas study in Robert Gordon University at Scotland, Yumni began with foundational knowledge of physiology, biology and nutrition. She then progressed to delve deeper into disease processes, learning how to conduct nutrition assessments and evaluate dietetic interventions by integrating her academic knowledge with practical clinical skills. In her final year, she undertook a research project that covered a wide variety of emerging topics in the nutrition field.

“Throughout the four years, there were three different placements to consolidate all the learning, allowing me to have practice-based learning opportunities in different specialities,” she elaborated.

  Yumni sharing a nutrition management plan with a patient during consultation.

Yumni currently works as a dietitian at SGH, working closely with other health professionals in both inpatient and outpatient settings to tailor nutritional care interventions to her patients.

“I start off my day by going through the list of patients currently under my care as well as patients who have been newly referred by the doctors,” she said. “This allows me to prioritise the patients who need to be seen urgently and to understand any updates to their medical conditions which may impact my recommended dietetic intervention.”

In the inpatient wards, Yumni speaks with patients and their caregivers, addressing potential dietetic interventions. On outpatient clinic days, she consults with patients referred by their doctors for diet management of co-morbidities or other conditions. Additionally, Yumni also conducts regular follow-up sessions with returning patients to monitor and adjust their dietary plans.

Yumni recognises that every profession has its challenges, and being a dietitian is no exception, particularly when dealing with difficult patients or caregivers under undue stress. In such situations, she ensures clarity by calmly explaining her evidenced-based interventions, emphasising that these approaches are done in the best interest of the patient.

Building rapport with her patients is also key to her role. She recounted an experience with a weight management patient who had diabetes and was initially hesitant to make dietary changes. He was also apprehensive about dietary suggestions. Recognising the complexity of obesity, Yumni delved into understanding the patient’s medical history, diet and social circumstances before recommending appropriate dietetic interventions.

“Helping my patients understand why they are gaining weight, why they need to lose the weight and ways to do so empowers them to make dietary changes,” she said.

As Yumni developed a good rapport with her patient, she was able to gain his trust and convinced him to try meal replacements for weight loss.

“Once he saw his weight slowly coming down, he was more motivated to make dietary changes. During his recent review, he has lost close to 10kg and his diabetes is now well controlled with oral medication, without the need for insulin!” she beamed.

Indeed, seeing her patients get better and become stronger is what Yumni finds most rewarding about her job. She recalls a memorable experience with one of her stroke patients who was hospitalised in SGH for a prolonged period. Yumni supported her throughout her journey, from being bedbound and tube-fed after her stroke to weaning off the nasogastric tube. Together they worked to improve her oral food intake and optimise her protein intake to rebuild muscle strength.

“Eventually she recovered and was able to walk out of the hospital strong and confident!” she reminisced.

Not one to rest on her laurels, Yumni’s commitment to professional development is unwavering. She actively seeks out programmes organised by SingHealth to advance her competency level as a dietitian and stay abreast of the latest research and advancements in the field of nutrition and dietetics. Yumni is also passionate about preventive healthcare, acknowledging the transformative potential of nutrition knowledge in empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their own health and well-being. She hopes to contribute by being more involved in preventive health initiatives and improve the health literacy of the underprivileged, particularly within the Malay-Muslim community.

“With SGH Dietetics starting to expand into the community, I hope this not only helps prevents patients from coming to the hospital but also empower them to make good choices when it comes to food.” she mused.

To aspiring dietitians embarking on their healthcare journey, Yumni offers a piece of advice: “Continuously upgrade your knowledge, explore different food and cuisines, and understand the impact that they have on people’s lives. This will prepare you for a challenging but fulfilling career!”​

This article was first published in BrightSparks Magazine July 2024. Republished with permission from Kariera Group Singapore.​