Minnesota Oncology Dietitians Sarah Barts and Angela Stephens recently became Board Certified Specialists in Oncology Nutrition. The designation for this is “CSO” (Certified Specialist in Oncology Nutrition). Minnesota Oncology Dietitian Tracie Swearingen was already certified, so now all three of our Dietitians are Board Certified Specialists in Oncology. Currently, there are only eight CSO Dietitians in the state of MN, and we are proud to now have three of them at Minnesota Oncology!

The CSO designation was started in 2008, when the Oncology Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group worked with the Commission on Dietetic Registration to create the credential for Registered Dietitians in Oncology Nutrition. Prerequisites include maintaining Registered Dietitian status with Commission on Dietetic Registration for a minimum of 2 years with documentation of 2,000 hours of practice experience in the oncology setting, and a large amount of studying for the exam. The exam is offered twice a year and they need to recertify with an exam every 5 years.

"Congratulations to Sarah, Angela and Tracie for going the extra mile in obtaining this specialty designation," said Jan Merriman, Pharmacy Director at Minnesota Oncology. "It illustrates their level of dedication and passion to excellence in their profession and to oncology patients in particular. We appreciate the important role they serve in our patients’ care."

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