Adult Nutrition Services

MUSC Health’s adult nutrition services are designed to be integrated into every aspect of patient care in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. 

Adult Inpatient Nutrition Services

The Adult Inpatient Team at the Medical University of South Carolina is composed of 12 full-time, and two part-time dietitians who cover all adult patients located at the following MUSC locations:

• The University Hospital
• Ashley River Tower
• The Institute of Psychiatry
• The Pearl Tourville Women’s Pavilion

Board-Certified Experts in Nutritional Care

All of our dietitians are cross-trained on the complex needs of a variety of disease states, to ensure that patients receive high-quality, standardized nutrition care. We have highly specialized dietitians with board certifications in:

• Diabetes care - Board Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES)
• Renal nutrition - Board Certified Specialists in Renal Nutrition (CSR)
• Oncology nutrition - Board Certified Specialists in Oncology Nutrition (CSO)
• Nutrition support - Board Certified Nutrition Support Clinician (CNSC)

Our dietitians also serve as the nutrition subject-matter experts for a variety of teams throughout MUSC Health, including:

• The Diabetes Management Service Team
• The Solid Organ Transplant Team and selection committee
• Enhanced recovery after surgery initiatives
• Foodservice quality improvement projects

Nutrition Support Team

The Nutrition Support Team (NST) provides an inpatient consult service concentrating on parenteral and enteral nutrition. As part of the NST, inpatient RDs meet with physicians weekly to discuss patients on parenteral nutrition and ensure the appropriateness of the feeding regimen, and to increase the overall knowledge and development of the team.

Cortrak Tube Team

The Adult Nutrition Support Tube Team at MUSC was started by the Clinical Nutrition Department in 2014. The team has expanded over the years and is currently composed of ten highly trained registered dietitians. The Nutrition Support Tube Team at MUSC is the largest team of registered dietitians in the state specialized in placing temporary enteral access at the patient’s bedside for individuals with difficult anatomy or requiring post-pyloric access. The bedside placement of these temporary feeding tubes is facilitated by the Avanos Cortrak2 Enteral Access System which allows practitioners to visualize real-time tube placement without the need or expense of an x-ray. 

Adult Outpatient Nutrition Services

The Adult Outpatient Team of Registered Dietitians work in many clinical areas to ensure the MUSC community is provided with the best nutritional care available. Nutrition experts can work with you to help you reach your nutrition and health goals.

Outpatient Nutrition Services

Our general outpatient dietitians counsel individuals suffering from a variety of problems and diseases including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and more. During the medical nutrition therapy session(s), our dietitians will actively work with you to develop goals that best meet your needs and desired outcomes. Individuals in the community can request an ambulatory outpatient nutrition referral from primary care providers. If your primary care is affiliated with MUSC, this referral can be submitted through EPIC. If your provider is outside of the MUSC network, they can fax us a Physician Referral (PDF). Once a referral has been placed on your behalf, you should receive a phone call to schedule an appointment. You may also call 843-876-0888 directly to schedule an appointment (assuming you have a referral on file). Our general outpatient dietitians meet with patients at MUSC Rutledge Tower, MUSC James Island Ellis Oaks, and virtually.

The MUSC Adult General Outpatient Nutrition Clinic provides a dietitian to help set obtainable goals for a healthy lifestyle. Nutrition services provides individual nutrition counseling for a variety of diagnosis’ including weight management and weight loss, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and heart health.

MUSC Telemedicine Nutrition Services allows you to connect with a dietitian through a virtual platform. Multiple MUSC sites around the state can refer to a dietitian for a complete nutrition assessment and education. Primary conditions seen include diabetes, weight management, hypertension, heart health, GI disorders, and renal disease.

At MUSC Family Medicine James Island, a dietitian will help set obtainable goals for a healthy lifestyle. Nutrition services provides individual nutrition counseling for a variety of diagnosis’ including weight management and weight loss, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and heart health.

The MUSC Weight Management Center, located in Mt. Pleasant, offers a variety of programs ranging from one month to 27 weeks that focus on weight management for adults. The programs we offer include nutrition counseling, exercise prescriptions and behavioral modification sessions. We offer free program orientations for anyone who is interested in starting a program with the clinic. All appointments are available in-person or virtually and are fee-for-service offerings that do not require a doctor’s referral.

The MUSC Health and Wellness Institute, located in Mt. Pleasant, offers nutrition counseling services for general healthy eating, meal planning, sports nutrition, gut health, and more. Appointments are available in-person or virtually and are fee-for-service offerings that do not require a doctor’s referral. Learn more and book an appointment here.

At MUSC Adult Cardiology Outpatient Clinic, a dietitian will provide individual nutrition counseling and personalized recommendations to help optimize heart health for diagnoses including congestive heart failure (CHF) and dyslipidemia/elevated cholesterol.

MUSC’s Bariatric Program dietitians meet with patients who have had (or are planning to have) weight loss surgery. The dietitians within this program use motivational interviewing to engage patients in this total lifestyle change. We not only meet with patients individually to help them reach their goals, but we also provide a number of online resources for program participants, such as blog posts and support groups.

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center's (HCC) Nutrition Services provides proactive individualized nutritional consultation for cancer outpatients across the continuum of cancer care, including primary prevention, cancer treatment (chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery), secondary prevention, cancer recurrences, palliative care, and survivorship.

The MUSC Health Center for Eating Disorders (formerly Friedman Center for Eating Disorders) is the only program in South Carolina to offer family- based treatment – often called the Maudsley approach – for children, adolescents, and young adults with eating disorders. Our objective is to empower families to play a key role in their loved one’s treatment. The team of multidisciplinary professionals at the Center offers support to families by providing them with the necessary skills and tools to help their child regain health and maintain recovery. It is difficult when your child is unhappy, isolated, and not able to live life to the fullest. Our team of eating disorder specialists collaborates to create comprehensive, personalized, family-based care plans to guide your family and your child to get back to a normal, healthy way of life.

The MUSC GI Clinic dietitian provides individualized nutrition care for people with a variety of gastrointestinal concerns including, but not limited to gastroparesis, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, feeding tubes, gastroesophageal reflux, eosinophilic esophagitis, pancreatitis, and liver disease. Our clinic assists individuals throughout the state of South Carolina, and appointments are available in person and virtually.

At MUSC GI Surgery Clinic, a dietitian specialized in surgical nutrition support works in concert with the surgeon to see patients before and after their surgery. This includes patients undergoing pancreatic surgery, gastric surgery, or other GI surgical procedures. The focus of the dietitian will be to ensure appropriate nutritional status specifically monitoring for adequate absorption, vitamin/mineral levels, sufficiency of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy, and/or assessment of appropriate nutrition support (both IV nutrition and tube feeding).

The MUSC Transplant Clinic evaluates patients pre- and post-surgery for kidney, pancreas, liver, heart, or lung transplant as well as living kidney donation. Pre-evaluation assesses patients’ candidacy for listing for transplant, which includes assessment with a dietitian to offer counseling as needed for improving eligibility and education regarding nutrition implications following a transplant surgery. Post-transplant clinic follow-up offers supportive care to ensure health maintenance of the patient, success of the transplanted organ, and avoidance of re-admission to the hospital.

The MUSC Cystic Fibrosis Center is accredited by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and provides a team approach to care. Our expertise draws adults and children from across South Carolina and surrounding communities. The dietitian provides counseling on meal and snack planning, pancreatic enzymes, vitamins, and nutritional supplements; and assists individuals with enrolling in eligible nutrition programs as needed. The dietitian also helps to manage CF-related complications such as CF-related diabetes, bone disease, and gastrointestinal disease, as well as tube feeding for patients who have trouble maintaining a healthy weight from eating and drinking alone.