Dietitian

Clinical Dietitian

The clinical dietitian serves as a member of the multidisciplinary healthcare team and provides patient-centered care. The dietitian assesses nutrition needs, develops and implements nutrition care plans, evaluates and reports the results appropriately, interprets, evaluates and utilizes pertinent and current research related to nutrition care and coordinates activities according to department policies and procedures and the goals for the healthcare team. The dietitian is accountable for setting priorities, meeting deadlines and promoting the achievement of positive patient outcomes. In addition to working with the healthcare team, the dietitian will also interact with patients, caregivers and families. Utilizing a team-based approach, the dietitian provides highly proficient care utilizing evidence-based guidelines which is patient-centered and supportive of diversity and cultural factors. The dietitian is responsible for patient, community and staff education programs (individual or group) as needed and is an active participant in improving the health and well-being of the community. Employees providing direct patient care must demonstrate skills and competencies specific to the population served.

Qualifications:

• Possess a bachelors degree in Dietetics or Nutrition.
• Possess a masters degree if becoming a Registered Dietitian in 2024 and thereafter (RDs who graduated prior to 2024 are not required to possess a graduate degree).
• Completion of a supervised practice program (Dietetic Internship Program Individual Supervised Practice Pathway Coordinated Program Future Graduates Program and International Dietitian Education Program) accredited by Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND).
• Must be credentialed as a Registered Dietitian or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) within 6 months of hire.
• Additional certification or progress toward certification completion, education and experience may be required depending on the specific department and position (i.e. Diabetes Education requires applicants to obtain CDCES credentials and complete insulin pump training and certifications).

Clinical Skills:

• Utilizes nutrition screening criteria and reviews medical records of individual patients to identify patients with increased nutritional risk including in-patients on assigned units, patients with scheduled visits in assigned clinics and patients scheduled for outpatient nutrition counseling.
• Identifies ongoing risk for nutritional problems through regular review of anthropometric, biochemical and laboratory data, documentation of feeding skills records, of parenteral enteral and oral intake, diagnosis or presence of chronic diseases or conditions associated with nutritional risk throughout patients hospitalization and outpatients course of treatment.
• Documents nutritional assessment by evaluation and interpretation of nutritional intake data, physical anthropometric biochemical and laboratory data, normal immature and dysfunctional and behavioral aspects of feedings skills and clinical signs and symptoms of nutritional deficiency inadequacy excess or toxicity.
• Establishes and documents the nutritional plan of care for individual patients by identifying nutritional problems and prescribing nutrition interventions that are age- and disease-specific and incorporates these into the patients overall plans of care.
• Reviews medical record and observes patient for response to nutritional plan of care and for changes that indicate unresolved or presence of new nutrition problem(s) and adjusts nutritional aspects of the patients plan of care accordingly.
• Maintains knowledge of dietary guidelines and nutritional standards of care in health and disease and applies these guidelines to patient care and patient education.
• Assesses patient/family teaching needs and develops and documents a teaching plan with patient focused outcomes identified.
• Participates in developing and documenting a plan for discharge or discontinuation of care. Maintains knowledge of progression toward discharge and updates nutrition plan as necessary.
• Documents plan for follow up with qualifying and/or quantifying statements (identifies what, when and where follow-up if any will occur). Provides phone follow-up when indicated and assists in the continuity of care with primary care providers and dietitians providing follow-up care.
• Reviews medical records of individual patients to collect and analyze nutrition related data for Process Improvement and/or Compliance.
• Additional skills and competencies may be required depending on the specific department and area of practice (i.e. nutrition-focused physical exam, motivational interviewing and MNT/DSME billing in outpatient care areas).

Professional Skills:

• Demonstrate a high degree of competency with computers including the ability to use an Electronic Medical Record (training will be provided) and is proficient in Microsoft Office.
• Must be able to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Must possess excellent organizational and communication skills and the ability to manage several projects simultaneously.
• Work which produces high levels of mental/visual fatigue (i.e. interactive and repetitive or small detailed work requiring alertness and concentration for sustained periods of time the operation of and full attention to a personal computer or CRT between 40 and 70 percent of the time). The job produces some physical demands such as regular walking, standing, stooping, bending, sitting and some lifting of light weight objects.