Manager, Medical Nutrition Therapy

Clinical Nutrition Manager

Provides overall coordination, direction and management for all clinical nutrition services functions of the department to ensure one common level of nutritional care in a cost-effective manner. Primary responsibilities include assigning work and providing leadership to clinical dietitians and diet clerks; developing standards and monitoring of clinical dietetic performance; reviewing and updating policies and procedures; implementing and maintaining cost control procedures; recruiting, hiring and orienting staff; interacting with hospital management and professional staff within Sutter Health; and maintaining professional competency and skills required for professional practice.

Operations

• Oversees development, revision and implementation of clinical policies and procedures to achieve cost containment, improve patient outcomes and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Maintains approved diet manual, nutrition practice guidelines, and current reference and educational materials.
• Directs the provision of medical nutrition therapy by supervising the activities of clinical dietitians and diet clerks, including nutrition screening, assessment, monitoring and education according to established departmental policies.
• Monitors department outcomes and adjusts processes to ensure evidence-based practices and improve employee and patient satisfaction.
• Interacts with hospital management, other departments, professional staff and foodservice staff to promote interdepartmental communication and cooperation and to ensure patient needs are met.
• Promotes efficient and effective communications between departments and/or business teams to improve and standardize work flows.
• Identifies and works to remove barriers that may hinder the achievement of process/productivity improvement and efficiency.
• Provides guidance and direct intervention in resolving challenging or complex situations.
• Establishes protocols and practices, ensuring compliance with department, affiliate, operating unit, and/or system standards, policies and procedures and applicable laws and regulations.
• Takes a strategic and tactical approach in identifying best practices and standardizing workflows/processes and developing plans of action to implement changes.
• Establishes and communicates priorities and operational objectives to ensure business results are achieved.
• Directs or leads continuous improvement efforts using Lean or other process improvement methods and concepts.
• Ensures appropriate records are maintained for documentation and audit purposes.
• Keeps leadership informed of operations and escalates complex issues requiring higher level intervention.
• Develops and maintains a solid partnership with internal and external peers, leaders, and/or local/state/federal agencies to facilitate and collaborate on initiatives or issues resolution.
• May assume responsibilities of one-up leader role during his/her absence.
• Attends and participates in interdisciplinary teams and committees.

Strategy/Planning

• Develops and reviews menus, portion sizes and dietary requirements. Revises menus as necessary or assigned, considering seasonal, technological, and market changes, holidays, etc. Performs nutritional analysis of patient menu when modified.
• Identifies areas for improvement, collects data, implements process changes and reports results to quality committee within the hospital.
• Prepares reports and/or analyses, identifying operational trends and recurrent issues, and recommends and implements course of action.
• Leads departmental goal setting process and provides roadmap for accomplishing goals. Monitors progress, developing action plans to address issues and challenges.
• Communicates affiliate, operating unit and system goals to staff, helping staff understand impact on operations and resources.
• Develops plan of action to address current and future resource needs in order to meet service and/or operational demands and objectives.
• May participate in and/or facilitate ad-hoc committees and task forces to collaborate on or support new or ongoing initiatives.
• Develops metrics and methods for measuring outcomes against relevant internal and external benchmarks; assists in the identification of criteria and effective measurement tools.
• Attends and participates in interdisciplinary teams and committees.
• Monitors and integrates technological advances that enhance efficiency.

Financial Management

• Establishes and manages capital and operational budgets to achieve financial targets via effective utilization of personnel, resources and supplies.
• Monitors department productivity, ensuring operational challenges are addressed timely.
• Reviews financial reports and develops and implements corrective action plans to address unfavorable variances.
• Reviews and approves employee expense reimbursements, and billing statements from vendors according to established protocol.

People

• Provides and fosters an inclusive work environment that encourages staff engagement and collaboration, establishing a culture of teamwork.
• Supervises assigned staff, makes hiring and termination decisions, and reviews and approves timekeeping records.
• Establishes expectations with all direct reports, holds individuals and work teams accountable.
• Evaluates staff performance and makes/recommends associated merit increase.
• Provides constructive feedback, coaching and counseling. Implements disciplinary actions and/or performance improvement plans to achieve desired performance.
• Provides opportunities for career development, role expansion, and cross-training.
• Monitors department training and orientation plans, ensuring staff meets competency requirements and participates in appropriate education and training programs.
• Responds timely to alleged violations of policies, procedures, regulations and standards of conduct by evaluating or initiating investigative procedures.
• Conducts staff meetings for informative and educational purposes.
• Ensures staff maintains current and appropriate professional credentials.
• Makes rounds with staff to listen to concerns/issues and ensure staff have appropriate tools and resources.
• Schedules clinical nutrition staff according to department needs and budgeted hours.
• Coordinates, schedules and serves as a preceptor for dietetic interns and students on an occasional basis.
• Performs competency testing annually for all clinical dietitians and diet clerks.
• Provides or facilitates in-services and training opportunities for nutrition and food service staff and other departments.
• Assists with conflict resolution, using constructive coaching techniques. Provides timely, clear and appropriate feedback to all clinical staff.

Education:

• Bachelor's: Dietetics, Nutrition or related field or equivalent education/experience.
• Other: Completion of an accredited didactic program and a supervised practice program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics.

Certification & Licensure:

• RD-Registered Dietitian Upon Hire.

Typical Experience:

• 8 years recent relevant experience.

Skills and Knowledge:

• Comprehensive knowledge and application of nutrition services and medical nutrition therapy.
• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of applicable local, state, and federal laws, regulations and requirements relating to Food Services.
• Able to communicate effectively in both written and verbal form to patients, staff, physicians, and management staff.
• Demonstrates tactical and analytical thinking and planning skills, and is able to develop plan to accomplish objectives, identify obstacles and resolve operational issues.
• Ability to handle difficult circumstances and make sound business decisions with little direction.
• Demonstrated leadership skills, including team building, and coaching/mentoring with the ability to motivate and engage others.
• Thorough understanding of department operations and workflows and how department's process/workflow impacts other department operations.
• Knowledge of emerging treads and how they impact operations.
• Demonstrates ability to work in a dynamic and fast-paced environment with changing business priorities.
• Organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize multiple projects while delivering quality service and achieving business results.
• Demonstrates commitment to providing exceptional customer service and responding to customer needs/requests in a prompt, courteous manner.
• Demonstrates ability to work/interact with a diverse population while respecting cultural and linguistic differences and fostering an inclusive work environment.
• Demonstrates ability to develop and manage a budget.
• Ability to use essential software and applications associated with the role's duties and responsibilities.

Job Shift:

Varied

Schedule:

Full Time

Days of the Week:

Variable

Weekend Requirements:

As Needed

Benefits:

Yes

Unions:

No

Position Status:

Exempt

Weekly Hours:

40

Employee Status:

Regular

Sutter Health is an equal opportunity employer. EOE/