The Registered Dietitian assists in providing optimal nutritional care for patients. Coordinates food service activities involving diet preferences, supplements, restrictions and basic diet instructions. Develops dietitian schedules and assists with developing policies and procedures.
Primary Duties
- Willing to make frequent adaptations of standard procedures when necessary.
- Assists with on-the-job training.
- Provides professional direction to food service workers and student interns.
- Supervises the planning of daily menus for therapeutic diets.
- Evaluates the nutritional care of patients (both inpatients and outpatients) concurrently and retrospectively.
- Documents the medical records, via computer, of all patients on therapeutic diets and others where feasible.
- Records, via computer, dietary history of patients identifying food allergies, those unable to accept a limited diet regimen and others where appropriate.
- Interviews and counsels patients, their families and/or other appropriate persons.
- Willingness to work with realization that errors may have serious consequences for patient.
- Provides discharge diet instruction to patients and their families and/or appropriate persons.
- Participates in ward rounds, conferences, committee and staff meetings when appropriate.
- Able to provide in-service training for nursing and medical staff.
- Must achieve and maintain good working relationship with physician, professional nurses, related nursing services personnel, food service workers and others. Demonstrates tact, cooperation and confidentiality. Demonstrates initiative and good judgment.
- Attends continuing education programs.
- Orders appropriate amount of food and other nutrition support supplies, as needed.
- Must be able to maintain expenses within budget.
- Assists physicians with provisions of TPN and tube feeding within scope of practice
Qualifications/Specifications:
- Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Foods and Nutrition which meets the standards established by the American Dietetic Association.
- Registration: Must be registered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration.
- Licensure: Must attain state licensure, as applicable.
- Experience: Minimum of four years of food service supervision preferred. One year acute clinical hospital experience preferred.