Clinical Dietician

Primary Purpose: Plan and implement nutrition-based education for inpatients, outpatient, community, and staff.  Assists the Diabetes Self-Management Education Manager with implementing diabetes education program (focused primarily on nutrition education) to inpatients, outpatients, community, and staff.

Formal Policy-Setting Responsibilities: Formally responsible for making recommendations regarding policies associated with the job’s purpose and essential responsibilities.

Routine Decision Making: Reviewing patient nutritional status and labs to base nutrition support or diet needs.  Assess patient needs relating to learning barriers, readiness to learn.  Interpret diet orders for patients.

Formal Supervisory Responsibilities: No formal supervisory responsibilities.

Unusual Working Conditions: None

Age Specific Competencies: adults’ patient between 18 to 64 years, and geriatric patients 65 years and older.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

Provides diabetes self-management education to inpatients and outpatients. (50% of time)

• Assists with ensuring ADA accreditation.
• Provides appointments for patients within 3 days of order or when able to contact patient.
• Complete documentation of each clinic visits at the time of each visit.

Provides nutrition education to outpatients and inpatients according to doctor’s orders. (10% of time)

• Clarifies orders with physician and investigate for any special history or learning needs prior to visit.
• Provides appropriate nutrition education and feedback to physician after the patient’s first visit for any noted concerns.
• Notifies physician after each visit with a written report on difficulties the patient is encountering regarding the diet.

Conducts nutritional assessments concerning inpatients regarding nutrition support and poor overall nutrition and body weight, particularly regarding wound healing.  Formulates nutrition care plans for swing-bed patients. (10% of time)

• Reviews information obtained by dietary manager’s nutritional screening during next scheduled day on duty.
• Notifies physician immediately of any abnormal findings, areas of nutritional risk.
• Attends case management meeting five times per week.
• Completes nutritional assessment on behavioral health unit and discusses concerns with the physician/nursing staff regarding high-risk patients at case management meetings 
• Provides nutritional guidance to patients daily when ordered by physician and/or nursing.
• Provides suggested therapeutic dietary interventions to physicians of patients who are at nutritional risk as requested.

Plans and implements nutrition assessments and education to oncology patients.  Conducts individual appointments. (7% of time).

• Upon request of physician orders assesses patient and provides nutrition recommendations.
• Follow-up with patient on a weekly basis or sooner if needed.
• Notifies physician of patients who are at nutritional risk.
• Provides nutritional support recommendations when requested by physician.

Assists DSME, Cardiac Rehab Manager, Education Team and Community Health Improvement Coordinator with planning of group meetings, and provides nutritional presentations to community groups. (10% of time)

• Submits articles and/or tips concerning nutrition to the Cass Regional Medical Center Facebook page when requested.
• Assists quarterly in community diabetic education presentation.
• As needed, will assist in planning and with teaching of community programs per year.

Conducts monthly dietary in-services and assists with questions. Provide consultative support to the Dietary Manager. (5% of time)

• Provides an education needs assessment to dietary staff.
• Completes in-service for dietary staff based upon assessed needs annually.
• Gives guidance and direction to dietary supervisor when requested.

Monitors and evaluates process for Dietary and nutrition educational performance improvement. (5% of time)

• As needed collects quality monitoring data, analyzes, interprets and reports quality monitoring data quarterly.

Assist wound clinic in Nutritional Assessment of outpatients. (5% of time)

• Reviews information obtained from patient chart and labs.
• Assesses nutritional risk and specific nutritional needs of each patient.
• Provides suggested therapeutic dietary and supplement interventions to physicians to aid in wound healing.

Assists general surgery in Nutritional Care of bariatric inpatients and outpatients. (5% of time)

• Performs pre-operative nutritional assessment and education.
• Counsels’ post-op patients to ensure dietary compliance and nutritional adequacy.
• Assesses and recommends dietary regimen changes based on diet tolerance, weight changes, laboratory values and clinical parameters.
• Completes all necessary documentation and communicates nutrition care plan with physician.

Other duties as directed. (3% of time)

Education and Certification/Registration Required for the Position: Four-year college education; Registered Dietitian.  State licensure. CDCES preferred. 

Required Knowledge: Knowledge of disease states, food preparation, patient needs and rights, counseling patients, nutrition requirements for various ages.

Required Skills and Abilities: Ability to communicate, in an appropriate manner orally and written to staff, patients, and physicians.  Calculate dietary intake utilizing calculators, computer, and calipers.