Clinical Dietitian

Required Skills

Essential Functions and Job Duties

RDs will prioritize their daily workload to ensure the daily workload in completed in a timely manner. This position is also responsible for providing services to outside contracts as negotiated with the Decatur Memorial Hospital Food and Nutrition Services Department. The Clinical Dietitian will be part of the rotating weekend and holiday schedules. Exact daily times may vary based on patient case load, needs of the RD contract, meetings, intern mentoring, and other tasks that may arise.  In this role, the clinical dietitian will direct, teach, and mentor dietetic interns from various universities/colleges.  He/She will practice in accordance with the organization and department missions and values.

• Utilize the Nutrition Care Process as recommended by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and in accordance with Decatur Memorial Hospitals “Nutrition Screening, Assessment, and Reassessment of Patients” policy
• Provide nutrition counseling and/or education to patients and/or caregivers based on assessment of individual learning needs
• Work in partnership with the interdisciplinary team and participate in patient care rounds as able
• Provide supervised learning experience for dietetic interns and students when appropriate
• Communicate and collaborate with the Food and Nutrition Services staff to provide the patient with the best care possible
• Participate in Quality Improvement and Cost Control projects related to patient care and nutrition service
• Develop and provide education to the hospital and the community to promote a culture that values nutrition services
• Support the continuum of care by making referrals to appropriate outpatient services when applicable
• Participate in departmental, organization, or community teams and committees when appropriate
• Maintain high level of competency and professional development related to nutrition trends, research, policy, certifications, and standards of practice
• Appropriately utilize independent decision making and the “Medical Nutrition Therapy Order Implementation” policy to implement or modify nutrition-related orders to provide efficient and optimal nutrition care, including tube feeding and total parenteral nutrition if physician consults RD to manage. Initiates communication with physician and other care providers to coordinate patient care.

• Integrate nutrition care with other treatment modalities. Interpret biochemical and clinical data, identifies and monitors patients at nutritional risk; provides a variety of nutritional therapy interventions to resolve nutritional crisis and to ensure health maintenance. Independently, manages nutrition care for patients utilizing medical staff approved orders protocol.

• Embodies the Memorial Health System Performance Excellence Standards of Safety, Courtesy, Quality, and Efficiency that support our mission, vision and values:
• SAFETY: Prevent Harm – I put safety first in everything I do.  I take action to ensure the safety of others.
• COURTESY: Serve Others – I treat others with dignity and respect.  I project a professional image and positive attitude.
• QUALITY: Improve Outcomes – I continually advance my knowledge, skills and performance.  I work with others to achieve superior results.
• EFFICIENCY: Reduce Waste – I use time and resources wisely.  I prevent defects and delays.
• Perform other duties as assigned to elevate the role of the dietitian.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

• Demonstrate proficiency in clinical skills for patients in various age categories including infancy, adolescents, adults, and geriatrics.
• Demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills, customer service, and verbal/written communications skills.
• Demonstrate understanding of the principles of Relationship Based Care

General Skill Requirements

In addition to the Essential Functions and Qualifications listed above, to perform the job successfully an individual must also possess the following General Skill Requirements.

• Adaptability – Adapts to changes in the work environment; Manages competing demands; Accepts criticism and feedback; Changes approach or method to best fit the situation; ability to work with frustrating situations; work under pressure and on an irregular schedule such as unscheduled overtime, unanticipated changes in work pace; Works with numerous distractions.
• Attendance and Punctuality – Schedules time off in advance; Begins working on time; Keeps absences within guidelines; Ensures work responsibilities are covered when absent; Arrives at meetings and appointments on time.
• Communications – Expresses ideas and thoughts verbally; Expresses ideas and thoughts in written form; Exhibits good listening and comprehension; Keeps others adequately informed; Selects and uses appropriate communication methods.
• Concentration – Maintains attention to detail over extended period of time; continually aware of variations in changing situations.
• Cooperation – Establishes and maintains effective relations; Exhibits tact and consideration; Displays positive outlook and pleasant manner; Offers assistance and support to co-workers; Works cooperatively in group situations; Works actively to resolve conflicts.
• Job Knowledge – Competent in required job skills and knowledge; Exhibits ability to learn and apply new skills; Keeps abreast of current developments; Requires minimal supervision; Displays understanding of how job relates to others; Uses resources effectively.
• Judgment – Displays willingness to make decisions; Exhibits sound and accurate judgment; Supports and explains reasoning for decisions; Includes appropriate people in decision-making process; Makes timely decisions; ability to work with and maintain confidential information.
• Organization- Maintain organizational skills in order to efficiently perform daily tasks and complete daily workload.
• Problem solving – Identifies problems in a timely manner; Gathers and analyzes information skillfully; Develops alternative solutions; Resolves problems in early stages; Works well in group problem solving situations.
• Quality – Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness; Displays commitment to excellence; Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; Applies feedback to improve performance; Monitors own work to ensure quality.
• Quantity – Meets productivity standards; Completes work in timely manner; Strives to increase productivity; Works quickly; Achieves established goals.
• Supervision – ability to perform work independently or with minimal supervision; ability to assign and/or review work; train and/or evaluate other employees.

Environmental Factors

This position is performed within an environment of minimal exposure to irritating, unpleasant, or hazardous elements or conditions.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• While performing the duties of the job the employee is required to sit and move through an office environment.
• The employee will be required to work in an environment of infectious disease.

• The employee will demonstrate the ability to attend to visual details.
• The employee will be able to function in an environment with alarm bells, telephones, and other sounds

Mental Demands

• Ability to work under stress and to adapt changing conditions.
• Analyze information or data.
• Plan sequence of operations or actions.
• Make decisions of moderate to substantial effects, with a variety of alternatives and moderate to substantial consequences.
• Use logic to define problems, collect information, establish facts, draw valid conclusions, interpret information, deal with abstract variables.
• Comprehend written basic instructions, safety rules, and office memoranda at a high school graduate level.
• Ability to compose written communication using standard business English at a high school graduate level.
• Ability to comprehend verbal sentences and instructions at a high school graduate level.
• Ability to converse in Standard English at a high school graduate level.

Note

Reasonable accommodations may be made to assist an otherwise qualified individual in the performance of the job.  In order to meet the needs of the Company employees may be assigned other duties, in addition to or in lieu of those described above.