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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.

Required Skills

1. Develops and delivers patient nutrition education lectures on a routine basis.

1. Participates regularly with the multidisciplinary Bariatric Committee and Medical Weight Loss Committee which meet regularly to review program activities and resolve operational problems or concerns.

1. Provides clinical and outcomes data through program’s electronic database.

1. Utilizes facility electronic health record system for efficient production of evaluation reports and progress notes.

1. 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.

1. Participates in ongoing educational events for health care professionals and the public related to bariatric surgery, medical weight loss, diabetes and wellness.

1. Develops and coordinates all aspects of the nutrition care plan for patients in the Weight Loss and Wellness Center, which may also include bariatric surgery patients.

1. Documents all aspects of nutrition care to ensure that regulatory agencies’ standards are met and to provide communication to all team members.

1. Arranges for follow-up nutrition care subsequent to discharge or transfer.

1. Nutrition plans show application of evidence-based medical nutrition therapy.

1. Monitors monthly lab results for post-operative bariatric patients as well as medical weight loss patients. Communicates results in a timely manner to patients and referring physician(s) and provides consultation to physicians as to plan of care.

1. Participates in support group activities for patients of the center.

1. Participates and leads cooking classes, grocery store tours and other community events related to Memorial Weight Loss and Wellness Center and Memorial Bariatric Services.

1. Contributes written nutrition education materials for program newsletters.

1. Participates in department quality improvement initiatives.

1. Collaborates with department and satellite location dietitian staff and director to ensure nutrition clinical pathways and protocols are standardized and compliant with current evidence based guidelines.

1. Performs other related work as required or requested.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job.  Incumbents may be requested to perform tasks other than those specifically presented in this description

Required Skills

• Assesses patients’ nutritional status according to established standards.

• Obtains necessary information from the medical record to determine patient’s nutritional status

• Develops and documents nutritional care plans for patients of any age including neonate, child, adolescent, geriatric and terminally ill patients

• Develops and documents nutritional care plans based on the cultural orientation of the patient.

• 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.

• Evaluates the results of nutritional intervention on the patient’s nutritional status to determine the need to revise the nutritional plan of care.

• Improves patient’s nutritional status by consulting with physician on appropriate nutritional interventions.

• Assists in developing and implementing patient nutrition care programs and ensures consistency of programs.

• Interacts professionally with patient/family. Provides nutritional teaching and counseling to patient/family in making desired changes in eating habits.

• Provide nutritional assessment and follow-up for nutritional support patients

• Screen inpatients not identified at risk when hospitalized for more than 7 days

• Collect performance improvement data.

• Provide training for diet office staff.

• Serve as preceptor for dietetics students

• Performs other related work as required or requested.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job.  Incumbents may be requested to perform tasks other than those specifically presented in this description