Description

Under supervision manage, implement and monitor nutritional care plans including provision of Medical Nutrition Therapy under medical direction for patients.

Typical Tasks

• Performs initial and follow-up nutrition assessment of patients;
• Identifies patients with nutritional issues associated with various diseases and risk factors.
• Develops MNT plans and goals for patients identified at high nutritional risk;
• Confers and consults with physicians and other healthcare team members as needed on MNT plans and goals;
• Evaluates patient responses to MNT treatment plans and recommends appropriate actions to help improve medical conditions by tracking weight gains and losses, calculating dietary requirements, monitoring laboratory data and direct observation;
• Interprets the special dietary needs of patients in specialty areas including pediatric and adult intensive care units, medical-surgical floors, mother-infant care unit, renal care unit;
• In specialty areas provides appropriate MNT recommendations to the medical team;
• Counsels patients; documents nutritional recommendations and interventions in patient medical records if in a hospital or clinical setting;
• Provides technical guidance to dietetic personnel;
• Instructs and supervises dietetic personnel in the preparation, distribution and serving of diets;
• Conducts in-service training classes for department, physicians, residents and other health care professionals; provides technical assistance to physicians, community groups, schools, private and public agencies on dietetic principles, safety, and sanitation;
• Creates and maintains a database for case tracking, retrieval of information, and maintenance of computer files; performs research to complete database as needed;
• Performs other related work as required.

Employment Standards

Possession of a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited university in Dietetics, Nutrition and Food Science or Related Science. Possession of a Registered Dietitian (RD) certificate issued by the Commission of Dietetic Registration (CDR), the credentialing agency for the American Dietetic Association, as mandated by State of California law.
Two (2) years work experience equivalent to a Dietitian I in the County of Santa Clara.
Required Licenses/Certifications
Clinical Dietitian IIs are required to maintain Registered Dietitian (RD) certification through continuing education requirements of the CDR.
Knowledge of:

• Principles, methods and techniques of nutritional assessment and care planning including nutrient composition of foods, pathologies of disease and impact on biochemical laboratory values and anthropometric measurements, drug-nutrient interactions and the effect of medical nutrition therapy. Demonstrate understanding of nutritional needs of various disease states such as renal failure, liver failure, multiple system organ failure, necrotizing enterocolitis, critical illness in the morbidly obese, diabetes, failure to thrive, malnutrition and other disease states;
• Studies used to determine the effectiveness of nutrition interventions such as calorie count studies, nitrogen-balance studies, urea kinetic modeling, indirect calorimetry, skin fold thickness measurements and other studies;
• Nutritional needs throughout the life cycle (infancy, pediatrics, adults and geriatrics) and general influences of socioeconomic, cultural and psychological factors on food and nutritional behavior;
• Principles, methods and techniques of education and counseling;
• Concepts of research and methodology including design, statistical methods of collecting and analyzing data;
• Special diet requirements of the different types of patients in a general hospital;
• Food safety, hospital kitchen practices, procedures, and equipment;
• Continuous Quality Improvement Processes;
• Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) standards affecting dietetic and food service practices;
• State and Federal laws and regulations affecting dietetic and food service practices;
• Common office software including word processing, spreadsheets and databases.
  Ability to:
• Interpret and apply scientific research outcomes in the provision of nutrition care.
• Consult with other professional staff regarding the relationship between nutrition and specific medical/physical conditions and medications;
• Plan special diets as needed;
• Design, use and evaluate nutrition education methods and material;
• Instruct employees and others concerning dietary matters;
• Prepare records and reports, and operate computer systems and databases;
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with individuals of diverse cultural, ethnic, and educational backgrounds;
• Maintain effective relationships with employees and patients.
  Interpret and apply scientific research outcomes in the provision of nutrition care.
• Consult with other professional staff regarding the relationship between nutrition and specific medical/physical conditions and medications;
• Plan special diets as needed;
• Design, use and evaluate nutrition education methods and material.