Summary This position serves as a Clinical Dietetic Technician in the Nutrition and Food Services section of the VA Medical Center in Northport, New York and, as an Interdisciplinary Care Team member, is responsible for providing a high-level of technical assistance and support to the Clinical Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in providing all steps of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Nutrition Care Process.

Responsibilities Major duties and responsibilities will include : Works collaboratively with the Clinical Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) Obtains, verifies, and interprets data needed to identify nutrition-related problems, their causes, and their significance Uses data obtained from the nutrition assessment to identify the chief nutrition problem, its etiology, and the signs and symptoms to support the diagnosis Develops and implementing the clinical nutrition care plan to address and manage the nutrition diagnosis Communicates, monitors, and documents (in the medical record) the response to nutrition therapy in accordance with regulatory standards Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule : 6a-2 : 30p or 10 : 30a-7pm may include holiday and weekends Position Description Title / PD# : Clinical Dietetic Tech / PD99792S Physical Requirements : The work requires walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items, such as meal trays, instruction material, books and manuals.

Some of the work is sedentary, such as computer activities. Computer entry of electronic progress notes, entailing multiple episodes of keyboard strokes is a daily responsibility.

It may be necessary to push electronic equipment and arrange classroom areas in preparation of classes. Work Environment : Work is performed in a hospital, requiring normal safety precautions typical of a Medical Center with critically ill Veterans, psychiatric, Rehabilitation and Extended Care Center, Domiciliary and / or Ambulatory Care Units, and involves some exposure to contagious disease.

You must observe normal safety precautions while working in an office setting with electrical and stationary equipment and use correct lifting techniques.

Discomfort may exist due to ventilating system and / or humidity changes in various offices. Universal Blood / Body fluid precautions may necessitate protective equipment be work in situations of potential exposure.

Promotion Potential : The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met.

Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT : To meet the basic education requirement, all applicants must have successfully completed a course of study in an accredited college leading to an associate's degree in Dietetic Technology with an emphasis in Nutrition Care or the equivalent post-secondary education?

Education must have included instruction in nutrition care / diet therapy, the natural sciences (e.g. anatomy, physiology, biochemistry), social sciences (e.

g. psychology, sociology), food sciences, medical terminology, communications, and education. In addition, education must have included supervised field experience in a hospital or similar clinical setting.

Note : Copies of pertinent transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application. Education will not be credited without documentation.

AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY : In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.

You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS : In addition to meeting the basic education requirement and English proficiency, to qualify for this position, you must meet one of the following : To qualify at the GS-4 grade level : Applicants who meet the basic education requirements described above are fully qualified for the GS-4 grade level.

To qualify at the GS-5 grade level : Experience : You must possess at least six (6) months of progressively responsible specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-4) in the field of clinical dietetic technology in which you have demonstrated successful use on the following knowledges, skills, abilities and other characteristics : Knowledge of human nutrition requirements in health and disease Ability to gather data from the medical record and document information pertinent to nutritional care Ability to monitor and influence the patient's nutritional intake Ability to provide nutrition education for selected groups of patients Skill in patient interviewing and nutrition counseling Ability to interact and communicate orally with people from a variety of backgrounds, and Ability to function effectively in a support position within a Clinical Dietetic section of a general medical and surgical and / or psychiatric hospital.

• Qualifying specialized experience includes : Performing nutrition screening, assessing meal intakes and adjusting meal plans as appropriate;
• Providing nutrition education; Communicating with patients and other health care team members regarding patients' nutritional needs;

Using nutrition technology applications; and Assessing the effectiveness of nutrition care plans, documenting care plans using the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) guidelines.

To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned).

Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-05.

For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.

e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

To qualify at the GS-6 grade level : Experience : You must possess at least one (1) year of progressively responsible specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-5) in the field of clinical dietetic technology in which you have demonstrated successful use on the following knowledges, skills, abilities, and other characteristics : Knowledge of human nutrition requirements in health and disease Ability to gather data from the medical record and document information pertinent to nutritional care Ability to monitor and influence the patient's nutritional intake Ability to provide nutrition education for selected groups of patients Skill in patient interviewing and nutrition counseling Ability to interact and communicate orally with people from a variety of backgrounds, and;

Ability to function effectively in a support position within a Clinical Dietetic section of a general medical and surgical and / or psychiatric hospital.

• Qualifying specialized experience includes : Developing and revising nutrition care plans; Interpreting significance of abnormal laboratory values related to nutritional status;
• Performing nutrition screening, assessing meal intakes and adjusting meal plans as appropriate; Providing nutrition education;
• Communicating with patients and other health care team members regarding patients' nutritional needs; Using nutrition technology applications;

and Assessing the effectiveness of nutrition care plans, documenting care plans using the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) guidelines.

There is no educational substitution for the GS-06 level. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position : Patient Care - Knowledge of direct patient care techniques, including activities of daily living (ADLs), ambulating patients, infection control, and emergency response;

uses appropriate safety precautions. Food Service - Knowledge of preparing and serving food for consumption. Clinical Data Collection / Documentation - Gathers / documents essential and accurate information about patients such as medical history, vital signs, chief complaints, allergies, pertinent health problems, current medications.

• Technical Competence - Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on the job experience to perform one's job;
• works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues. Communication - Effectively expresses information to multiple audiences through clear, convincing oral and written communications;
• demonstrates logical thinking when describing facts and concepts, and shapes communications to meet the needs of a specific audience;

actively listens to others and demonstrates understanding of their comments and / or questions. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.

g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community;

student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.

You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Education Note : Only education or degrees recognized by the U.

S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment.

You can verify your education here : If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.

Additional Information VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies.

This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. The following will be communicated to applicants for VA employment in a testing designated position and will also be included in all VA vacancy announcements for such positions : All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drugs use prior to appointment.

Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies.

To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job.

VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service.

This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

Last updated : 2024-03-08