Health Technician (Dietetic)/Nutrition Communication Center Coordinator

The position works in the Nutrition Communication Center (NCC) as the NCC Coordinator,
located in the Ralph H. Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The employee works with Nutrition and Food Service information systems and is responsible for maintaining the dietary software program and other informatics systems and resolving issues related to the N&FS systems as they arise throughout the medical center.

Qualifications:

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations: Clinical Dietetic Technician, GS-06.(
1) Experience. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade. NOTE: Possession of the Dietetic Technician, Registered (DTR) credential can be substituted for the one year of specialized experience.
(2) Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to meeting the experience or certification requirements for this grade level, the candidate must fully demonstrate the following KSAs:
(a) Knowledge of nutrition screening process.
(b) Knowledge of programs and systems used to manage patient diet orders and preferences.
(c) Skill in conducting diet education to selected groups of patients and individuals.
(d) Ability to work collaboratively with patients and coworkers to provide nutrition care.

• Experience and/or Education.
  • (1) Education. Completion of an associate's or higher degree program in Dietetic Technology, Dietetics or another related field of study that is accredited by ACEND®. A list of ACEND® accredited programs are located on the ACEND® website or at ACEND Accredited Programs Directory (https://www.eatrightpro.org/acend/accredited-programs/program-directory). OR
  • (2) Experience. Completion of one (1) year of clinical experience in dietetics, and the possession of an active Certified Dietary Manager (CDM) certification. The experience must have been received after possession of the CDM certification. OR
  • (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying.
• Licensure/Certification/Registration.
  • (1) List of Licensure/Certification/Registration. Possession of the DTR credential from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), the credentialing agency of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
  • (2) Exception for Non-registered CDT
    • (a) Non- registered applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for licensure, may be given a temporary appointment as a CDT under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2).
    • (b) Non-registered individuals shall only provide care under the supervision of a credentialed CDT at or above the full performance level.
    • (c) Non-registered individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained.
    • (d) Temporary appointments of non-registered CDTs may not be extended beyond two years or converted to a new temporary appointment.
• Physical Requirements. You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.
• English Language Proficiency. CDT candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Preferred Experience: Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Routine work requires repetitive motion activities of the hands and fingers for extensive phone, keyboard, and computer mouse use, standing and sitting for extended periods of time, intermittent/non-strenuous ambulation around all areas of the medical center, and carrying light objects items such as papers, books, portable scales, and food trays.

Occasionally, duties may require the movement of audio-visual equipment and/or the classroom area
organization and driving an automobile.

Work Environment: The majority of work is performed in an office setting or kitchen setting and involves everyday risks that require normal safety precautions typical of places such as kitchens, offices, meetings, training rooms, or libraries. The employee may, in certain instances, be exposed to
contagious disease and interact with veterans who may have behavioral health issues. Work required to be performed in a kitchen setting may involve exposure to wet floors and hazards of food
processing and serving equipment.

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for resolving IT issues relating to integration of VISTA, Get Well Network/Touch Tone Dining and Nutrition and Food Service System, i.e., Computrition, or any other Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) program.
• Develops and updates nutrient data base on nutrition analysis of menu items served.
• Responsible for making menu/recipe changes and all necessary updates in food service system (any COTS program).
• Ensures that all recipes are standardized and costed.
• Performs system updates as needed to ensure efficiency and accuracy of system.
• Maintains the overall quality of the NFS computer operations and provides input for implementing new and modified programs.
• Consults with COTS contractor when unable to resolve issues internally.
• Assures menus (electronic or paper) are set up in a user-friendly manner for Veterans.
• Troubleshot and resolves all electronic or paper menu issues throughout facility.
• Consults with clinical nutrition staff to resolve tray ticket issues with complex diets. As needed, develops and maintains Veterans' database.
• Responsible for creating electronic reports per local standard operating procedure (SOP) and worksheets necessary for food service operations.
• Provides training for all Nutrition and Food Services (NFS) employees on computer systems and security issues.
• Follows all applicable regulations and law regarding the use of computer operations systems, software, electronic documents and files, activating printers, managing reports, utilizing intranet and internet resources, and managing e-mail and calendar functions.
• Serves as Nutrition Communication Center (NCC) liaison between Veterans, multidisciplinary healthcare staff, and NFS.
• As the NCC Coordinator, resolves all COTS and menu selection issues for veterans throughout the facility.
• Develops and leads employee customer service training and maintains a customer service plan for NFS.
• Employee may train individuals or groups as appropriate.
• Participates in performance improvement activities by assisting in the development of indicators and monitors, data collection and analysis, corrective actions and preparation of required reports.
• Complies with regulatory agency standards, including state, federal and The Joint Commission (TJC).
• Performs other directly related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Variable shifts between 5:30am and 6:30pm, Monday through Friday
Compressed/Flexible:May be Authorized
Telework: Ad-Hoc may be Authorized
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Salary : $45,409