What are the responsibilities and job description for the Clinical Dietitian- Per Diem/Day Shift position at Watsonville Community Hospital?
We are seeking a credentialed Registered Dietitian (RD/RDN) to join our inpatient clinical nutrition team on a per-diem basis.
This role is ideal for someone who’s confident in their clinical skills, can hit the ground running, and isn’t rattled by a fast-moving teaching hospital environment.
Minimum Requirements
- Current RD/RDN credential (CDR-verified).
- Bachelor’s or Master’s in Nutrition/Dietetics from an ACEND-accredited program.
- Recent inpatient clinical experience (acute care preferred).
- Ability to manage a high-acuity, diverse census with appropriate prioritization.
- Strong grasp of malnutrition diagnostics (ASPEN/GLIM), enteral/parenteral nutrition, and interdisciplinary care planning.
- Comfortable presenting or participating in teaching rounds with residents and medical teams.
What the Role Involves
- Providing evidence-based nutrition assessments, care plans, monitoring, and follow-up for adult and/or pediatric inpatients.
- Participating in IDT rounds, discussing nutrition goals clearly and concisely with physicians, nursing, pharmacy, and case management.
- Writing timely, thorough clinical notes that meet regulatory and hospital documentation standards.
- Following hospital policies for NPO clearance, risk scoring, diet advancement, EN/PN initiation, dysphagia diets (IDDSI), and specialty protocols.
- Supporting weekend and holiday coverage, census surges
Preferred Qualities
- Comfortable working independently without hand-holding, but collaborative when the situation calls for it.
- Strong educator mindset for helping residents, interns, and new staff understand nutrition implications.
- Flexible and reliable; shows up when scheduled, communicates clearly, and respects the workflow.
Why Work With Us
- We are a teaching hospital—you’ll collaborate with sharp interdisciplinary teams and stay current on best practices.
- You’ll have the chance to work with a wide variety of diagnoses, from critical care to med-surg to specialty services.
- Strong, supportive clinical leadership and a department that values RDs as true clinicians
Day Shift
Per-diem