Dietitian (Clinical)

Summary Employees in this assignment serve as a Dietitian (Clinical) within the Clinical Section of NFS at the St Cloud VA Health Care System. Clinical Dietitians coordinate nutritional care of Veterans with other health care providers, the Veteran, the Veteran's caregiver, and the community. They interpret research and utilize whole health principles to develop patient-centered goals and improve outcomes. Qualifications United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) or Registered Dietitian (RD) – Must be registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), the credentialing branch of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics formerly known as the American Dietetic Association (ADA) Exception for GS-07 and GS-09 only: Dietitians who do not possess the RDN/RD credential Non-credentialed Dietitians who otherwise meet the basic qualification requirements and have fulfilled the requirements below – but do not possess the RDN credential – may be given a full-time temporary appointment not to exceed one year under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405(c)(2) May only be appointed at the GS-07 or GS-09 level and may not be promoted/converted until they obtain their RDN credential Non-credentialed Dietitians must have fulfilled each of the following: Earned a bachelor's or higher degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university or foreign equivalent Foreign Education: To be creditable – college and/or university degrees earned outside the U.S. and its territories must be evaluated by ACEND and meet ACEND's International Dietitian Education standards which are designed to provide graduates with the knowledge and competencies to sit for the CDR credentialing exam Completed an ACEND accredited experiential or supervised practice program and provide a verification statement from the program director that conveys eligibility to take the CDR registration exam as a prospective RDN A list of ACEND accredited programs are located on the ACEND website or at ACEND Accredited Programs Directory Current VHA Dietitians that qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision may not be promoted to a higher grade if they do not meet the current RDN/RD requirements Grade Determinations: Dietitian (Clinical) – GS-07 experience or education Dietitian (Clinical) – GS-09 experience: At least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level – GS-7 or education Master’s degree from a regionally accredited university or college (transcripts required) AND Knowledge – Skills and Abilities In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of various accrediting and regulatory requirements Knowledge of virtual technology to provide nutrition care Ability to deliver patient care using the NCP (e.g. assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation) Ability to apply evidence-based nutrition practices to improve patient outcomes Ability to develop patient-centered goals Ability to collect data for performance improvement studies Ability to collaborate with stakeholders Dietitian (Clinical) – GS-11 experience: At least one year of experience as an RDN equivalent to the next lower grade – GS-9 AND Knowledge – Skills and Abilities In addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Skill in delivering patient care using the NCP (e.g. assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation) Skill in interpreting research to apply evidence-based nutrition practices to improve patient outcomes Skill in developing patient-centered goals Skill in analyzing data for performance improvement studies Skill in collaborating with stakeholders Ability to comply with various accrediting, regulatory and agency authorities Preferred experience: Experience in outpatient care Knowledgeable in disease states such as diabetes, cardiac, renal, obesity, malnutrition, oral nutrition support and nutrition support Physical requirements: Applicant 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 the evaluation or examination The full performance level of this vacancy is 11 The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 7 to 11 Duties Conduct comprehensive nutrition assessments using the Nutritional Care Process (NCP) – including nutrition-focused physical examinations – to establish a nutrition diagnosis and determine risk and/or degree of malnutrition Develop and implement Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) to address the nutrition diagnosis – evaluate and monitor the effectiveness and outcomes of MNT interventions – modify the plan as needed to achieve positive patient outcomes Calculate nutrient requirements and necessary diet restrictions or food and drug interactions tailoring the diet prescription to each individual patient Document MNT in the medical record using the Assessment – Diagnosis – Intervention – Monitoring – Evaluation (ADIME) format Function independently and accurately when keeping records Identify patients in need of nutritional support and recommend the appropriate mode of support and communicate appropriately with the health care team Actively participate in formal and informal interdisciplinary team meetings Assess educational needs and provide nutrition education / counseling for individuals and groups tailored to the Veteran(s) Utilize virtual care technology to improve access to care Maintain productivity standards Maintain accurate record keeping of daily clinical activities and complete patient encounters using approved systems Ensure continuous improvement of safe and quality care of Veterans Lead activities in the implementation of new initiatives Use data in the development of measures – data evaluation – and initiation of corrective actions Comply with The Joint Commission requirements and other accrediting agency standards to ensure safe and quality patient care Collaborate with the Food Operations Section and department leadership to enhance the Veterans' dining experience – support patient satisfaction – and serve as a liaison between clinical units and the Food Operations Section May perform other related duties as assigned which are appropriate for this grade and assignment Work schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm Telework: Not Authorized Relocation/Recruitment incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified applicants Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized #J-18808-Ljbffr