Nutritionist RD - Hourly

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)

Sea Mar Community Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) founded in 1978, is a community-based organization committed to providing quality, comprehensive health, human, housing, educational and cultural services to diverse communities, specializing in service to Latinos in Washington State. Sea Mar proudly serves all persons without regard to race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, or sexual orientation, and regardless of ability to pay for services. Sea Mar's network of services includes more than 90 medical, dental, and behavioral health clinics and a wide variety of nutritional, social, and educational services. We are recruiting for the following position:

Full-time Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) needed for our Medical Nutrition Therapy program in Tacoma, WA, and other Pierce County clinics. While in this position, the RD will work closely with the medical providers, Health Educator, Chronic Care Coordinators, and other clinical team members in an outpatient setting. The RD is responsible for providing evidence-based nutrition education and counseling to pediatric and adult patients referred by the Primary Care Provider in individual and group settings. Nutritional conditions frequently encountered in our clinics include diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, heart disease, and other chronic diseases. The RD will also work with patients with food allergies, GI conditions, disordered eating, weight management, pediatric nutrition, and other health concerns.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Maintains complete and up-to-date charts and statistical program records, but not limited to: Documents assessment, treatment, and plan of action from counseling session in the medical record according to protocol. Establishes and maintains professional working relationships with team members and other Sea Mar staff. Serves as a liaison between Nutrition and/or WIC and other clinic and community services and makes referrals as appropriate. Assists with the clerical and statistical program work as needed. Attends selected clinic, MSS, and PHS Department, and participates in continuing education as needed. Acts as a preceptor for dietetic interns, as appropriate. The Registered Dietitian shall follow all organizational and departmental policies and procedures.

Clinical Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT):

• Demonstrates knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served.
• Demonstrates knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span.
• Able to identify and categorize each patient's age-specific grouping needs, such as those for infant, adolescent, or geriatric patients.
• Interviews clients from diverse populations, reviews and documents client history, anthropometric and laboratory data, and reviews current eating habits.
• Uses standard assessment tools and follows department policies and practices to perform screening procedures such as weighing and measuring, and reviewing dietary evaluations.
• Maintains patient rights and confidentiality: documents vendor and participant complaints and infractions.
• Provides program orientation, nutrition requirements, and assists in scheduling client appointments, considering all programmatic and client needs.
• Provides individual and group nutrition education according to program guidelines, utilizing client-appropriate methods and materials.
• Provides Medical, MSS, and patient nutritional assessment and nutrition counseling. Facilitates appointment time through scheduling and following up on failed appointments according to protocol, coordinates services with other health professionals, and cooperates with other departments. Documents assessment, treatment, and plan of action from counseling session in Medical record according to protocol.

Conditions of Employment:

• This person must sign an oath of permanent confidentiality covering all patient-related information.
• This person must have a clear background check from the Washington State Patrol.
• Must have and maintain a TB test annually.
• This position must obtain Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR before hire date and is required to maintain current BLS CPR throughout employment.

Qualifications:

• Works efficiently with self-direction. Proactively solves problems.
• Possess ability to deal patiently and empathetically with multicultural clientele, even under stressful conditions.
• Demonstrate ability to work cooperatively as a member of the health care team.
• Positive attitude, personal flexibility and the ability to prioritize is essential.

Language Skills:

• Possess an ability to read, to analyze, and to interpret professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
• Also demonstrate ability to write medical chart notes as well as reports requested by the Nutrition Program Manager.
• Possess the ability to develop and write nutrition education materials, provide information through effective presentations and respond to questions from groups of staff, clients, customers, and the general public.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish or other as identified by patient need) or bicultural preferred.

Mathematical Skills:

• Possess ability to add, to subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
• Possess ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

Reasoning Ability:

• Possess ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Possess ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Education, Certificates, Licenses, Registrations, and Medical Screening:

• Possess a Bachelor's or Master's degree in nutrition from an accredited university.
• Completed an accredited dietetic internship program or Coordinated Undergraduate Program in Dietetics.
• WA State Registration and Certification for Dietitian, and CDR RD Credential.
• The experience should reveal a demonstrated interest in nutrition services and nutrition education.
• Experience in a community nutrition setting with an interest in basic nutrition and childhood development is desirable.
• Pre-hire and annual employee health screening required.
• Annual influenza vaccine required. The only exception is for employees with a medical or religious exemption approved by Administration. Employees with an approved medical or religious exemption must wear a mask at all time during the flu season.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a community nutrition setting with an interest in weight management, diabetes education and pediatric nutrition is desired.
• Minimum of 1-2 years experience in outpatient or similar nutrition setting is highly preferred.
• Current Adult/Pediatric CPR certification.

Additional Requirements:

• Owns or has access to an insured vehicle for home visits and performance of duties at various Sea Mar locations.
• Able to work flexible hours, as the clientele requires.
• Able to travel within Western Washington in a timely manner performing work described above.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to moderately high.

Physical Requirements:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear.
• The employee is frequently required to stand and sit.
• The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• Must be able to lift 35 pounds above 4 feet without assistance.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
• Able to sit at computer terminal or desk for extended periods of time.

Hourly - Hourly Plan, 34.40 USD Hourly

What We Offer:

Sea Mar offers talented and motivated people the opportunity to work in a dynamic and growing community health organization. Working at Sea Mar Community Health Centers is more than just a job, it's a fulfilling career with opportunity for advancement. The fringe benefits surpass most companies. For example, Full-time employees working 30 hours or more, receive an excellent benefit package of:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Prescription coverage
• Life Insurance
• Long Term Disability
• EAP (Employee Assistance Program)
• Paid-time-off starting at 24