Dietitian

Position Summary

The Registered Dietitian is directly responsible for the day-to‑day nutritional management and meal planning for clients at all levels of care in a highly specialized treatment facility.

Relationships and Contacts

Within the organization: Maintains frequent and close working relationships with the Executive Director, Business Development team members, Admissions team members, Nursing leadership, milieu leadership, and all clinical team members.

Outside the organization: Initiates and maintains professional working relationships with clients and their families, referral partners, clinical partners, and vendors, as needed.

Position Responsibilities

Essential Responsibilities

• Provides consultation with appropriate staff in screening client applications for the treatment program(s) based on nutritional status and making appropriate recommendations accordingly.
• Conducts initial nutritional assessments with each new client, including diet history, dietary preferences, weights, nutritional risk and eating disorder behaviors.
• Writes orders for meal plans, supplementation, protocols, and special dietary needs.
• Consults with the physicians on an as needed basis to ensure that the nutritional needs of individual clients are being met.
• Educates and counsels clients to increase awareness of the importance of nutritionally balanced diets in achieving good health and recovery.
• Formulates an individualized meal plan, nutritional care plan and set weight goals with each client.
• Adjusts nutrition care plans with the clients as needed. The incumbent will supervise meals/snacks and portioning as deemed necessary. S/he will provide on‑going nutritional consultations to clients and their families based on individual dietary needs.
• Follows meal plans, supplementation, protocols, and special dietary needs.
• Completes follow up assessments and appropriately summarizes the results.
• Participates in treatment team meetings and provides clinical recommendations.
• Evaluates and monitors clients’ compliance with their meal planning, provides grocery store education (including grocery store challenge).
• Maintains contact with clients’ outpatient dietitian to provide updates on progress and recommendations for discharge.
• Conducts nutrition group and cooking group, conducts individual weekly or twice weekly sessions with clients.
• Responsible for proper documentation and charting and ensure that all documentation is completed promptly.
• Approves menus, snacks for the clients, and ensures that the quality and quantity of food is adequate and works closely with the dietary care specialist team in meal planning for clients including food preferences and allergens.
• Sets up aftercare as it pertains to nutrition.

Additional Responsibilities

• Prepares reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing treatment and results data and trends.
• Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities, reading professional publications, maintaining personal networks, participating in professional organizations.
• Functions within the guidelines of the facility’s Code of Ethics and in accordance with corporate compliance.
• Reads, understands, adheres to, and models all company policy statements on ethics, conduct, and conflict of interests.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Position requires bachelor’s degree from an accredited four‑year college or university with major in nutrition/dietetics or a related field; Registered Dietitian with the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Must hold Registered Dietitian Licensure in Virginia. Position requires a minimum of 1 year experience in a behavioral healthcare setting, preferably with clients with eating disorders.

Physical Requirements

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required to communicate with peers, clients and/or vendors.
• Job performance will require the ability to move throughout the building as well as participate in activities outdoors and off facility grounds.
• Performs duties that require the employee to stand and walk for extended periods of time.
• May sit or remain stationary for periods of time.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to talk or hear, sit, stand, walk, reach, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, taste, or smell.
• Ability to move twenty‑five pounds.

Additional Requirements

• Position requires incumbent to have a valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record.
• Clearance of criminal background, TB test, and any other mandatory state/federal requirements.
• Current CPR and First Aid certification.

Skill Competencies

• Demonstrates the ability to accurately assess clients’ nutritional needs utilizing the standards of care.
• Demonstrates the ability to create and follow meal plans, supplementation, protocols, and special dietary needs.
• Demonstrates excellent written and verbal communication skills with a variety of individuals.
• Demonstrates the ability to review screening information and make recommendations based on nutritional status.
• Demonstrates the ability to conduct nutritional assessments including dietary history, preferences, weights, nutritional risk and eating disorder behaviors.
• Demonstrates the ability to collaborate with team members to ensure quality and quantity of food is adequate.
• Demonstrates cultural competency and respectful consideration of individual religious, cultural, and ethnic preferences when completing nutrition assessments.
• Demonstrates the ability to lead nutrition education groups.
• Demonstrates an ability to adapt to changes in the facility function, management styles, and facility routines.
• Demonstrates a commitment to the overall mission, vision, and values of the company.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Aster Spring’s provides equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, creed, ancestry, national origin, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, genetic information, service in the military, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Equal employment opportunity applies to all terms and conditions of employment. Aster Spring reserves the rights to modify, interpret, or apply this job description in any way the organization desires. This job description in no way implies that these are the only duties, including essential duties, to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities. This job description is not an employment contract, implied or otherwise. The employment relationship remains "At-Will".