Renal Dietitian

Renal Dietitian The Division of Pediatrics Nephrology in the University of Utah, School of Medicine has an immediate opening for a Clinical Dietitian. The Clinical Dietitian will work with departmental and interdisciplinary health care team to provide patient care that is integrated and compatible with patient-centered medical goals and objectives. This position is responsible for assessing the nutritional status, identifying nutritional concerns, and developing, implementing and evaluating outcomes of nutrition care plans for patients at nutritional risk. If you are interested in becoming part of a team whose mission is to improve the lives of children, we invite you to consider this opportunity. Benefits Excellent healthcare coverage at affordable rates 14.2% retirement contributions Generous paid leave time 11 paid Holidays per year 50% tuition reduction for employees, spouses, and dependent children Flex spending accounts University provided basic employee life insurance coverage equal to a salary of up to $25,000 Variety of elective insurance coverage, including life insurance, short and long-term disability, accidental death & dismemberment, accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, and pet Free transit on most UTA services Employee discounts on a variety of products and services, including cell phones & plans, entertainment, health and fitness, restaurants, retail, and travel Professional development opportunities Responsibilities Conduct comprehensive nutritional assessments for patients' nutritional needs by collecting, recording, and interpreting data from patients, clients, family members, caregivers, and other individuals and groups. Assess pediatric renal patients' nutritional status, growth and development and screen for potential nutritional risks in pediatric nephrology, pediatric dialysis, and pediatric kidney transplant clinic and as inpatient at PCH as appropriate. Provide nutrition therapy for patients with chronic kidney disease utilizing ongoing laboratory data, food records and growth patterns as the basis for determining dietary recommendations. Organize and categorize the data in a meaningful framework that links nutrition assessment parameters with nutrition diagnoses and determine when a problem requires consultation with or referral to another provider. Interpret medical, laboratory and dietary parameters to determine diet/formula recommendations. Review and evaluate patients' diet history, anthropometric measures, and pertinent lab values and assess nutritional needs based on DRI's for age, medical condition and therapies, and medications. This includes oral, enteral, and parenteral needs as appropriate. Communicate laboratory results and changes to diet/medication therapy to patients and providers and provide diet education to patients/parents as needed. Recommend appropriate feeding modality, diet, or nutrition support (oral, enteral, parenteral) for macro and micronutrients and fluids in collaboration with pediatric nephrologist and monitor patients' response to the daily nutrient intake making appropriate recommendations for nutritional intervention when necessary. Work cooperatively with health care providers, patient/client/caregivers to implement and communicate the nutrition care plan and expected outcomes. Coordinate with pediatric nephrology providers and pediatric nephrology nurses to submit documentation to insurance companies for medication and formula coverage as needed. Provide patient education on nutritional needs and/or therapeutic diets to pediatric renal patients on both an inpatient and outpatient service basis and develop new approaches for educating patients and families. Teach nutrition, nursing, medical students, residents and other health care providers about diet therapy for patients with chronic kidney disease. Conduct in-services and educational presentations for hospital and department staff and oversee the development and revision of specialized patient education materials, clinical forms, and protocols. Participate in outcome measure initiatives to validate nutrition program performance and create reports. Participate as an interdisciplinary team member of the Pediatric Nephrology Team, including dialysis and kidney transplant. Maintain accurate record keeping of daily clinical activities, including information for scheduling and billing. Maintain records of patients' dietary prescriptions, growth and nutritional status, and education/counseling sessions in EMR. Complete WIC orders and home care orders for enteral nutrition needs of patients on formula and/or nutrition support. Rotate on-call responsibilities with other renal dietitian to provide inpatient nutrition consultation for hospitalized renal patients including dialysis and transplant patients and pediatric nephrology patients requiring renal diet modifications/nutrition support. Average on-call requirement is 1-2 weeks per month. This consists of being available via email/phone to the on-call pediatric nephrologist Monday-Friday 8am-5pm, excluding weekends and holidays. Participate in Pediatric Nephrology inpatient rounds as needed. May enter nutrition-related orders, as defined by University of Utah Registered Dietitian Order Writing Protocol. Participate in division-based research and quality improvement projects. Work in close collaboration with all members of the renal transplant and dialysis teams to provide optimal communication and enhancement of patient nutritional care, education and research. Responsible for keeping updated on developments in clinical nutrition in pediatric renal kidney disease and maintaining up-to-date standards of practice. In-person attendance in outpatient clinics at Primary Children’s Hospital Salt Lake City and Lehi campuses. Available for virtual outpatient visits for selected patients in general nephrology clinics. Problem Solving Demonstrated potential ability to perform the essential functions as outlined above. Ability to provide care to the population served. Demonstrated knowledge of the principles of life span growth and development. Ability to assess data regarding the patient's status and provide care as described in the department's policies and procedures manual. Demonstrated computer literacy skills, including wordprocessing, nutrient analysis, and spreadsheet software. Demonstrated human relations and effective communication skills. Ability to educate individuals with various levels of education and understanding. Knowledge of nutrition-related order entry to include applicability of ordering pertinent lab values, swallowing evaluations, and inpatient/outpatient consults to ancillary services that align with patients' nutrition care plan. Demonstrated service excellence for patient and family-centered care by showing respect, honesty, fairness, and a positive attitude toward all customers. Demonstrated accountability with the rules for use and disclosure of patient/client protected health information required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Advanced knowledge of human physiology, biochemistry, and metabolism as it relates to clinical nutrition status, food chemistry, nutrient composition, and dietary analysis. Knowledge of federal requirements set forth under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation (CoP) and/or Conditions of Coverage (CoC) in order to receive Medicare/Medicaid payment. Disclaimer: This job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to the job. Employee must be able to meet the following requirements with or without an accommodation. This position involves light work that may exert up to 20 pounds and may consistently require light work involving lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling or otherwise moving objects involving patient care or medical equipment. The staff member must be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served on his or her assigned unit. The individual must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of life span growth and development and the ability to assess data regarding the patient's status and provide care as described in the department's policies and procedures manual. Minimum Qualifications Registered Dietitian with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Current License to practice as a Certified Dietitian in the State of Utah. Preferred Two years of clinical/practical experience or equivalency (one year of education can be substituted for two years of related work experience). Nutrition Focused Physical Exam (NFPE) Training. This position is patient-sensitive and must fulfill all associated requirements. We protect our patients, coworkers and community by requiring all patient-sensitive employees to be immunized according to CDC standards and hospital policy. Limited exemptions may be made for documented medical contraindications or religious beliefs that object to vaccinations. Applicants must demonstrate the potential ability to perform the essential functions of the job as outlined in the position description. #J-18808-Ljbffr