Dietitian (Clinical)

Summary

Clinical Dietitians coordinate nutritional care of Veterans with other health care providers, the Veteran, the Veteran's caregiver and the community. Clinical Dietitians learn to interpret research, apply whole health principles and develop patientcentered goals. They collaborate with the Food Operations Section to enhance the Veterans' dining experience and ensure patient satisfaction. This position serves the outpatient Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) and is in an ambulatory setting.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

FUNCTIONS OR SCOPES OF PRACTICE

• Conducts 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.
• Develops and implements Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) to address the nutrition diagnosis, evaluates and monitors the effectiveness and outcomes of MNT interventions. Modifies the plan as needed to achieve positive patient outcomes.
• Documents MNT in the medical record using the Assessment, Diagnosis, Intervention, Monitoring, Evaluation (ADIME) format.
• Calculates nutrition requirements and necessary diet restrictions or food and drug interactions, tailoring the diet prescription to each individual patient.
• Identifies patients in need of nutritional support and recommends the appropriate mode of support and communicates appropriately with the health care team.
• Actively participates in formal and informal interdisciplinary team meetings.
• Assesses educational needs and provides nutrition education/counseling for individuals and groups that is tailored to the Veteran(s).
• Maintains productivity standards.
• Maintains accurate record keeping of daily clinical activities and complete patient encounters using approved systems. Participates in service-level strategic planning and implementation of new initiatives, policies, procedures, and goals.
• Supports service-level performance improvement activities to include development of measures, data collection, data evaluation, and initiation corrective actions.
• Complies with The Joint Commission requirements and other accrediting agency standards to ensure safe and quality patient care.
• Serves 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, 8:00am - 4:30pm, Flexible

Compressed/Flexible :Available with service's authorization.

Telework : Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 99529S

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements :

• United States Citizenship : Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Registration .
  1. All applicants must hold the RDN credential from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing agency of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Note: Applicants who hold the RDN credential have met the education requirement (e.g. bachelor's degree or higher) of CDR, as such this occupation is considered professional and scientific with a positive education requirement and the procedures in Part I, Chapter 4 of this Handbook will be followed when applying Veteran's preference.
  2. Exception for Dietitians who do not possess the RDN credential
     • Non-credentialed Dietitians who meet the basic qualification requirements and have fulfilled the requirements below, but do not possess the RDN credential, may be given a temporary full-time appointment not to exceed one year under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2). Non-credentialed Dietitians must have fulfilled each of the following:
       
       
       • Earned a bachelor's or higher degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college, university or foreign equivalent (refer to ii below).
       • 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 is located on the ACEND® website or at ACEND Accredited Programs Directory.
     • 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.
     • Non-credentialed Dietitians may only be appointed at the GS-07 or GS-09 grade level and may not be promoted/converted until they obtain their RDN credential.
  3. English Language Proficiency . Dietitian candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations : All individuals assigned to this occupation must meet all the basic qualification requirements.

Dietitian (Clinical), GS-07

• Experience or Education . None beyond the basic requirements.

Dietitian (Clinical), GS-09

1. Experience . At least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. OR
2. Education . Master's degree from a regionally accredited university or college.
3. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities . In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
   • (a) Knowledge of various accrediting and regulatory requirements.
   • (b) Knowledge of virtual technology to provide nutrition care.
   • (c) Ability to deliver patient care using the NCP (e.g., assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation).
   • (d) Ability to apply evidence-based nutrition practices to improve patient outcomes.
   • (e) Ability to develop patient-centered goals.
   • (f) Ability to collect data for performance improvement studies.
   • (g) Ability to collaborate with stakeholders.

Dietitian (Clinical), GS-11

1. Experience . At least one year of experience as an RDN equivalent to the next lower grade.
2. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities . In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
   • (a) Skill in delivering patient care using the NCP (e.g., assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation).
   • (b) Skill in interpreting research to apply evidence-based nutrition practices to improve patient outcomes.
   • (c) Skill in developing patient-centered goals.
   • (d) Skill in analyzing data for performance improvement studies.
   • (e) Skill in collaborating with stakeholders.
   • (f) Ability to comply with various accrediting, regulatory and agency authorities.

Preferred Experience: Outpatient/ambulatory nutrition experience, experience leading weight management groups or classes, experience utilizing motivational interviewing in individual and group settings. Experience with enteral nutrition education, assessment, and troubleshooting, and providing Medical Nutrition Therapy for a wide variety of diagnoses.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-7 to GS-11.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit:

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.