Registered Dietitian PRN

Nutrition Care Manager

Kindred Hospital Chattanooga is a 49-bed long-term acute care hospital, offering the same in-depth care you would receive in a traditional hospital, but for an extended recovery period. We partner with your physician and offer 24-hour clinical care 7 days a week so you can start your journey to wellness anytime.

Leadership

• Completes annual competency testing and maintains professional growth and development to maintain registration and licensure/certification.
• Performs job based on applicable federal, state, and local regulations, company policies and procedures and evidenced based clinical guidelines.
• Performs job within defined scope of practice.
• Participates in the planning of the department budget.
• Submits capital budget requests to the Controller/CFO.
• Participates in developing and implementing policies and procedures related to nutritional care of the patient.
• Participates in the hospital's Performance Improvement program by conducting aggregating, trending and acting on data for key clinical nutrition indicators.
• Annual QAPI department plan is developed with mandatory components. Monthly reports are taken to hospital committees as per facility policy.
• Monitors quality assurance in the kitchen by ensuring quality measures are routinely done; spot checking logs for accuracy, ensures safe sanitary conditions in the kitchen by completing kitchen safety/sanitation audits and test tray audits per policy.
• Participates in the survey process; instructs staff in matters of conduct and disclosure; always maintains a presence while surveyors are on site and directs the timely collection of information required by the survey team. Undertakes corrective action while survey is in progress if appropriate; works with other hospital departments to develop survey plan of correction as needed.
• Services on various committees as required by company standards, regulations, and/or appointment by immediate supervisor.

Direct Patient Care

• Conducts initial and reassessments on all patients admitted to the hospital.
• Ensure proper completion of documentation (assessments, care plans, education, discharge planning.
• Prescribes nutrition therapy to meet estimated needs and monitors tolerance.
• Provides ongoing reassessment to ensure optimal nutrition therapy is provided.
• Participates with Interdisciplinary Team meetings to develop, implement, and monitor nutrition care plans.
• Interviews patients, family members, legal representatives, and/or significant others, and staff to obtain diet history, food preferences, and other pertinent information needed to develop and/or update plan of care.
• Advocates for patients to protect and promote patients' rights and accommodate individual needs and cultural/religious preferences.
• Involves the patient/family in planning objectives and goals for the patient.
• Conducts nutrition education individually and in classes to patients, families, staff, and community as appropriate.
• Conducts meal rounds to ensure that patients are receiving therapy that meets patient's needs.
• Coordinates with Culinary Service Manager to resolve patients' concerns or dissatisfactions with diet or meal service.

Menu Management

• Monitors Culinary Services Manager's oversight of the menu management process.
• Reviews and approves all patient menus in the facility; must approve any substitutions provided to patients.
• Reviews and approves all nutritional data posted in the caf.
• Provides oversight for the transcription of diet orders in the department to ensure accuracy.
• Ensures all patient snack orders are checked against the diet order and distributed to patients timely.
• Provides oversight as needed to assure proper ordering of food and supplies to ensure proper execution of diets and snacks.
• Provides training to Manager and staff as needed on therapeutic diets and menus, food allergens, or other related topics.

Other

• Works cooperatively as a team member with co-workers in all departments of the Hospital.
• Communicates issues, concerns, and opportunities for improvement to immediate supervisor routinely.
• Stays abreast of federal regulations for LTAC's and food safety, as well as state- regulations for that in which he/she works and incorporates into his/her work as needed.
• Monitor's industry trends, new products, current research, and new programs in foodservice and incorporates into his/her work as needed.
• Demonstrates knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and the skills necessary to provide age appropriate.
• care to the patient population served.
• Attends all mandatory in-services and staff meetings.
• Maintains current licensure/certification for position.
• Consistently follows departmental and hospital Health, Safety, Security and Hazardous Materials policies and procedures.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities/Expectations

• Knowledge of evidenced based clinical nutrition guidelines.
• Ability to be accurate, concise, and detail-oriented
• Knowledge of quantity food production, safe food preparation and handling techniques.
• Basic computer skills with working knowledge of Microsoft Office, word-processing and spreadsheet software.
• Must read, write and speak fluent English.
• Must have good and regular attendance.
• Approximate percent of time required to travel: 0%
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Dietetics, Nutrition, or related field

Licenses/Certifications

• Registered Dietitian with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (
• License and/or certification from the State Licensing Board for Dietitians

Experience

• Two years' experience in acute care hospital preferred.
• Registered dietitians awaiting approval of State licensure/certification may practice under a Provisional Licensure if the State Licensing board allows.
• Provision dietitians must have all documentation in a medical record co-signed by a state licensed dietitian.
• Experience in acute clinical care, nutrition support, and disease-specific nutrition preferred.