Student -Dietitian - Jackson, MI

Dietitian Assistant (pending creation of Dietetic Technician position at which point staff member will roll over into the dietetic technician position)

Job duties:

§  Completes nutrition screening or additional nutrition screening as directed by the RD and refers high risk patients to the RD.

§  Uses medical records and interviews with patient/family to collect food and nutrition intake information (e.g., current and previous diets, nutrition support, meal and snack patterns, medical food/nutritional supplements, typical foods and beverages, cultural and religious preferences, and food allergies and intolerances), and reviews for factors that affect health conditions and nutritional risk.

§  Obtains medical, anthropometric, biochemical, and medical test data and compares to standards provided by the RD.

§  Documents nutrition-related data, patient/family interactions in the electronic medical record, and food and nutrition documentation system, according to procedure.

§  Communicates results of nutrition screening, diet order, and data collection for nutrition assessment to RD and meal service-related data of immediate concern to diet office staff and/or food service supervisor.

§  Communicates with nursing or other staff as needed to obtain or clarify information to inform nutrition assessment to report to RD.

§  Communicates with RD about discussions with patient/family and observed changes in patient’s status that may influence the nutrition intervention/plan of care.

§  Contributes to and implements nutrition intervention/plan of care developed by the RD.

§  Reviews plan of care with resident/family and nursing staff, addressing or referring any concerns to the RD as need.

§  Adjusts menus for patient preferences consistent with facility diet manual and RD instructions.

§  Provides routine nutrition education and other nutrition education per RD to help patient voluntarily manage or modify food choices and eating behavior to maintain or improve health.

§  Plans between-meal nourishments according to patient’s diet order and food preferences.

§  Identifies resources and/or referrals as needed to report to RD.

§  Utilizes techniques that consider the varied needs of age-specific populations as well as cultural, religious, and ethnic concerns.

§  Evaluates food and intake from all sources.

§  Monitors progress through checking patient/family understanding of learned skills and follow through with care plan.

§  Monitors whether the intervention(s) is being implemented as prescribed, identifying data and information impacting effectiveness of intervention/plan of care.

§  Compares current data findings with previous status, intervention goals, and/or reference standards for evaluation of outcomes

§  Documents progress toward nutrition goals, factors/barriers impacting progress, change in patient’s/family’s level of understanding and food-related behaviors, and relevant biochemical, anthropometric and meal intake data.

§  Communicates with RD regarding monitoring and evaluation activities, and with the RD, modifies the plan of care as needed.

§  Conducts patient rounds to assess adequacy of nutrition intake and patient satisfaction with meals and meal service.

Oversight: Registered Dietitian, Clinical Dietitian Leader