Winslow Indian Health Care Center - Job Vacancy Announcement

Position Summary:

Under general supervision of the Director of Nutrition and Food Services, independently plans, develops and directs all nutritional care activities for patients, including those with complex medical and nutritional needs. The Clinical Dietitian supports WIHCC’s mission and coordinates nutritional care with other health care providers, the patient, the patient’s family, and the community. Upholds the principles of WIHCC’s Vision, Mission, and Value Statements. Maintains confidentiality of all privileged information at all times. 

This list of duties and responsibilities is illustrative only of the tasks performed by this position and is not all-inclusive.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Conducts a comprehensive nutrition assessment utilizing the Nutrition Care Process (NCP) for assigned patients.
• Develops and implements an individualized plan for Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) in accordance with the patient's medical program goals and objectives.
• Performs a Nutrition Focused Physical Exam (NFPE) during assessments to determine risk and/or degree of malnutrition.
• Calculates nutrient requirements (calories, protein, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, electrolytes and fluids) and necessary diet restrictions or food/drug interactions.
• Evaluates patterns and relationships among data obtained and possible root causes for nutrition problems.
• Tailors diet prescription to each individual patient according to physical and metabolic needs.
• Understands of the patient's health condition, designs the nutritional treatment plan with consideration for psychosocial, behavioral, physical activity, ethnic and cultural factors to obtain desirable outcomes and promote long term adherence to a medical nutrition care plan.
• Prioritizes the importance of nutrition problems for optimal health, recovery from illness, management of chronic disease or disease prevention.
• Utilizes evidenced-based nutrition practice guidelines to develop shared goals with the patient and formulate a plan of care that is focused on the etiology of the nutrition problem.
• Actively supports food service operations through knowledge of computer software programs related to food service systems and interface with the food service department to ensure patient satisfaction with meals, assist in implementation of new initiatives, and serve as a liaison between patients and the food service section.
• Works cooperatively with foodservice staff to assure conformance to diet prescriptions.
• Assess educational needs and provides nutrition education/counseling for individuals and groups, incorporating a learning approach that considers the cultural, religious, educational and medical situation of the patient. Includes information regarding budgeting, menu planning, food purchasing and preparation, food storage and sanitation.
• Utilizes motivational interviewing techniques to evaluate patient and/or caregiver's readiness to learn and potential for changing behavior.
• Evaluates achievement of learning objectives by the patient and/or family. Adapts nutrition education materials and counseling techniques to the patient's level of understanding, which frequently involves simplifying complex dietary restrictions.
• Identifies drug-nutrient interactions and drug-drug incompatibilities and counsels / communicates with the patient regarding the impact on nutrition status and/or nutrient utilization.
• Utilizes telenutrition technology and Secure messaging (SMS) to improve access to nutrition care.
• Provides follow-up nutrition education/counseling in accordance with the patient's treatment goals and determines when a problem requires consultation or referral to another provider or service.
• Maintains regular attendance and punctuality.

• Requires completion of tasks or duties assigned by a supervisor.
• Upholds all principles of confidentiality and patient care to the fullest extent.
• Adheres to all professional and ethical behavior standards of the healthcare industry.
• Adheres to WIHCCs Personnel Policies and Procedures, departmental policies, rules, and regulations.
• Interacts in an honest, trustworthy and dependable manner with patients, employees, visitors, and vendors.
• Possesses cultural awareness and sensitivity.
• Maintains compliance with all Human Resources requirements.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, Ability:

• Knowledge of dietetics best practices in the dietetics profession and in scientific literature, including knowledge of research methods, study design, data collection, interpretation of findings, and translation of results into nutrition practice.
• Knowledge of computer software programs relative to food service systems.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of nutrition care and the treatment of complex cases in clinical settings in order to develop, implement and coordinate best practices in the dietetics profession (e.g. assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation).
• Knowledge of best practices in areas of clinical nutrition and the ability to apply nutrition interventions to patients with multiple co-morbidities.

• Knowledge of strong work ethics in the workplace.
• Knowledge of basic application of confidentiality.
• Knowledge of basic computer skills, e.g. Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
• Ability to comply with various accrediting, regulatory, and agency authorities.
• Ability to develop and maintain a system of internal reviews and direct quality control and performance improvement studies.
• Ability to be dependable in attendance and job performance.
• Ability to act as a consultant for health care providers including registered dietetic technicians, dietetic interns, nurses, physicians, medical students, and allied health professionals.
• Ability to meet attendance, overtime (if necessary), and other reliability requirements of the job.
• Ability to accept and learn from feedback.
• Ability to effectively communicate both in written and verbal.
• Ability to provide exemplary customer service at all times.
• Ability to interact positively with others and possess great interpersonal skills.
• Ability to multitask and perform well under pressure.
• Ability to have self-confidence.
• Ability to be a great team player.
• Ability to accept and learn from supervisor/peer critique.
• Ability to be flexible and adaptable to the changing needs of the organization.

Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly is required to walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee frequently is required to taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office setting or outdoor work environment with a moderate noise level. Work environment may involve exposure to physical risks, such as blood borne pathogens and operating dangerous equipment or working with chemicals. Evening and/or weekend work may be required. Extended hours and irregular shifts may be required.

As required by P.L. 93-638, absolute preference will be given to qualified Navajo applicants. If there is no qualified Navajo applicant, preference will be given to qualified American Indian applicants.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university or foreign equivalent and fulfilled each of the following criteria: Completed a didactic program in dietetics accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), formerly known as the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetic Education (CADE). Completed an ACEND accredited or approved supervised practice program. Completion of a coordinated program in dietetics fulfills the requirements of a supervised practice program. Time spent in a dietetic internship or supervised practice program does not qualify as creditable experience. Must be a registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing branch of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics formerly known as the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Must currently possess a Food Handler’s Card. Must become ServSafe Food Manager Certified within three months of starting the position. Bilingual skills in English and Navajo language preferred. Must maintain a valid unrestricted and insurable driver’s license. Must successfully pass a background investigation and maintain suitable requirements for a Child Care position. This position is considered as a Child Care position, which requires a satisfactory background check investigation and is subject to the requirements of the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act, as amended (henceforth referred as the ICPFVP Act).