Registered Dietitian

About This Role

This role involves assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating nutritional care for patients in a long-term acute care hospital setting. The dietitian works closely with interdisciplinary teams to ensure quality nutritional outcomes and meets individualized dietary needs through clinical consultation, menu oversight, education, and monitoring.

Responsibilities

• Complete annual competency testing and maintain professional growth and development to maintain registration and licensure/certification
• Perform job based on applicable federal, state, and local regulations, company policies and procedures, and evidence-based clinical guidelines
• Perform job within defined scope of practice
• Participate in developing and implementing policies and procedures related to nutritional care of the patient
• Monitor quality assurance in the kitchen by ensuring quality measures are routinely done, spot-checking logs for accuracy, and ensuring safe sanitary conditions by completing kitchen safety/sanitation audits and test tray audits per policy
• Participate in the survey process, instruct staff in matters of conduct and disclosure, maintain a presence while surveyors are on site, and direct the timely collection of information required by the survey team
• Serve on various committees as required by company standards, regulations, and/or appointment by immediate supervisor
• Conduct initial and reassessments on all patients admitted to the hospital
• Ensure proper completion of documentation (assessments, care plans, education, discharge planning)
• Prescribe nutrition therapy to meet estimated needs and monitor tolerance
• Provide ongoing reassessment to ensure optimal nutrition therapy is provided
• Participate with Interdisciplinary Team meetings to develop, implement, and monitor nutrition care plans
• Interview 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
• Advocate for patients to protect and promote patients’ rights and accommodate individual needs and cultural/religious preferences
• Involve the patient/family in planning objectives and goals for the patient
• Conduct nutrition education individually and in classes to patients, families, staff, and community as appropriate
• Conduct meal rounds to ensure that patients are receiving therapy that meets patient’s needs
• Coordinate with Culinary Service Manager to resolve patients’ concerns or dissatisfactions with diet or meal service
• Monitor Culinary Services Manager’s oversight of the menu management process (if Culinary Services Manager is not a Registered Dietitian)