Employee will serve in a Clinical Dietitian position within the Clinical Section of Nutrition and Food Service. They perform increasingly complex tasks as they acquire skills in clinical nutrition to apply evidence-based nutrition practice guidelines. Clinical Dietitians coordinate nutritional care of Veterans with other health care providers, the Veteran, the Veteran's caregiver & the community. A recruitment incentive has been authorized for qualified applicants, for this position.

Duties

Primary duties for the Dietitian position include, but are not limited to the following: 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. Calculates nutrient requirements and necessary diet restrictions or food and drug interactions tailoring the diet prescription to each individual patient. Documents MNT in the medical record using the Assessment, Diagnosis, Intervention, Monitoring, Evaluation (ADIME) format. Functions independently and accurately when record keeping. 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). Utilizes virtual care technology to improve access to care. Maintains productivity standards. Maintains accurate record keeping of daily clinical activities and completes patient encounters using approved systems. Ensures continuous improvement of safe and quality care of Veterans. Leads activities in the implementation of new initiatives. Uses data in the development of measures, data evaluation, and initiation of corrective actions. Complies with The Joint Commission requirements and other accrediting agency standards to ensure safe and quality patient care. Collaborates with the Food Operations Section and department leadership to enhance the Veterans' dining experience, support patient satisfaction, and serve as a liaison between clinical units and the Food Operations Section. Work Schedule: FT, Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm. Rotating weekends on call Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 99531-S, 99530-S, 99529-S Recruitment Incentives: This position has been Authorized for a recruitment incentive for qualified applicants, if selected. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. ? 7407(a). English Language Proficiency: Dietitians must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d). Registration: 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. Exception for Dietitians who do not possess the RDN credential. (a) 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).i. Non-credentialed Dietitians must have fulfilled each of the following: A. Earned a bachelor's or higher degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college, university or foreign equivalent (refer to ii below).B. 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.ii. Foreign Education.(a) 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.(b) 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.(c) Non-credentialed Dietitians must provide care under the supervision of a RDN at or above the full performance level.(d) Temporary appointments of non-credentialed Dietitian will not be extended beyond one year or converted to a new temporary appointment.(e) Failure to Obtain Registration. In all cases, Dietitians must actively pursue meeting registration requirements starting from their appointment date. At the time of appointment, servicing Human Resources (HR) staff in collaboration with the supervisor, will provide non-registered Dietitians the written requirement to obtain registration, the date by which they must acquire it and the consequences for not doing so by the deadline. Failure to obtain registration within one year from the date of appointment will result in removal from the Dietitian, GS-0630 occupation and may result in termination of employment. Loss of Credential. In collaboration with HR Office staff, management officials must immediately relieve employees who fail to maintain the required registration/certification of duties and responsibilities associated with the II-G20-4 occupation and/or assignment, which may also result in separation from employment. Grade Determinations: Dietitian (Clinical) GS-7 Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements. Dietitian (Clinical) GS-9Experience. At least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. OR Education. Master's degree from a regionally accredited university or college. 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-11Experience. At least one year of experience as an RDN equivalent to the next lower grade level. 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. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/154,Part II Appendix G-20. Transmittal Sheet, Dietitian Qualification Standards, dated 10/14/2022. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-07 to GS-11. Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Jack C Montgomery VA Medical Center 1011 Honor Heights Drive Muskogee, OK 74401 US
• Name: Phillip Narey
• Phone: 720-723-4833
• Email: [email protected]