This position is located at the Lexington VA Medical Center in Clinical Nutrition Section of Nutrition and Food Services. The Clinical Dietetic Technician has the responsibility of providing a high-level of technical assistance and support to the Clinical Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in providing all steps of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Nutrition Care Process and for participating as an Interdisciplinary Care Team member.

Duties

The incumbent performs duties with a high level of independence and demonstrates exceptional competence regarding clinical and administrative duties while functioning within the assigned Scope of Practice. Major duties include but are not limited to: Conducts meal rounds and calculates patients' calorie intake per day. Recommends changes to nutritional value of prescribed diet including protein, carbohydrate, fat, sodium, and fluid content. Provides individualized instructions with consideration of the patient's background. Provides written and oral nutritional teaching/counseling to patients. Calculates patient calorie intake and records accordingly. Provides nutrition education to patients regarding basic diet modifications and prescribed diets (i.e., high fiber, low fiber, no added salt, low sodium, etc.). Collaborates with food service to coordinate mealtime activities and to clarify diet orders. Calculates the nutritive content of food in order to complete intake studies on complex diets. Develops care plans that reflect knowledge of various disease entities, treatment modalities and drug/nutrient interactions. Interviews patients to obtain information such as diagnoses, medications, food-related preferences, allergies and intolerances, swallowing or digestions issues, unplanned weight loss / gain, etc. Collects and analyzes data and information from patient's medical record. Compares patients' nutrition data to pre-established screening criteria and determines appropriate level of nutritional care. Monitors patients for changes in weight, appearance, food intake or medications. Reports patient's nutritional status and other indicators to appropriate staff. Maintains and updates select menus for accurate and timely registry of a menu item. Ensures accurate interpretation of diet orders. Identifies mistakes in diet order information and takes corrective action. Coordinates timely deliveries with food service staff and wards. Schedules appointments and provides reminders by phone call, emails or letters to patient. Initiates nutrition counseling for patients on modified diets, including overviews of dietary restrictions. Informs appropriate staff members of any issues or potential incidents Performs administrative duties as assigned which may include items like receives consults and contacts patient to gather information and share scheduling options. Teach classes and assist with food preparation for classes as assigned by dietitian. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; tours available include 7:30-4:00 8:00-4:30 to include rotating weekends and holidays as determined by the service. Position Description Title/PD#: Clinical Dietetic Tech Physical Requirements: The work requires walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items, such as meal trays, instruction material, books and manuals. Some of the work is sedentary, such as computer activities. Computer entry of electronic progress notes, entailing multiple episodes of keyboard stokes is a daily responsibility. It may be necessary to push electronic equipment and arrange classroom areas in preparation of classes. Work Environment: Work is performed in a hospital, requiring normal safety precautions typical of a Medical Center with critically ill Veterans, psychiatric, Rehabilitation and Extended Care Center, Domiciliary and/or Ambulatory Care Units, and involves some exposure to contagious disease. The employee must observe normal safety precautions while working in an office setting with electrical and stationary equipment and use correct lifting techniques. Discomfort may exist due to ventilating system and/or humidity changes in various offices. Universal Blood/Body fluid precautions may necessitate protective equipment be worn in situations of potential exposure. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• May serve a probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Please clearly state your experience in resume. Basic Requirements- Basic Education Requirement: successfully completed a course of study in an accredited college leading to an associate's degree in Dietetic Technology with an emphasis in Nutrition Care or the equivalent post-secondary education. At least 12 semester hours in subjects related to the position. Proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d). Education must have included instruction in nutrition care/diet therapy, the natural sciences (e.g. anatomy, physiology, biochemistry), social sciences (e.g. psychology, sociology), food sciences, medical terminology, communications, and education. In addition, education must have included supervised field experience in a hospital or similar clinical setting. Note: Copies of pertinent transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application. Education will not be credited without documentation. An associate's degree in Dietetic Technology(Nutrition Care) from a program approved by the American Dietetic Association (ADA) is preferred. In addition to meeting the Basic Education Requirement above, you must also meet one of the following additional requirements. GS-4 : None beyond the basic requirements. GS-5: At least six (6) months of progressively responsible specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-4) in the field of clinical dietetics technology in which you have demonstrated successful use on the following: (1) Knowledge of human nutrition requirements in health and disease (2) Ability to gather data from the medical record and document information pertinent to nutritional care (3) Ability to monitor and influence the patient's nutritional intake (4) Ability to provide nutrition education for selected groups of patients (5) Skill in patient interviewing and nutrition counseling (6) Ability to interact and communicate orally with people from a variety of backgrounds (7) Ability to function effectively in a support position within a Clinical Dietetic section of a general medical and surgical and/or psychiatric hospital. GS-5 Qualifying specialized experience includes: performing nutrition screening, assessing meal intakes and adjusting meal plans as appropriate; providing nutrition education; communicating with patients and other health care team members regarding patients' nutritional needs; using nutrition technology applications; and assessing the effectiveness of nutrition care plans, documenting care plans using the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) guidelines. GS-6: One (1) year of progressively responsible specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-5) in the field of clinical dietetic technology in which you have demonstrated successful use on the following: (1) Knowledge of human nutrition requirements in health and disease (2) Ability to gather data from the medical record and document information pertinent to nutritional care (3) Ability to monitor and influence the patient's nutritional intake (4) Ability to provide nutrition education for selected groups of patients (5) Skill in patient interviewing and nutrition counseling (6) Ability to interact and communicate orally with people from a variety of backgrounds (7) Ability to function effectively in a support position within a Clinical Dietetic section of a general medical and surgical and/or psychiatric hospital. GS-6 Qualifying specialized experience includes: developing and revising nutrition care plans; interpreting significance of abnormal laboratory values related to nutritional status; performing nutrition screening, assessing meal intakes and adjusting meal plans as appropriate; providing nutrition education; communicating with patients and other health care team members regarding patients' nutritional needs; using nutrition technology applications; and assessing the effectiveness of nutrition care plans, documenting care plans using the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) guidelines. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005 PART II APPENDIX F22

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.

Contacts

• Address Lexington VA Health Care System 2250 Leestown Road Lexington, KY 40511 US
• Name: Brent Clark
• Phone: 615-225-5456
• Email: [email protected]