This position is located in Nutrition and Food Services at the Altoona VA Medical Center, providing care to Veterans in an outpatient setting as part of the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT). The clinical dietitian is responsible for independently planning, developing and directing all nutritional care activities for assigned Veterans, including those with complex medical and nutritional needs.

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: a. 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). b. Registration. (1) 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. (2) 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 USC 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. 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-7 or GS-9 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. c. Grandfathering Provision. Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and registration/certification, where applicable. Employees appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, either on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. The following provisions apply to employees who do not meet all the qualification requirements: Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to a lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or be newly placed in a supervisory or managerial position. Employees must meet the assignment-specific certification/education requirements to be placed in Dietitian (Advanced Level Practice) or Dietitian (Dietetic Internship Director) assignments. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or registration/certification that meet all the qualification standard's basic or assignment-specific requirements must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation/assignment. Employees retained in this occupation under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry in the occupation. d. English Language Proficiency. Dietitian candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 USC 7403(f). Grade Determinations: All individuals assigned to this occupation must meet all the basic qualification requirements listed above and all the requirements defined for the specific grade level. Dietitian (Clinical), GS-11. a. Experience. At least one year of experience as an RDN equivalent to the next lower grade. b. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). 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. c. Assignment. Employees in this assignment serve in a Dietitian (Clinical) full performance level position. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G20 (VHA Dietitian Qualification Standard) dated October 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 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.

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 James E Van Zandt VA Medical Center 2907 Pleasant Valley Boulevard Altoona, PA 16602 US
• Name: Padmini Elayath
• Phone: 6123697619
• Email: [email protected]