This position is assigned to the Canandaigua VA Medical Center, working in the Community Living Center. 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,

Duties

Functions: The clinical dietitian will be involved in the professional practice of dietetics in accordance with the guidance set forth in Nutrition and Food Services (NFS) directives, policies and procedures, and VA regulations governing the practice of dietetics. The clinical dietitian may be scheduled and assigned to any nutrition practice area, and must possess the required knowledge and skills in order to perform the following functions: Nutritional Care: 1. Conducts a comprehensive nutrition assessment utilizing the Nutrition Care Process (NCP) for assigned patients. 2. Develops and implements an individualized plan for Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) in accordance with the patient's medical program goals and objectives. 3. Performs a Nutrition Focused Physical Exam (NFPE) during assessments to determine risk and/or degree of malnutrition. 4. Calculates nutrient requirements (calories, protein, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, electrolytes and fluids) and necessary diet restrictions or food/drug interactions. 5. Evaluates patterns and relationships among data obtained and possible root causes for nutrition problems. 6. Tailors diet prescription to each individual patient according to physical and metabolic needs. With an understanding 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. 7. Prioritizes the importance of nutrition problems for optimal health, recovery from illness, management of chronic disease or disease prevention. 8. Utilizes evidenced-based nutrition practice guidelines and Whole Health Principles to develop shared goals with the patient and formulates a plan of care that is focused on the etiology of the nutrition problem. 9. Works cooperatively with foodservice staff to assure conformance to diet prescriptions. 10. Orders labs, diets, and consults per Scope of Practice / Clinical privileges. Nutrition Education and Coordination of Care: 1. Assesses 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. 2. Utilizes motivational interviewing techniques to evaluate patient and/or caregiver's readiness to learn and potential for changing behaviors. 3. Evaluates achievement of learning objectives by the patient and/or family. 4. Identifies drug-nutrient interactions and drug-drug incompatibilities and counsels / communicates with the patient regarding the impact on nutrition status and/or nutrient utilization. 5. 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. 6. Functions as a clinical preceptor for the dietetic internship program and in a teaching role for other health care professionals, patients and the community. 9. Assists in the education and oversight of dietetic students and interns. 10. Develops, prepares and Healthy Teaching Kitchen presentations. Business Functions: 1. Maintains productivity standards. Practices effective time management, and prioritizing of tasks to ensure efficient workflow in assigned area. 2. Ensures completion of consult management tasks by reviewing assigned nutrition consults. Ensures appropriate scheduling and timely completion of all assigned consults. 3. Maintains accurate record keeping of daily clinical activities and completes patient encounters utilizing the Event Capture System (ECS). 4. Manages resources (time, materials, and staff) in a cost-effective manner. 5. Assists in developing and revising patient education materials, clinical forms, and protocols. Quality Improvement/Research: 1. Supports Performance Improvement activities by participating in the development of nutritional care indicators, evaluation criteria, collecting performance improvement data, monitoring outcomes, and initiating corrective actions. 2. Contributes to a culture of safety by entering patient safety concerns in the Joint Patient Safety Reporting System (JPRS). 3. Participates in planning and developing nutrition-related policies, procedures, and goals. 4. Stays abreast of current research in Nutrition related areas. Analyzes and interprets nutrition related research related to patient care. Work Schedule: 7:30AM-4:00PM, M-F Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Title/Functional Statement #:Dietitian, FS 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency. Dietitian candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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. 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. Grade Determinations: GS-11 Experience. At least one year of experience as an RDN equivalent to the next lower grade (9) which includes knowledge of various accrediting and regulatory requirements, knowledge of virtual technology to provide nutrition care, ability to deliver patient care using the NCP (e.g., assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation), ability to apply evidence-based nutrition practices to improve patient outcomes, ability to develop patient-centered goals, ability to collect data for performance improvement studies and ability to collaborate with stakeholders. 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 G20, October 14th, 2022 The full performance level for this position 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. 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 Canandaigua VA Medical Center 400 Fort Hill Ave Canandaigua, NY 14424 US
• Name: Elaine Houston-Young
• Phone: 315-308-1487
• Email: [email protected]