The Advanced Level Practice RD/CDE is registered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), which is the credentialing agency for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Academy) obtain within 2 years. He/she receives advanced education through an accredited undergraduate institution and earns a baccalaureate degree in Nutrition and/or Dietetics.

Duties

TheAdvanced Level Practice Clinical Dietitian CDE will adhere to all VA regulations governing the practice of dietetics. The individual may be scheduled and assigned to any nutrition or multidisciplinary practice area and must possess the required knowledge and skills in order to perform the following functions: a. Nutritional Care: (1) Conducts screening and comprehensive nutritional assessment and reassessment with nutrition follow-up as needed utilizing the Nutrition Care Process (e.g. assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation) for Veterans at nutritional risk. (2) Develops and implements an individualized plan for medical nutrition therapy in accordance with the Veteran's medical program goals and objectives. Accurately obtains and interprets medical information pertinent to the Veteran's nutritional care to determine risk, assess nutritional status, and develop individual specialized care plans to simultaneously address several disease processes, specializing in Endocrine disease processes including diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. (3) Calculates nutritional requirements (i.e., calories, protein, and carbohydrates, fluid) and necessary diet restrictions or food/drug interactions. Recommended meal plan/diet is tailored according to Veteran's physical and metabolic needs and designs the nutritional treatment plan with consideration for psychosocial, behavioral, ethnic and cultural factors to obtain desirable outcomes and promote long term adherence to a medical nutritional care plan. (4) Utilizes assessment and evaluation techniques that consider age/population-specific needs as well as cultural, religious, and ethnic concerns. (5) Orders labs, diets and consults per Scope of Practice. (6) Evaluates the Veteran's response to care based on identified, measurable outcomes and reviews/modifies the plan as appropriate. (7) Documents nutrition care plan in the Veteran's medical record, including nutrition assessment data, medical nutrition therapy initiated and recommendations, results of nutrition counseling and discharge planning. Documentation supports an interdisciplinary approach and continuity of care. b. Nutrition Education: (1) Assesses educational needs and provides nutrition counseling for individuals, family members and care givers via face-to-face, telephone, videoconferencing, and other means to access; incorporates a learning approach that considers the cultural, religious, educational, and medical situation of the Veteran. (2) Evaluates achievement of learning objectives by the Veteran and/or family. Adapts nutrition education materials and counseling techniques to individual's level of understanding, which frequently involves simplifying complex dietary restrictions. (3) Provides appropriate follow-up in accordance with Veteran's treatment goals, referring patients for outpatient counseling, community or home health service as appropriate. (4) Assists in the education of dietetic students. Plans learning experiences, teaches, and evaluates performance. (5) Participates in facility projects, health fairs and community projects as needed/assigned. (6) Documents in CPRS the education materials provided, the care plan determined by the provider and the individual an assessment of the Veteran's comprehension level to the education given and the expected compliance. (7) Coordinates diabetes education programs for facility staff and serves as an education resource, instructing physicians, nurses, dietitians, and other staff, as needed (8) Provides comprehensive nutritional education for Veterans, serving as the nutrition and diabetes expert for Primary Care, other health care providers, high-risk Veterans with diabetes, and their caregivers. (9) Develops, updates, and recommends for purchase patient nutrition education and diabetes materials. (10) Orders Consults to other healthcare providers in the outpatient setting as appropriate. c. Administrative Functions: (1) Maintains productivity standards and practices, effective time management, and prioritizing of tasks. (2) Ensures both timely and accurate completion of Veteran-associated encounters/ workload and medical record documentation. (3) Manages resources (time, materials) in a cost-effective manner. (4) Assists in developing and revising patient education materials, clinical forms, and protocols. (5) Assists in achieving compliance with regulatory agency standards, includes, The Joint Commission, OIG and other regulating bodies. (6) Participates in the orientation and training of new dietitians, students/interns when needed. (7) Protects confidentiality of patient information. (8) Completes special projects as assigned. d. Performance Improvement/Quality Improvement: Other Duties Assigned Preferred Experience: Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) preferred.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/06/2023. Basic Requirements: 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: Must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d). Education and Supervised Practice: (1) The individual must have earned a bachelor's degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university or foreign equivalent and fulfilled each of the following criteria (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): a) Completed a didactic program in dietetics accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), formerly known as the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetic Education (CADE); (b) Completed an ACEND accredited or approved supervised practice program. Supervised practice programs are post-baccalaureate degree programs that provide supervised practice experiences which meet the eligibility requirements and accreditation standards of ACEND, formally known as CADE. Completion of a coordinated program in dietetics fulfills the requirements of a supervised practice program. Time spent in a dietetic internship or supervised practice program does not qualify as creditable experience. (2) Individuals who have earned college and/or university degrees outside the United States and its territories also must have their transcripts evaluated by a foreign transcript evaluation service to determine if their degree is equivalent to a degree granted by a regionally accredited college or university in the United States. Validation of a foreign degree does not eliminate the need for verification of completion of didactic program, dietetic internship, or coordinated program requirements. The completion of ACEND didactic program requirements and at least a bachelor's degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college/university or foreign equivalent are necessary for eligibility to enter an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program. Registration/Certification: All applicants must be registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing branch of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics formerly known as the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Obtain CDCES within 2 years. IN ADDITION TO THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS ABOVE, YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING: GS-12 level: at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) directly related to the position being filled. An advanced level practice dietitian in nutrition support, renal, oncology, geriatric, or diabetes nutrition specialties oversees the nutrition therapy of the most complex and/or high-risk patients. The dietitian provides consultant services to VHA staff, conducts comprehensive nutrition assessment and diagnosis which may include the nutrition focused physical exam. The individual coordinates education programs for facility staff and serves as an education resource, instructing physicians, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, interns, residents, and students on the current research and practice in the specialty area; maintains productivity standards, manages clinical resources, and conducts and/or participates in nutrition research studies and communicates findings through reports, abstracts, presentations, and publications. In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities and demonstrate the potential to acquire the assignment-specific KSA designated by an asterisk (*): *Ability to develop, maintain, and supervise a system of internal reviews and direct quality control and performance improvement studies to assure compliance with various accrediting, regulatory, and agency authorities; *Knowledge of the principles of program management and oversight required to develop program goals and objectives, administer and monitor program, evaluate program outcomes/accomplishments, set and redefine priorities, and implement effective solutions in processes/systems as needed; Ability to act as a consultant for staff; Ability to mentor and educate peers and other multidisciplinary team members in complex issues, procedures and practices; Ability to make presentations on topics regarding food, nutrition and health issues; Ability to make high level decisions with a focus on delivering patient care and achieving program outcomes; Ability to contribute to evidence analysis process to affect practice and identify and create new practice opportunities. Preferred Experience: Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) preferred. References:VA Handbook 5005/80, Part II, Appendix G20. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary, but requires some walking, standing, bending, the carrying of light items such as books and papers.

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 Oscar G Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility 325 East H Street Iron Mountain, MI 49801 US
• Name: Kevin Estrada
• Phone: 319-338-0581 X636728
• Email: [email protected]