The Health Technician (Dietetic) position is in Nutrition and Food Services within Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center. Provides administrative and customer support for the VA hospital food service program. Performs routine duties that require customer service, computer skills, phone etiquette, proficiency in special food service and therapeutic diet procedures, and applies knowledge of routine modified diets, diet modifications, and Dietetics software to perform required functions.

Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to: Follows local facility policies and standard procedures for patient feeding, including but not limited to missed patient meals, late tray requests, patient meal ordering, and adherence to prescribed therapeutic diet. Interprets diet activity and patient information to ensure meal trays contain food items adhering to patient requests and preferences, and current therapeutic diet order. Adjusts diet patterns and menu selections as needed to assure the correct meal tickets are generated, as per local facility policy and procedures. Applies knowledge of basic and routine modified diets and is able to provide basic-level education and information on local facility therapeutic diets to patients, guests, and nursing staff. Completes quality monitors as needed to ensure food items and menu selections for regular and therapeutic diets are prepared and served appropriately (i.e. accuracy, timeliness, appearance and temperature, and dysphagia food testing). Triages calls from inpatient units or outpatient clinics and procedure areas relating to patient meal trays or nourishments at the lowest level. Keeps the Nutrition Communication Center stocked with all supplies needed and files menus. Transfers patient menu preferences accordingly. Completes select and non-select menus as required. Prints, prepares, reviews meal tickets according to local facility procedures. Utilizes a computer to enter and retrieve basic information and utilizes Dietetics software programs to retrieve diet orders, recipes, menu, and inventory data. Practices excellent customer service skills in all forms of communication, either via telephone, e-mail or in-person. Communicates with customers in a pleasant, friendly, personable, and professional manner. Maintains the vital connection between Nutrition Communication Center (NCC) Associates, Registered Dietician, higher graded dietetic technicians, food service staff, Nursing, patients and guests. Communicates effectively via telephone and in-person and uses strong listening and speaking skills. Refers issues that cannot be resolved to Food Service Supervisor or other as determined by local policy. Retrieves computerized information/printouts to assist with tray and/or nourishment assembly such as standing orders, nourishment labels, tabulated recipe lists, and other simple information to assist in meal delivery. Organizes work to complete assignments. Makes referrals to dietetic technician and/or dietitian as needed for more thorough diet education. Generates the appropriate paper ticket for each meal service and completes all tickets for all modified diet combinations as part of the facility's contingency plan in the event of software not operating and meal tickets not printing. Completes all other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Sunday - Saturday, 5:30am - 7:00pm (Varying Full Time Hours, 5 days per week), may include evenings, weekends, and holidays Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician (Dietetic)/PD99796S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• 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. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) in Health Aid and Technician 0640 Series: Specialized Experience (IOR for GS-05): Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. OR, Education and Training (IOR for GS-05): For GS-05: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. In addition to Individual Occupational Requirement, you must also meet Grade Level Requirement: Specialized Experience for GS-05: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-04) in the Federal Service that has given me the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of this Health Technician (Dietetic) position. Specialized experience includes performing duties in food service in a hospital environment; utilizing Dietetics Software programs to retrieve diet orders, recipes, menu, and inventory data; providing excellent customer service skills in all forms of communication (telephone, e-mail, and in-person); verifying diet orders for unusual diets, modifications, tube feeding orders, and nutritional supplements; applying a broad knowledge of hospital kitchen tray line operations, therapeutic diets, and dietetic supplements; creating, modifying, and printing patient diet cards according to diet prescription; retrieving computerized information and printouts to assist with tray and/or nourishment assembly such as standing orders and nourishment labels; processing requests appropriately and within established time frame. OR, Education for GS-05: A bachelor's degree or four (4) years of education above the high school level with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position ((i.e. nutrition, dietary therapy, food and nutrition science, food service systems management, etc.). This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. (Transcripts required) OR, Combination for GS-05: An equivalent combination of successfully completed post-high school education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, which meet the total qualification requirements for this grade level. This education must have been obtained at an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college, or university. (Transcripts required) To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-05. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work requires walking, standing, bending, lifting and carrying of light items, such as food trays, instruction materials, books, and manuals. Functions require long periods of sitting and moving about in an office environment, including repetitive motion activities of the hands and fingers for extensive keyboard and computer mouse use, and office tasks such as answering and holding a telephone, and writing. The work may require walking indoors, outdoors, or to and from other areas of the medical center. It may be necessary to lift and/or push equipment. Incumbent is subject to periods of continuous standing, sitting, walking and frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending. Frequently lifts or moves objects weighing up to twenty (20) pounds. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

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 Eastern Colorado HCS Denver 13611 E. Colfax Ave Aurora, CO 80045 US
• Name: Cassandra Nehring
• Phone: 303-399-8020
• Email: [email protected]