The Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) is recruiting for a Health Technician. The Health Technician will function with in Nutrition and Food Services. The primary purpose of the position is to provide administrative and customer service support for the VA hospital food service program. *This position has been approved for a recruitment incentive*

Duties

The incumbent performs routine duties that require exceptional customer service, computer skills, proper phone etiquette, proficiency in special food service and therapeutic diet procedures, a broad knowledge of routine modified diets, combinations of diet modifications and knowledge of Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) Dietetics software and required functions. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Responsible for handling patient meal service orders, answers patient calls using phone system and may enter meal orders into a COTS Dietetics Software system. Collaborate with Dietitians regarding Food/Drug Interactions, notifying clinical staff of potential issues with meal service and delivery and taking direction regarding management. Follow 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. Prints, prepares and reviews meal tickets according to local facility procedures. Retrieve 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. Makes referrals to dietetic technician and/or dietitian as needed for more thorough diet education. Complete quality monitors to ensure food items and menu selections for regular and therapeutic diets are prepared and served appropriately (i.e. accuracy, timeliness, appearance, and temperature, dysphagia food testing). Responsible for the independent and accurate transfer of information received via COTS Dietetics software. Adjust diet patterns and menu selections to assure the correct meal tickets are generated, as per local facility policy and procedures. Generate the appropriate paper ticket for each meal service and complete all tickets for all modified diet combinations as part of the facility's contingency plan in the event the COTS Dietetics software program is inoperable, and meal tickets may not be printed. Transfers patient menu preferences accordingly and keeps NCC stocked with all supplies needed and files menus. Utilize a computer to enter and retrieve basic information and utilizes COTS Dietetics Software programs to retrieve diet orders, recipes, and menu and inventory data. Handles routine telephone inquiries from nursing units/nursing personnel regarding patient meal orders and may maintain a log of telephonic client inquiries/concerns received directly from the client or unit personnel based on local policy. Follows local policies and procedures for calorie counts, maintaining of call records and other food service-related functions. Communicates patient concerns with registered dietitian or dietetic Technician as appropriate and communicates with supervisor to complete all task assigned such as production/menu changes, menu specials, or menu shortages. Prints lists, reports, labels, and tray tickets following the established local facility procedures. May be required to adjust menu selections, nourishments as needed for diet changes and NPO orders, as determined by local policies and procedures. Prints and assembles tray ticket packets in accordance with local facility policies and procedures and verifies correctness of the information and adherence to prescribed diet. May discuss with diet technician and/or dietitian any adjustments of tray tickets, standing orders or supplemental feedings. Work Schedule: 6:30AM-3:00PM/11:30AM-8PM. Days Off Rotate Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician (Dietetic)/PD99796S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May Be Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/05/2024 Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Uses computers, software applications, databases, and automated systems to accomplish work. Proficiency in special food service and therapeutic diet procedures Knowledge of preparing and serving food for consumption. Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) Dietetics Software OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completed 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. (NOTE: Transcripts (official or unofficial) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.) OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the second year (60 Semester hours) is equivalent to 1 year of specialized experience. . (NOTE: Transcripts (official or unofficial) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.) Competency: Computer Skills Customer Service Food Service Communication English Language Requirement: Health Technicians are required to be proficient in spoken and written English. 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. NCC Associate 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 phone, and writing. 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 Dayton VA Medical Center 4100 West Third Street Dayton, OH 45428 US
• Name: Jonathan Shirey
• Email: [email protected]