This position is located in the Nutrition Food Service (NFS) at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) in North Chicago, IL.

Duties

This employee serves as the clinical dietitian within the Clinical Section of Nutrition and Food service. Experience in functional nutrition, eating disorder treatment, and/or culinary arts is preferred. This individual will perform increasingly complex tasks as they acquire skills in clinical nutrition to apply evidenced-based nutrition practice guidelines. Clinical Dietitians coordinate nutritional care of Veterans with other health care providers, the Veteran's caregiver and the community. Conducts a comprehensive nutrition assessment utilizing the Nutrition Care Process (NCP) for assigned patients. Develops and implements an individualized plan for Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) in accordance with the patient's medical program goals and objectives. Performs a Nutrition Focused Physical Exam (NFPE) during assessments to determine risk and/or degree of malnutrition. Calculates nutrient requirements (calories, protein, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, electrolytes, and fluids) and necessary diet restrictions or food/drug interactions. Evaluates patterns and relationships among data obtained and possible root causes for nutrition problems. 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. Prioritizes the importance of nutrition problems for optimal health, recovery from illness, management of chronic disease or disease prevention. 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. Actively supports veteran centric food service operations with a food forward approach through knowledge of computer software programs related to food service systems and through interfacing with the food service section to ensure patient satisfaction with meals, assisting in implementation of new initiatives, and acting as a liaison between clinical units/wards and the food service section. Works cooperatively with foodservice staff to assure conformance to diet prescriptions. Assesses educational needs and provides nutrition education/counseling for individuals and groups. Assists in achieving compliance with The Joint Commission, or other accrediting agency standards to continuously improve the safety and quality of care. Serves as the nutrition expert for medical staff on the nutritional management of patients. Serves as the nutrition lead for the healthy teaching kitchen program. Performs other duties as assigned to meet the needs of the service and patients to include providing support and coverage for vacancies and leave. Grade Levels GS-11: Employees at this grade level serve as staff dietitians at the full performance level. Registered dietitians are responsible for independently planning, developing and directing all nutrition care activities (e.g., food service and/or clinical nutrition). Registered dietitians serve as important members of the interdisciplinary team of care providers and focus on offering exceptional nutrition care and guidance to optimize health. Registered dietitians work in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, outpatient centers, residential treatment programs and patient homes. They are responsible for using evidence-based approaches to develop menus, counsel patients and provide nutrition care. Work Schedule: Full -Time, 7:30am-4:00pm Telework: This position is not available for telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Financial Disclosure Report: N/A

Requirements

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: Citizenship United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. 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. Exception for Dietitians who do not possess the RDN credential. 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 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2). Non-credentialed Dietitians must have fulfilled each of the following Earned a bachelor's or higher degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college, university or foreign equivalent (refer to ii below). 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. 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. Experience Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-11 level your application must demonstrate that you possess at least 1 year of experience as an RDN/RD equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-09) which includes the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Skill in delivering patient care using the NCP (e.g., assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation). Skill in interpreting research to apply evidence-based nutrition practices to improve patient outcomes. Skill in developing patient-centered goals. Skill in analyzing data for performance improvement studies. Skill in collaborating with stakeholders. Ability to comply with various accrediting, regulatory and agency authorities GS-11 Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:- Knowledge of best practices in the dietetics profession and in scientific literature, including knowledge of research methods, study design, data collection, interpretation of findings, and translation of results into nutrition practice.- Ability to comply with various accrediting, regulatory, and agency authorities.- Ability to develop and maintain a system of internal reviews and direct quality control and performance improvement studies.- Knowledge of computer software programs relative to food service systems.- Knowledge of the principles and practices of nutrition care and the treatment of complex cases in clinical settings in order to develop, implement and coordinate best practices in the dietetics profession (e.g. assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation).- Knowledge of best practices in areas of clinical nutrition and the ability to apply nutrition interventions to patients with multiple co-morbidities.- Ability to act as a consultant for health care providers including registered dietetic technicians, dietetic interns, nurses, physicians, medical students, and allied health professionals. References: VA Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G20

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.

ACEND accredited programs are located on the ACEND website or at ACEND Accredited Programs Directory.

Contacts

• Address Captain James A Lovell Federal Health Care Center 3001 Green Bay Road North Chicago, IL 60064 US
• Name: Finesse Ware
• Phone: 224-713-7846
• Email: [email protected]