Dietetic Technician - Sells, AZ

PLEASE NOTE - This position may require temporarily relocation to other TONHC Facilities: Sells Hospital, Santa Rosa Health Center, San Simon Health Center, Casa Grande, and San Xavier Health Center.

Position Summary

The position serves as the Dietetic Technician who performs specialized paraprofessional clinical duties at the Tohono O'odham Nation Health Care (TONHC), Sells Hospital, Nutrition and Dietetic Services Department. The essential functions of the job include: conducting nutrition screening on patients admitted to the hospital, assisting with clinical nutrition care for patients and their families, collecting primary nutritionally relevant data to identify the patient's preliminary risk level and determine nutrition priorities, providing nutrition education for patients and their families, collecting clinical data from the patient's medical record, collecting and implementing food preferences, and retrieving and assessing the patient's nutrition-related information from the electronic health record. Assists with community-related events such as health fairs and nutrition presentations.

Scope of Work:

This position is located within the Nutrition and Dietetic Services Department of the TONHC - Sells Hospital. Works independently to complete nutrition interviews and screening on patients to determine nutritional needs, documenting nutrition care plans on patients, and providing guidance and education on nutritional issues. Incumbent coordinates patient's food preferences and other dietary needs to align with the patient's trayline diet card. Provides technical expertise and nutrition education to the foodservice staff on the diet, food, and nutrition needs of the patient population group. This position works under the direction of the Supervisory Dietitian who establishes work assignments and spot-checks completed work tasks.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: ( Depending on the area of assignment, an incumbent may not be required to perform some of the duties listed below):

• Screens the nutrition risk of hospitalized patients on the inpatient ward to determine the degree of need for nutrition intervention. Identifies patients at high nutrition risk and refers them to the dietitian as appropriate.
• Assists with checking patient trayline, collecting/counting sales, and compiling daily cash sales log sheets.
• Interviews patients to obtain food preferences, diet history, and related information; documents information on the nutritional care plan form that is filed in the dietary department's Kardex system.
• Documents in the medical record the nutrition intervention provided and patient's plan of care according to policy.
• Counsels patients on uncomplicated disease conditions, adapting the diet to the patient's cultural and personal preferences.
• Monitors nutritional status of patients who are NPO, according to policy, and provides nutrition education to low and moderate risk patients.
• Ensures that regular and therapeutic diets for patients are entered correctly onto the screening form and that it is based on the diet order, food preferences, and information obtained from the patient interview.
• Interprets the diet order using approved references and modifies individual tray card menus to comply with the diet order while incorporating individual patient preferences and cultural traditions.
• Coordinates patient foodservice needs with the food service staff as needed to ensure that patients are receiving the correct diet taking into account food preferences and/or food dislikes.
• Develops nutrition education topics for the hospital's display board; utilizes accurate information that is science-based when developing the display.
• Develops and/or updates nutrition education materials as needed.
• Participates in interdisciplinary team rounds on daily basis.
• Oversees the trayline to ensure accurate meal service for hospitalized patients by conducting regularly scheduled observations of meals weekly and noting any areas of concern; submits documented observations to Supervisory Dietitian for reporting purposes.
• Attends department staff meetings, general staff meetings, and other meetings as appropriate.
• Participates in community outreach events that have a nutrition component (e.g. health fairs, family wellness events, etc.).
• Compiles cash sales and order of food and supplies when the Cook Supervisor is on leave or unavailable.
• Provides technical expertise for the foodservice staff on complicated diet orders.
• Assist the Cook Supervisor as needed in ordering food and supplies from the primary vendor.
• Contributes to quarterly reports for the Nutrition and Dietetic Services Department by providing key data and information as it pertains to inpatient nutrition screenings, education, documentation, and quality improvement projects.
• Provides nutrition-related in-services for department staff as assigned.
• Performs general office duties as assigned and as required for the daily operations of the Nutrition and Dietetic Services Department.
• Accurately enters cafeteria transactions into the cash register, which involves receiving cash from the customer and giving correct change; ensures cash register records are accurate, and that all transactions are logged. Counts each day's cash sales and balances the sales with cash collected; compiles daily cash sales log sheet, cash collected, register tape, and ensures that it is submitted to the Tribal Treasury Office's accountant.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned and contributes to a team effort.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of the eating and dietary habits of Native American tribes and cultural subgroups, and the ability to counsel patients and family members utilizing culturally acceptable foods.
• Knowledge of disease processes and nutrition care for hospitalized patients.
• Knowledge of food and nutrition principles, concepts, and methodology to apply sound nutrition practices to patient diets.
• Knowledge of the foodservice section of a hospital and the method of operation. Ability to monitor food quality and meal acceptance.
• Knowledge of and familiarity with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Nutrition Care Manual for different therapeutic diets.
• Knowledge of medical and clinical nutrition terminology.
• Knowledge of cultural factors that may affect the nutrition care plan.
• Ability to review medical records for nutritional data/status.
• Ability to calculate nutrient intake using the department's software program for calculating a nutrition analysis.
• Ability to interview patients and/or family members, take preliminary diet histories, assess patient's nutritional status, and create an appropriate care plan for patients at moderate risk or below.
• Ability to provide basic nutrition education to patients and/or family members about therapeutic and modified diets.
• Ability to document a patient plan of care in a patient's medical record.
• Ability to translate diet orders into appropriate therapeutic meals.
• Ability to work closely with an interdisciplinary team, and to collaborate and communicate with health care providers (physician, nurse, dietitian).
• Ability to follow and practice the department's food safety and sanitation standards. Ability to successfully pass the ServSafe class and exam.
• Ability to apply National guidelines for meeting nutritional needs across the life spectrum.
• Ability to provide group nutrition education and participate in community events as assigned.
• Ability to apply basic computer skills to complete electronic food and supplies ordering process.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition, Dietetics, or a closely related field.
• One year of specialized work experience equivalent as a Dietetic Technician in a hospital-based or closely related environment.

Licenses, Certifications, Special Requirements

• Upon recommendation for hire, a criminal background and a National FBI fingerprint check are required to determine suitability for employment, including a 39-month driving record.
• May require possessing and maintaining a valid driver's license (no DUIs or major traffic citations within the last three years).
• If required, must meet the Tohono O'odham Nation tribal employer's insurance requirements to receive a driver's permit to operate program vehicles.
• Based on the department's needs, incumbents may be required to demonstrate fluency in both the Tohono O'odham language and English as a condition of employment.

Physical Demands:

The demands of the position are approximately 50% sedentary, which includes reviewing medical records, inputting data into the computer, documenting in the medical record, compiling computer-generated reports, entering in food orders and supplies, and other projects that involve the use of a computer. The remainder of the time is spent standing while supervising patient meals, walking throughout the hospital to work with patients and staff, walking throughout facility grounds to attend meetings, deliver/retrieve departmental-related mail, and other similar duties. A significant amount of driving time when traveling to remote clinics and areas for nutrition presentations and related events. Travel may occur during varied weather conditions. There is lifting and carrying of supplies, materials, and other equipment for educational events. The work is performed in the hospital or kitchen area and involves the risk of exposure to diseases as well as hazards from noise and equipment in the food production service areas. There is a danger of slipping on wet floors.

This list of duties and responsibilities is illustrative only of the tasks performed by this position and is not all-inclusive.