Diet Office Clerk

Beth Israel Lahey Health; Burlington (MA); On-site; USD 23,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Beth Israel Lahey Health is seeking a hospital Food Service Associate to ensure patients receive meals according to physician diet orders. You will support the Registered Dietitian, manage menu updates, and help coordinate nourishment and patient intake.

Under supervision, you will work with the Clinical Nutrition and patient services team, visit patients daily, and ensure accurate transcription of diet instructions while maintaining safety and infection-control standards.

Qualifications

• Basic math skills required for order accuracy.
• Clear written and spoken English ability.
• Strong oral and written communication.
• Ability to move between patient care units and food prep areas.
• Ability to read menus, diet orders, and color-coded menus.

Responsibilities

• Update Non-Room Service menus each morning and complete breakfast menu for new admissions.
• Answer calls and take patient meal orders via Room Service.
• Process orders ensuring alignment with prescribed diets.
• Update diet sheets and communicate diet changes.
• Visit Non-Room Service patients daily to assist with menu selection and diet adherence.
• Transcribe special instructions to diet sheets and notify Dietitian within 15 minutes of consults.
• Consult Diet Office or Dietitian for patient questions or concerns.
• Complete a Patient Visitation Report daily.
• Attend in-service trainings and maintain hand-washing protocols.

Skills

Basic math

English proficiency

Communication skills

Interdepartmental collaboration

Patient/menu coordination

Education

High School degree

Job description

When you join the growing BILH team, you're not just taking a job, you’re making a difference in people’s lives. Under the supervision of the Patient Services Manager, performs a variety of tasks associated with ensuring that the patients receive meals and nourishment in accordance with the physician diet order. Supports the activities of the Registered Dietitian through careful coordination and execution of tasks such as calorie count, nourishment set up and provision of appetite and intake. Functions as a member of the Clinical Nutrition and patient services team and maintains a positive relationship with all department members, allied health care team members, patients, and families.

Job Description

Essential Duties & Responsibilities including but not limited to:

• Updates Non-Room Service menus each morning in accordance with department standards for timeliness and accuracy. Completes breakfast menu for new admission Non-Room Service patients according to prescribed diet order.
• Answers the telephone in a professional manner for Room Service calls verifying patient name and room number while taking menu order.
• Processes Room Service menu orders accurately, correcting menu with patient as indicated to ensure that the order is consistent with prescribed diet.
• Correctly updates the diet sheets with check mark to denote a tray has been sent along with all changes in diet order or nourishment requests.
• Visits all Non-Room Service patients daily for menu selection, assisting patients as needed and reinforcing the prescribed diet.
• Transcribes special instructions from Cardex to the diet sheets in accordance with department standards for timeliness and accuracy.
• Contacts Dietitian with all consults within 15 minutes of receipt by the Diet Office in accordance with department standards for timeliness and accuracy.
• Consult the Diet Office Manual or a Dietitian with all patient questions or concerns.
• Completes at least 1 Patient Visitation Report each day worked.
• Attends all relevant in-service training.
• Adheres to hand-washing requirements while at work.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: High School degree preferred

Licensure, Certification, Registration: None required.

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• Proficient in basic 4-function math.
• Demonstrates proficiency in speaking and writing in English.
• Demonstrates proficiency in oral and written communication.
• Requires the ability to move within and between patient care units and food preparation areas.
• Requires vision/color and manual dexterity for checking patient menus entering data into computer, identifying special diets and codes by color, and manipulating menus and paperwork.
• Knowledge of relevant precautions for applicable infectious disease.
• Telephone skills / Customer service skills
• In the absence of certain of these skills, demonstrates the ability to be thoroughly trained to meet organizational requirements.

Experience: A minimum of one (1) year hospital or nursing home food service is preferred.

Pay Range

$17.00 - $22.88

The pay range listed for this position is the base hourly wage range the organization reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for this position at this time. Actual compensation is determined based on several factors, that may include seniority, education, training, relevant experience, relevant certifications, geography of work location, job responsibilities, or other applicable factors permissible by law. Compensation may exceed the base hourly rate depending on shift differentials, call pay, premium pay, overtime pay, and other additional pay practices, as applicable to the position and in accordance with the law.

As a health care organization, we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to care for and protect our patients, our colleagues and our communities. Beth Israel Lahey Health requires that all staff be vaccinated against influenza (flu) as a condition of employment.

More than 35,000 people working together. Nurses, doctors, technicians, therapists, researchers, teachers and more, making a difference in patients' lives. Your skill and compassion can make us even stronger.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled