Diet Tech

St. David's HealthCare; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 38,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan with match

Tuition assistance

Dependent scholarships

Life insurance

Educational support

Job summary

St. David’s Medical Center is seeking a Diet Tech to manage patient diet information, enter orders in Meditech and Computrition, and prepare meals and trays. The role emphasizes accurate data handling, coordination with nursing and dietetics, and maintaining an organized diet office environment.

Preferred candidates have 1 year in a healthcare setting as a diet technician or 5 years of dietary experience in lieu of a diploma. An Associates degree in Nutrition is desirable.

Qualifications

• 1 year healthcare experience in a diet-related role preferred.
• Accurate data entry and ability to follow scripts and procedures.
• Knowledge of hospital diet orders and meal preparation processes.

Responsibilities

• Obtain and maintain current patient diet information.
• Enter diet orders into the hospital computer system and meal office system.
• Prepare patient menus and assemble tray tickets accurately.
• Communicate with nursing units and dietitians regarding dietary needs.
• Maintain neat, organized diet office operations and assist staff as needed.

Skills

Clerical skills

Communication

Phone etiquette

Medical terminology

Education

High School Diploma

Associates degree in Nutrition

Tools

Meditech

Computrition

Job description

Do you have the career opportunities as a Diet Tech you want with your current employer? We have an exciting opportunity for you to join St. David's Medical Center which is part of the nation's leading provider of healthcare services, HCA Healthcare.

Job Summary And Qualifications

Performs a variety of clerical tasks related to maintaining accurate patient diet orders and preparation of the patient meal orders. Good organization and guest relation skills are necessary in maintaining an efficient diet office.

General Responsibilities

• Responsible for obtaining and maintaining current patient diet information.
  • Obtains computerized diet census prior to each meal.
  • Retrieves and enters current diet orders from the hospital computer system – Meditech, to the food service diet office management system, Computrition, in a timely manner.
  • Records dietary census and posts for dietary staff each morning.
  • Calls nursing units to clarify diet information as needed.
  • Informs supervisor when patient are occupying any of the luxury suites.
  • Remains knowledgeable of all diet office computer down time procedures.
  • Informs supervisor if patients have meal concerns and when STAT orders are sent.
  • Communicates to dietitians when patients need nutrition education or tube feeding substitution.
  • Provides tube feeding and supplement information to the nourishment staff in a timely manner.
  • Reports equipment problems to the appropriate staff as soon as they occur.
• Responsible for accurate and timely preparation of each patient’s menus.
  • Runs all Computrition reports at the designated time to assure diet orders and menu selections are accurate.
  • Logs into the phone system to receive patient meal orders, answers all calls using designated scripts and informs patient of nutritional restrictions as needed.
  • Runs and assembles patient tray tickets in the assigned order prior to tray line start time.
  • Highlights all special diet orders and special services on the tray tickets to assist the tray line staff in accurately assembling each tray to meet the diet order.
  • Informs the cooks and supervisors of special food items requested by patients.
• Communicates and cooperates with all hospital personnel to achieve the overall objectives of the Food service department.
  • Answers calls from nursing and other hospital personnel and communicates necessary information to appropriate staff.
  • Responsible for excellent phone etiquette with all callers, i.e. patients, pts family, nursing, doctors, and other hospital personnel.
  • Must be knowledgeable of all tasks in the call center and assist co-workers to complete tasks daily.
  • Communicates with food services staff and supervisors to assure all patients receive the diet order and tray prescribed.
  • Maintains the diet office in a neat, clean, and organized fashion and completes all assignments prior to each shift ending.
• Performs miscellaneous job duties as assigned.
  • Assists the patient services supervisors with various tray line tasks as needed.
  • Collects calorie counts when diet tech is unavailable.
  • Assigned duties are enthusiastically completed as designated and in a timely manner.

Competencies Expected And Evaluated

Performance and behaviors must be aligned with and support the St. David’s Healthcare Mission, Vision, Values and Goals.

• Mission: To provide exceptional care to every patient, every day with a spirit of warmth, friendliness and personal pride.
• Vision: To be the finest care and service organization in the world.
• Values: Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Excellence
• Goals: Exceptional Care, Customer Loyalty and Financial Strength

Employees are expected to follow:

• All hospital/departmental policies and procedures
• All service excellence programs (AIDET, Key Words/Key Times, Hourly Rounding, Bedside Shift Report, etc.)
• Ethics and Compliance Program
• Values Commitment
• Patient and Employee safety/security policies and protocols
• Comply with all requirements of employment (license/certification, annual education, vaccine preventable diseases/annual flu requirements)

Experience Preferred

1 year experience in Healthcare institution as Diet Technician

Education Required

High School Graduate/Equivalent or minimum of 5 years dietary experience in lieu of diploma/GED

Education Preferred

Associates degree in Nutrition

Licenses And Certifications Required

Food Handler Certification

Benefits

St. David's Medical Center, offers a total rewards package that supports the health, life, career and retirement of our colleagues. The available plans and programs include:

• Comprehensive benefits for medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, behavioral health and telemedicine services
• Wellbeing support, including free counseling and referral services
• Time away from work programs for paid time off, paid family leave, long- and short-term disability coverage and leaves of absence
• Savings and retirement resources, including a 401(k) Plan with a 100% match on 3% to 9% of pay (based on years of service), Employee Stock Purchase Plan, flexible spending accounts, preferred banking partnerships, retirement readiness tools, rollover support and financial wellbeing counseling
• Education support through tuition assistance, student loan assistance, certification support, dependent scholarships and a partnership with Galen College of Nursing
• Additional benefits for fertility and family building, adoption assistance, life insurance, supplemental health protection plans, auto and home insurance, legal counseling, identity theft protection and consumer discounts

Learn More About Employee Benefits

Note: Eligibility for benefits may vary by location.

About St. David’s Medical Center

St. David’s Medical Center, part of St. David’s HealthCare, is a comprehensive medical facility with three locations: St. David’s Medical Center, Heart Hospital of Austin, and St. David’s Georgetown Hospital. Located in Central Austin, St. David’s Medical Center features a 371-bed acute care hospital and a 64-bed rehabilitation hospital, offering a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services.

The hospital provides a full spectrum of women's services, including a renowned Level IV maternity unit, maternal-fetal medicine, and a high-risk maternal and neonatal transport team. It also boasts the region’s largest Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and offers outpatient breast imaging services through Solis Mammography, which is situated on-site. Additionally, the facility includes a 24-hour emergency department and a comprehensive stroke center.

St. David’s Medical Center specializes in treating high-acuity surgical patients, offering complex procedures such as spine surgeries, total joint replacements, advanced surgical oncology, bariatric surgery, and general surgery. It is also home to the esteemed Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute. The hospital has earned accreditation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as a Magnet® hospital, the highest and most prestigious distinction a healthcare organization can achieve for nursing practice and quality patient care.

HCA Healthcare has been recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® by the Ethisphere Institute more than ten times. In recent years, HCA Healthcare spent an estimated $3.7 billion in cost for the delivery of charitable care, uninsured discounts, and other uncompensated expenses.

"Bricks and mortar do not make a hospital. People do." - Dr. Thomas Frist, Sr.

HCA Healthcare Co-Founder

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.