Dietitian (Clinical)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at the Raymond G Murphy VA Medical Center seeks a Clinical Dietitian to coordinate Veterans’ nutritional care in spinal cord injury and disorders.

You will collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, caregivers, and the community to address weight management, cardiometabolic health, and related nutrition needs. The role requires involvement in NCP-based assessments, development of MNT plans, and ongoing evaluation of patient

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen per VA policy.
• RDN/RD credential required; active registration with CDR.
• Non-credentialed dietitians may be appointed full-time temporary up to one year.
• GS-7/GS-9/GS-11 levels possible; RDN credential required for advancement.
• Master's degree and KSAs required; knowledge of accrediting/regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialized outpatient nutrition care for Veterans with spinal cord injury/disorders with an interdisciplinary team.
• Conduct comprehensive nutrition assessments using the Nutritional Care Process (NCP) and nutrition-focused physical examinations.
• Develop and implement Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) and monitor outcomes.
• Document MNT in the medical record using ADIME; maintain accurate daily encounter records.
• Lead nutrition education for individuals and groups; use virtual care to improve access.
• Participate in interdisciplinary team meetings and drive continuous quality improvement.

Skills

NCP knowledge

MNT development

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Nutrition education & counseling

Virtual care technology usage

Nutrition care planning

Education

RDN/ RD credential

Bachelor's degree or higher

ACEND accredited program & supervised practice

U.S. citizenship requirement

Master's degree (optional)

Tools

ADIME documentation

EMR/Nutrition care software

Job description

Summary

The Raymond G Murphy VA Medical Center seeks a Clinical Dietitian in Spinal Cord Injury/Disorders to coordinate Veterans' nutritional care with healthcare teams - Veterans - caregivers - and the community.

Qualifications

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) or Registered Dietitian (RD) - Must be registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing branch of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics formerly known as the American Dietetic Association (ADA)
• Exception for GS-07 and GS-09 Only: Dietitians who do not possess the RDN/RD credential
• Non-credentialed Dietitians who otherwise meet the basic qualification requirements and have fulfilled the requirements below - but do not possess the RDN credential - may be given a full-time temporary appointment not to exceed one year under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405(c)(2)
• May only be appointed at the GS-07 or GS-09 level and may not be promoted/converted until they obtain their RDN credential
• Non-credentialed Dietitians must have fulfilled each of the following: Earned a bachelor's or higher degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university or foreign equivalent
• 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
• ~AND~ 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 are located on the ACEND website or at ACEND Accredited Programs Directory
• Current VHA Dietitians that qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision may not be promoted to a higher grade if they do not meet the current RDN/RD requirements
• Grade Determinations: GS-7 Dietitian (Clinical): None beyond the basic requirements
• GS-9 Dietitian (Clinical): Applicants must have at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7) related to the position being filled
• OR posses a Master's Degree from a regionally accredited university or college.In addition - applicants must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of various accrediting and regulatory requirements
• Knowledge of virtual technology to provide nutrition care
• Ability to deliver patient care using the NCP (e.g. - assessment - diagnosis - intervention - monitoring and evaluation)
• Ability to apply evidence-based nutrition practices to improve patient outcomes
• Ability to develop patient-centered goals
• Ability to collect data for performance improvement studies
• Ability to collaborate with stakeholders
• GS-11 Dietitian (Clinical): Applicants must have at least 1 year of experience as an RDN equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-09) related to the position being filled.In addition - applicants must demonstrate the following KSAs: 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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment
• A pre-placement physical examination is not required.

Duties

• The incumbent provides specialized outpatient nutrition care for Veterans with spinal cord injury and disorders - collaborating with an interdisciplinary rehabilitation team to address complex needs such as weight management - neurogenic bowel and bladder - pressure-injury prevention and healing - cardiometabolic health - and adaptive strategies that support independence and quality of life
• Duties include but are not limited to the following: Conducts comprehensive nutrition assessments using the Nutritional Care Process (NCP) - including nutrition focused physical examinations - to establish a nutrition diagnosis and determine risk and/or degree of malnutrition
• Develops and implements Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) to address the nutrition diagnosis - evaluates and monitors the effectiveness and outcomes of MNT interventions
• Modifies the plan as needed to achieve positive patient outcomes
• Calculates nutrient requirements and necessary diet restrictions or food and drug interactions tailoring the diet prescription to each individual patient.- Documents MNT in the medical record using the Assessment - Diagnosis - Intervention - Monitoring - Evaluation (ADIME) format.- Functions independently and accurately when record keeping
• Identifies patients in need of nutritional support and recommends the appropriate mode of support and communicates appropriately with the health care team.- Actively participates in formal and informal interdisciplinary team meetings
• Assess educational needs and provides nutrition education/counseling for individuals and groups that is tailored to the Veteran(s).- Utilizes virtual care technology to improve access to care
• Maintains productivity standards
• Maintains accurate record keeping of daily clinical activities and completes patient encounters using approved systems.- Ensures continuous improvement of safe and quality care of Veterans
• Leads activities in the implementation of new initiatives
• Uses data in the development of measures - data evaluation - and initiation of corrective actions
• Work Schedule: Full-time - Monday thru Friday - 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Compressed/Flexible: Not authorized
• Telework: This position is not authorized telework
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: PD000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.