Dietitian (Clinical)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Hampton (VA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Hampton VAMC, is seeking a Dietitian (Clinical) to serve as the medical nutrition expert within Nutrition and Food Services.

You will provide evidence-based nutrition care for all patients, including those with complex medical needs, using the Nutritional Care Process. Responsibilities include performing comprehensive assessments, developing MNT plans, documenting in ADIME, and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams and Food Operations to support

Qualifications

• Must be a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) or Registered Dietitian (RD).
• Non-credentialed Dietitians may be appointed at GS-07 or GS-09 with restrictions and must pursue RDN credential.
• U.S. citizenship is required for this VA position.
• Non-credentialed Dietitians must have completed ACEND accredited program and supervision.
• Accompanying ACEND references and translation of foreign credentials are considered.

Responsibilities

• Conducts comprehensive nutrition assessments using the Nutritional Care Process (NCP) to establish a nutrition diagnosis and determine malnutrition risk.
• Develops and implements Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) and monitors outcomes; adjusts plans as needed for positive patient results.
• Documents MNT in the medical record using ADIME format and maintains accurate daily clinical records.
• Collaborates with the Food Operations Section and department leadership to enhance the Veterans' dining experience and support patient satisfaction.
• Utilizes virtual care technology to deliver nutrition care and ensure access across settings.

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in Dietetics or related field

Job description

Summary

This position is located at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) - Veterans Health Administration (VHA) - Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6) - Hampton VA Medical Center (VAMC) - within Nutrition and Food Services. This Dietician (Clinical) serves as the medical nutrition expert and provides evidence-based nutrition care for all patients - including those with complex medical and nutritional needs.

This position is located at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) - Veterans Health Administration (VHA) - Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6) - Hampton VA Medical Center (VAMC) - within Nutrition and Food Services. This Dietician (Clinical) serves as the medical nutrition expert and provides evidence-based nutrition care for all patients - including those with complex medical and nutritional needs.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• 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
• 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
• Non-credentialed Dietitians may only be appointed at the GS-07 or GS-09 grade level and may not be promoted/converted until they obtain their RDN credential
• Non-credentialed Dietitians must provide care under the supervision of a RDN at or above the full performance level
• Temporary appointments of non-credentialed Dietitian will not be extended beyond one year or converted to a new temporary appointment
• Failure to Obtain Registration
• In all cases - Dietitians must actively pursue meeting registration requirements starting from their appointment date
• At the time of appointment - servicing Human Resources (HR) staff in collaboration with the supervisor - will provide non-registered Dietitians the written requirement to obtain registration - the date by which they must acquire it and the consequences for not doing so by the deadline
• Failure to obtain registration within one year from the date of appointment will result in removal from the Dietitian - GS-0630 occupation and may result in termination of employment
• 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: Dietitian (Clinical) - GS-07
• Experience or Education
• None beyond the basic requirements
• Dietitian (Clinical) - GS-09
• Experience
• At least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level
• OR Education
• Master's degree from a regionally accredited university or college
• Knowledge - Skills and Abilities
• In addition to the experience or education above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of various accrediting and regulatory requirements
• (b) Knowledge of virtual technology to provide nutrition care
• (c) Ability to deliver patient care using the NCP (e.g. - assessment - diagnosis - intervention - monitoring and evaluation)
• (d) Ability to apply evidence-based nutrition practices to improve patient outcomes
• (e) Ability to develop patient-centered goals
• (f) Ability to collect data for performance improvement studies
• (g) Ability to collaborate with stakeholders
• Dietitian (Clinical) - GS-11
• (Full Performance Level) Experience
• At least one year of experience as an RDN equivalent to the next lower grade
• Knowledge - Skills and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Skill in delivering patient care using the NCP (e.g. - assessment - diagnosis - intervention - monitoring and evaluation)
• (b) Skill in interpreting research to apply evidence-based nutrition practices to improve patient outcomes
• (c) Skill in developing patient-centered goals
• (d) Skill in analyzing data for performance improvement studies
• (e) Skill in collaborating with stakeholders
• (f) 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 duties of this announcement are at the Full Performance Level
• If you are selected at a lower grade - you may not perform all of these duties
• Duties: 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
• Assesses 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
• Complies with The Joint Commission requirements and other accrediting agency standards to ensure safe and quality patient care
• Collaborates with the Food Operations Section and department leadership to enhance the Veterans' dining experience - support patient satisfaction - and serve as a liaison between clinical units and the Food Operations Section
• May perform other related duties as assigned which are appropriate for this grade and assignment
• Work Schedule: 8:00am to 4:30pm - Monday - Friday Compressed/Flexible: Not authorized
• Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: PD0000 - PD000000 - and PD000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized