Dietitian Clinical

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Jefferson Barracks (MO); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Missouri seeks an Informatics Dietitian to develop, plan, coordinate, and implement food service technology across Nutrition and Food Service. On-site support for John Cochran as needed.

Qualifications include RDN/RD with CDR credentials or eligible for non-credentialed track under grandfathering provisions. GS-07/09/11 level with growth opportunities and strong cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher from US regionally accredited college or foreign equivalent.
• ACEND-accredited program and verification statement required for credentialed path.

Responsibilities

• Plan, coordinate and implement food service technology within Nutrition and Food Service.
• Provide training related to food service systems technology.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across departments to improve patient dining and clinical operations.

Skills

Nutritional standards

Food service software

Training development

Data evaluation

Staff training

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

ACEND accredited program/verification

Tools

Electronic Health Records (EHR)

Meal production software

Job description

Employees serving in this role develop skills to plan, coordinate and implement food service technology within the Nutrition and Food service. Informatics Dietitians in this assignment continue to increase their knowledge of technical and technological developments in the field of nutrition informatics and use this knowledge to guide both the food and the clinical operations. This position will be located at Jefferson Barracks in St Louis, MO and will support John Cochran on-site as needed.

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.

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 (Informatics) GS-07 Experience:

Experience: At least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. OR 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement

Dietitian (Informatics) GS-09 Experience:

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.

Dietitian (Informatics) GS-11 Experience:

One year of experience as an RDN Dietitian equivalent to the next lower grade level.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• (a) Knowledge of nutritional standards and requirements.
• (b) Ability to manage computer software programs relative to food service systems.
• (c) Ability to develop training and reference materials.
• (d) Ability to evaluate data to improve outcomes.
• (e) Ability to provide training related to food service systems technology.
• (f) Ability to collaborate with stakeholders

Preferred Experience:

Preferred candidates should have experience planning, coordinating, and implementing food service technology within a healthcare setting, with demonstrated knowledge of nutrition informatics and its application to both food and clinical operations. Familiarity with managing electronic health records, commercial off-the-shelf software for meal production and service, and facilitating staff training on informatics systems is highly valued. Experience collaborating across departments to enhance patient dining experiences and supporting process improvements within Nutrition and Food Services is also desirable.

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.

The VA St Louis Health Care System includes two medical centers and seven community based-outpatient clinics offering a wide range of nutrition services, including acute care, long-term care, mental health, psychiatric, primary care, and specialty services. As a informatics dietitian, you may be required to cover any area within the diverse health care system.