Dietitian (Clinical)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; New York (NY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Nutrition and Food Services, seeks a Clinical Dietitian to serve as the medical nutrition expert, coordinating care with Veterans, caregivers and the health team.

The role requires RDN/RD credentials, knowledge of the Nutrition Care Process, and ability to develop and monitor Medical Nutrition Therapy to improve patient outcomes.

Qualifications

• RDN/RD credential required (CDR)
• U.S. citizenship required for VA appointment
• ACEND-accredited education with eligibility for CDR exam
• Experience with Nutrition Care Process and Medical Nutrition Therapy preferred

Responsibilities

• Conducts comprehensive nutrition assessments using the Nutrition Care Process to establish a nutrition diagnosis
• Develops and implements Medical Nutrition Therapy and monitors outcomes

Skills

NCP knowledge

Evidence-based practice

Data analysis for performance

Collaboration with stakeholders

Virtual care delivery

Education

Bachelor's degree in Dietetics or related field

ACEND-accredited program

Job description

Summary

This position is located in the Clinical Section of the Nutrition and Food Services (NFS) at the James J. Peters VAMC serving as the medical nutrition expert. Clinical Dietitians coordinate nutritional care of Veterans with other health care providers - the Veteran - the Veteran's caregiver and the community. Recruitment & Relocation Incentive Eligible!!!

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: All individuals assigned to this occupation must meet all the basic qualification requirements above and all the requirements defined in the specific assignment
• GS-07 Dietitian (Clinical) (Entry Level Developmental) - No additional requirements beyond the basic requirements
• GS-09 Dietitian (Clinical) (Developmental) - Experience/Education Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements - to qualify for the GS-09 you must have at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7) OR a master's degree from a regionally accredited university or college in the field of dietetics or closely related field
• Your experience or education must demonstrate the following Knowledge - Skills and Abilities: 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) (Full Performance Level) Experience Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements - to qualify for the GS-11 up must possess at least 1 year of experience as an RDN/RD equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-09) which demonstrates the following Knowledge - Skills and Abilities: Skill in delivering patient care using the Nutrition Care Process (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
• Creditable Experience
• To be creditable - the experience must have required the use of knowledge - skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with current professional dietetic practice and must have been gained post registration
• This may be evidenced by one or more of the following: (1) The equivalent of 1 year of active professional practice
• Active professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a registered Dietitian
• (2) Academic course work leading to an advanced graduate degree in nutrition or a related health care field
• Quality of Experience
• Qualifying experience must be comparable to dietetic experience at the next lower grade level of the position being filled
• For all assignments above the full performance level - the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope - administrative independence - complexity and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• Part-Time Experience
• Part‑time experience as a registered Dietitian is credited according to its relationship to the full-time workweek
• For example - a registered Dietitian employed 20 hours per week - or on a half‑time basis - would receive 1 full‑time work week of credit for each 2 weeks of service
• Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics
• Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) is the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' accrediting agency for education programs preparing students for careers as registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN)
• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Registered Dietitian
• RDN and Registered Dietitian (RD) credentials are the same and both are qualifying
• The difference between RDN and RD is in name only due to a change by the professional academy in 2014
• In this standard - the term RDN will be used
• 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

• Duties include but not limited to: 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