Dietitian (Clinical) - Home Based Primary Care

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

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in New York (Town of Bath area) seeks a Dietitian (Clinical) to serve as the medical nutrition expert within the Clinical Section of NFS.

The role is autonomous and applies evidence-based guidelines for Veterans with complex medical and nutritional needs. The Dietitian will coordinate care with the Veteran, caregiver, and health care team, using the NCP to assess, diagnose, intervene, monitor, and evaluate nutrition plans.

Qualifications

• Must be U.S. citizen (non-citizens may be appointed only as allowed by VA policy)
• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) or Registered Dietitian (RD) registered with CDR
• For non-credentialed Dietitians: full-time temporary appointment not to exceed one year (38 U.S.C. 7405(c)(2))
• May be appointed at GS-07 or GS-09; credential required for advancement
• Foreign education must meet ACEND standards when applicable
• ACEND-accredited experiential or supervised practice and verification to sit for CDR exam
• Evidence of active professional practice or equivalent experience
• GS-07/GS-09/GS-11 grade determinations and KSAs

Responsibilities

• Conducts nutrition assessments using the NCP to establish a diagnosis
• Develops and implements Medical Nutrition Therapy and monitors outcomes
• Modifies plans to achieve positive patient outcomes
• Calculates nutrient requirements and diet restrictions
• Documents MNT using ADIME format
• Maintains accurate record keeping and independent work
• Collaborates with health care team and participates in meetings
• Provides nutrition education/counseling tailored to Veterans
• Utilizes virtual care technology to improve access to care
• Maintains productivity and completes patient encounters
• Leads initiatives and data-driven quality improvements
• Complies with accrediting and regulatory standards and interfaces with Food Operations

Skills

NCP knowledge

Evidence-based practice

Patient education

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Virtual care technology

Cultural competency

Education

Bachelor's degree in nutrition or related field

Master's degree in nutrition or related field

Job description

Summary

Employees in this assignment serve in a Dietitian (Clinical) position within the Clinical Section of NFS serving as the medical nutrition expert. They are autonomous in their work in applying evidenced-based nutrition practice guidelines for all patients - including those with complex medical and nutritional needs. Clinical Dietitians coordinate nutritional care of Veterans with other health care providers - the Veteran - the Veteran's caregiver - 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
• 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: The equivalent of 1 year of active professional practice
• Active professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a registered Dietitian
• 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
• 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• 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: 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
• Dietitian (Clinical) - GS-11 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: 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
• Preferred Experience: An applicant with a valid state driver's license is preferred
• 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 full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-7 through GS-11.

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: Monday-Friday
• Tour of Duty to be determined Travel: 50% - Position will require travel into the community to meet with community agencies - its Veterans and caregivers
• Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: PD99529S - PD99530S - and PD99531S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized