Health Technician (Dietetic)

US Veterans Health Administration

Phoenix (AZ)

On-site

USD 42,000 - 54,000

Full time

4 days ago

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Job summary

US Veterans Health Administration is seeking a Health Technician (Dietetic) to support patient meal service, diet education, and diet modification within a hospital setting. The role requires experience with hospital food service, tray assembly, and dietetics software, with strong customer service skills.

Position is not virtual; candidates must live within commuting distance of the duty location or relocate accordingly. Salary aligns with GS-05 pay scale for the area and federal benefits apply.

Qualifications

Specialized experience in hospital food service and knowledge of tray assembly procedures.
Ability to use dietetics software and knowledge of regular and modified diets.
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, and strong customer service.

Responsibilities

Assist with patient meal service orders in person or by phone.
Educate patients, guests and nursing staff on local facility therapeutic diets.
Assist in selection of proper foods according to individual diet.
Perform clerical and administrative duties in support of the service.
Handle non-select and select menus as required.

Skills

Computer Skills

Customer Service

Food Service

Education

Bachelor's degree or 4 years of education in nutrition/dietetics

Job description

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

Has a broad knowledge of routing modified diets, combinations of diet modifications and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) dietetics software
Handles patient meal service orders in person or by phone
Interacts with Veterans, dietitians, nursing staff, and other medical center employees
Receives patient meal orders and preferences, meal and nourishment requests from nursing, clinical staff, and other members of the interdisciplinary team
Takes whatever action necessary, within authority, to maximize patient satisfaction with meal service
Completes select and non-select menus as required
Retrieves computerized information to assist with tray and/or nourishment assembly such as standing orders, nourishment labels, tabulated recipe lists, and other simple information to assist in meal delivery
Provides education and information on local facility therapeutic diets to patients, guests, and nursing staff
Assists patients in selection of the proper foods according to their individual diet
Performs clerical and administrative duties in support of the service
Performs other related duties as assigned

Work Schedule

5 days a week including weekends and holidays; 10:00 a.m. to 06:30 p.m.

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives

Not authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI)

Not Approved

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
You may be required to serve a probationary period
Subject to background/security investigation
Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

Qualifications

Minimum Requirement

Specialized Experience (GS-05): At least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-04) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of this Health Technician (Dietetic) position. Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes performing duties in food service in a hospital environment; knowledge of tray assembly area procedures; using dietetics software programs; familiarity with regular and modified diets; assisting with food selections; following verbal and written instructions; and using computer equipment, phone system, and printers. This position requires effective communication skills both verbally and in writing and good customer service. NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. OR,
Education (GS-05): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level, you must have a bachelor's degree or four (4) years of education above the high school level with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position (i.e. nutrition, dietary therapy, food and nutrition science, food service systems management, etc.). This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. NOTE: One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business or technical school. (NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.) OR,
Combination (GS-05): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. To qualify based on combination, you must have an equivalent combination of successfully completed post-high school education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, which meet the total qualification requirements for this grade level. This education must have been obtained at an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. (NOTE: Your experience must be documented in your resume and transcripts are required.)

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

Computer Skills
Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
Food Service

Physical Requirements

The work requires walking, standing, bending, lifting, and carrying of light items, such as food trays, instruction materials, books, and manuals. Frequently lifts or moves objects weighing up to 20 pounds and pushing loaded carts of trays and/or nourishments; may be necessary to lift and/or push equipment. Requires long periods of sitting and moving about in an office environment, including repetitive motion activities of the hands and fingers for extensive keyboard and computer mouse use, and office tasks such as answering and holding a telephone phone, and writing. The work may require walking indoors, outdoors or to and from other areas of the medical center; may be subject to periods of continuous standing, sitting, walking and frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending. Work is performed in a hospital and involves some exposure to contagious diseases. Standard precautions may necessitate the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in situations of potential exposure

Additional information

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window Learn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

Application of Veterans' Preference

Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category (except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher). It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members

Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

Required Documents