Hospital Diet & Food Services Aide - Per Diem

Tufts Medicine; Lowell (MA); On-site; USD 23,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

Tufts Medicine is seeking an entry‑level Per Diem Food Service associate at Lowell General Hospital in Lowell, MA. The role covers support services including dietary operations, meal preparation, tray delivery, and sanitation across patient care settings.

You will assist with menu selections, prepare regular and modified diets, and maintain accurate nutrition and sanitation records. Per diem hours up to 24 per week are available, with standing, lifting, and patient interaction involved.

Qualifications

• Food service experience.
• High School diploma or equivalent.
• One year in hospital food services.

Responsibilities

• Maintains and communicates accurate and updated diet order information through the system to ensure patients receive appropriate meals, nourishments and commercial enteral products in accordance with current diet order.
• Elicits patient information regarding food preferences, intolerances, likes and dislikes. Alerts the Clinical Dietitian to any actual or potential nutritional problems of patients.
• Assists patients with menu selection and writes and corrects regular and as assigned modified diets for patients. Responsible for maintaining high level of accuracy and appropriateness of patient trays.
• Delivers trays to patients, picks up trays from patients.
• Follows all precautions on patient units by donning and doffing PPE appropriately. Performs hand hygiene according to standards.
• Stocks nursing unit pantries with nourishments and dietary supplies, utilizing first-in, first-out system.
• Ensures accurate tray assembly on patient tray line. Prepares normal menu items, salads, sandwiches, desserts, and special items.
• Operates a variety of kitchen utensils to weigh, measure, mix, wash, peel, cut, grind, stir, strain, season and knead food items for cooking, serving and storing
• Assists in the preparation of hot and/or cold foods, and properly stores food, utilizing knowledge of temperature requirements and spoilage.
• Maintains accurate sanitation and temperature logs in work area according to regulatory requirements.
• Assists with setup, stocking, serving and delivering of food from counters, steam tables and work stations
• Responsible for cleaning and sanitizing of dishware, equipment and work stations. Strips, sanitizes, stacks, patients' trays and utensils in dish room, reassembles tray line. Cleans and sanitizes pots and utensils equipment, floors, walls, dish machine, etc
• Removes trash from assigned workstation and/or from kitchen to specified area. Returns empty bottles and cans to recycle bin located in receiving /loading dock area. Removes crushed cardboard to designated areas.
• Maintains collaborative, team relationships with peers and colleagues in order to effectively contribute to the working groups achievement of goals, and to help foster a positive work environment.
• May prepare special nutritional products such as infant formulas, modular tube feedings, or powdered nutritionals for high-risk adult patients.
• May operate a cash register (or equivalent), receives payments of cash, checks and charges from customers or employees for goods or services, making change and issuing receipts or tickets to customers.

Skills

Food service experience

Education

High School diploma or equivalent

One year hospital food services

Job description

Tufts Medicine is seeking an entry‑level Per Diem Food Service associate at Lowell General Hospital in Lowell, MA. The role covers support services including dietary operations, meal preparation, tray delivery, and sanitation across patient care settings.

You will assist with menu selections, prepare regular and modified diets, and maintain accurate nutrition and sanitation records. Per diem hours up to 24 per week are available, with standing, lifting, and patient interaction involved.