Nutrition Assistant

Houston Methodist; Cypress (TX); On-site; USD 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Houston Methodist is seeking a Nutrition Assistant who educates patients on dining services and diet orders, assists with menu selections, and ensures timely meal delivery. You will be the first point of contact for questions and concerns, coordinating with nurses and dietitians as needed.

The role emphasizes accurate meal preparation, patient satisfaction, and adherence to department policies and sanitation standards across shifts.

Qualifications

• Education: High School diploma or equivalent.
• Experience: One year of customer service or hospitality experience preferred.
• Licenses & Certifications: Food Handlers Permit; Certified Food Manager obtained within 90 days.

Responsibilities

• Greets patients and educates them on dining services and physician-prescribed diets.
• Handles complaints and resolves problems; notifies management as needed.
• Ensures accurate tray delivery and assists with meal distribution.
• Documents customer concerns and contributes to service improvement.

Skills

Customer service

Hospitality experience

Education

High School diploma or equivalent

Food Handlers Permit

Certified Food Manager

Job description

Nutrition Assistant

At Houston Methodist, the Nutrition Assistant position is responsible for educating patients on the dining services programs/processes, serving as the initial point of contact for problem resolution, and ensuring accurate diet information.

The role assists patients with menu selection specific to their physician‑prescribed diet order, ensures timely meal/tray delivery, monitors feedback for improvement, corrects issues relayed from patients to appropriate staff, and communicates with peers and management about workplace hazards and sanitation procedures.

All responsibilities adhere to department policies, procedures, and local Food Ordinances.

FLSA STATUS

Non‑exempt

QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: High School diploma or equivalent education (examples include GED, verification of homeschool equivalency, partial or full completion of post‑secondary education, etc.)
• Experience: One year of customer service or hospitality experience preferred.
• Licenses & Certifications:
  • Food Handlers Permit – accredited food handler training course approved by the Texas Department of State Health Services (TXDSHS) or by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
  • Certified Food Manager – obtain within 90 days; once this certification is obtained, the Food Handler Permit is no longer required. The Food Service Manager must be renewed every five years.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Greets patients, uses their name whenever possible, and educates them on the dining services programs/processes specific to their physician‑prescribed diet order. Interacts in a positive, professional manner with patients, family, and staff. Communicates clearly to nursing, interprofessional staff, and peers to promote work efforts and problem resolution.
• Serves as the first point of contact for all complaints involving patient Food Services. Follows through with resolving problems and communicates to management when patient food service problems are identified.
• Communicates pertinent information (difficulty eating, poor appetite, nourishment concerns, formula usage, requests to see the Dietitian, etc.) to ensure proper handling and processing.
• Contributes toward improvement of department scores for employee engagement and peer‑to‑peer accountability.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Ensures that all new admits receive information regarding the dining services program and their prescribed diets. Assists and accommodates patients, as needed, with diet information, answers menu selection questions, places orders using computerized software, and handles meal ordering directions and problems. Distributes tube feedings, nourishments/supplements, fruit baskets, and birthday cakes on time.
• Identifies menu items and describes every item on the menu, responding to inquiries regarding taste and ingredients appropriately.
• Checks the tray for accuracy and presentation before delivery. Secures missing or requested items during delivery. Assists in plating food during peak times per team leader or management. Delivers trays and sets up accordingly.
• Accurately logs and tracks customer concerns on appropriate documents. Utilizes appropriate patient identifiers before meal delivery. Ensures patient satisfaction before leaving the room and contributes to improvement of department score for patient satisfaction through peer‑to‑peer accountability to service standards.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Confirms diet orders listed as “no orders” on the patient meal work sheets and reviews insulin reports for diabetic patients requiring medication reminders before meal delivery.
• Performs quality or PI projects, including test trays, to ensure correct meal selection, reduce waste, and collect soiled tray data.
• Provides accurate documentation, maintains an orderly work area, and ensures supplies, equipment, and parts are stored properly.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Inventories and maintains condiments at pre‑established levels to reduce waste and stay within budgeting funds; maintains stock of patient menus on assigned floors.
• Utilizes resources with cost effectiveness and value creation; self‑motivated to manage time effectively and prioritize tasks, assisting coworkers as needed.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Makes recommendations to improve patient satisfaction scores through excellent room service advocacy and assists management in developing and implementing process improvements.
• Seeks opportunities for self‑development, takes appropriate action, and ensures career discussions occur with management, completing and updating the My Development Plan regularly.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform: Yes
• Scrubs: No
• Business professional: No
• Other (department approved): Yes

ON‑CALL

No

TRAVEL

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area: No
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area: No