Nutrition Assistant

CommonSpirit Health; Lexington (KY); On-site; USD 17,000 - 23,000; Full time

Job summary

Saint Joseph Hospital in Lexington, KY, offers a Nutrition Assistant role supporting high-quality food services for patients and staff. You will prepare and deliver meal trays, assist with food prep, and ensure safety and cleanliness in a fast-paced healthcare setting.

You will interact with patients regarding dietary needs, maintain strict food safety standards, and help provide a positive dining experience consistent with hospital guidelines.

Qualifications

• 1 year of Food Service or Customer Service experience.
• KY Food Handler Permit within 30 days.
• ServSafe Certification within 30 days.

Responsibilities

• Follow food safety standards, regulate temperatures during cooking, holding and storage; prevent cross contamination.
• Prepare and serve meals according to menu and dietary needs; respond to allergy questions.
• Maintain cleanliness, proper portioning, and appealing food presentation.
• Assist with cashiering or retail serving; assemble, deliver and retrieve patient trays; perform cold food prep.
• Perform general cleaning of equipment and work areas and support inventory maintenance.

Skills

Food Service Experience

Customer Service

Education

High School Diploma

High School GED

Job description

Job Summary and Responsibilities

As a Nutrition Assistant, you will assist in delivering high-quality, safe, and efficient food services to patients and staff.

Every day you will prepare and deliver meal trays, assist with food preparation, maintain cleanliness, ensure food safety compliance, and interact with patients regarding dietary needs.

To be successful, you will demonstrate meticulous attention to detail, strong food safety knowledge, and excellent customer service, contributing to a positive dining experience.

• Follows healthcare foodservice industry standards, regulations, guidelines and procedures including monitoring and maintaining food temperatures during cooking, holding, and storage processes. Avoids cross-contamination of foods and adheres to personal hygiene requirements. Maintains proper labeling of food products and ensures storage of food equipment, and machinery per regulations & facility guidelines.
• Prepares and serves food within guidelines of menu & dietary requirements using required kitchen utensils and equipment. Maintains knowledge of recipe ingredients to respond to food allergy questions or requests.
• Follows organizational standards and guidelines for a high quality patient and customer experience. Ensures proper meal portioning and an aesthetically pleasing presentation.
• May be responsible for one or more of the following:
  • Cashiering
  • Serving in the retail area
  • Assembling, delivering and retrieving patient trays
  • Performing cold food prep
  • Performing utility assignments (e.g., dishwashing, washing pots & pans, maintaining equipment)
  • Performing catering functions and or delivering/picking up catered food
  • Supporting inventory maintenance duties
  • Performing general cleaning of equipment and work areas (e.g., mopping, sweeping, emptying trash cans, etc.)

Job Requirements

Required

• One (1) year of Food Service or Customer Service Experience and
• Food Handler Permit: KY, within 30 Days or
• Servsafe Certification, within 30 Days

Preferred

• High School Graduate General Studies, upon hire or
• High School GED General Studies, upon hire and
• Cashier experience

Where You'll Work

Welcome to Saint Joseph Hospital, a 433-bed hospital founded in 1877 by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth as the first hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. Led by Sister Euphrasia Stafford, the mission to provide compassionate care to the underserved is still carried out today. Saint Joseph Hospital holds over two dozen national ranks and recognitions and is recognized as a 2024 Best Place to Work in Kentucky.

Saint Joseph is part of CommonSpirit Health, a non‑profit, Catholic health system dedicated to advancing health for all people. With approximately 175,000 team members and 25,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians.

Our commitment to serve the common good is delivered through the dedicated work of thousands of physicians, advanced practice clinicians, nurses, and staff; through clinical excellence delivered across a system of 140 hospitals and more than 2,200 care centers serving 24 states.