Nutrition Assistant II

OrthoColorado Hospital; Lakewood (CO); On-site; USD 21,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

OrthoColorado Hospital in Colorado is seeking a dedicated food service professional to prepare and serve meals according to dietary guidelines and menu specifications. You will handle allergens, ensure safe temperatures, and maintain clean, organized work areas in a patient-focused environment.

The role emphasizes accurate portioning, appealing presentation, and service that supports a positive patient experience. Training and adherence to health standards are required for success.

Qualifications

• One year of food service experience required.
• High School Diploma preferred.
• If a Food Handlers Permit is a requirement by your state, county or local health code, it must be obtained within 30 days of hire.

Responsibilities

• Prepares and serves food within guidelines of menu and dietary requirements using required kitchen utensils and equipment.
• Follows healthcare foodservice industry standards, regulations, guidelines and procedures including monitoring and maintaining food temperatures during cooking, holding, and storage processes.
• Follows organizational standards and guidelines for a high quality patient and customer experience; ensures proper meal portioning and aesthetically pleasing presentation.
• May be responsible for one or more of the following: following therapeutic diet modifications and guidelines including allergy restrictions for all patient meal trays; printing/providing production tool/differentials; explaining basic therapeutic diet orders and menus; collecting patient food preferences and ensuring compliance with prescribed diet orders; operating electronic diet office software; navigating electronic health records; performing general cleaning of equipment and work areas; performing other duties as assigned by leader.

Education

High School Diploma

Job description

Job Summary and Responsibilities

You have a purpose, unique talents and NOW is the time to embrace it, live it and put it to work. We value incredible people with incredible skills – but your commitment to a greater cause is something we value even more. This is the heartbeat of our organization and your time will be spent in a supportive, team environment with resources to help you flourish and leaders who care about your success.

1. Prepares and serves food within guidelines of menu and dietary requirements using required kitchen utensils and equipment. Maintains knowledge of recipe ingredients to respond to food allergy questions or requests.
2. 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 and facility guidelines.
3. Follows organizational standards and guidelines for a high quality patient and customer experience. Ensures proper meal portioning and an aesthetically pleasing presentation. Provides service recovery efforts and escalates to leadership as needed.
4. May be responsible for one or more of the following:

• Following therapeutic diet modifications and guidelines including allergy restrictions for all patient meal trays, nourishment, snacks and supplements
• Printing, providing and following production tool and/or electronic meal tallies/differentials for food preparation
• Explaining basic therapeutic diet orders and menus and responding to questions from patients and family members. Escalating additional patient nutrition questions or needs to appropriate clinical support team members.
• Collecting patient food preferences and ensuring compliance with prescribed diet orders. Distributing food preferences to kitcken for menu planning in a timely manner. Operating electronic diet office software and tools following established procedures and protocols.
• Navigating electronic health records to access patient diet orders and nutritional reports.
• Performing general cleaning of equipment and work areas (e.g., cleaning the tray line, equipment, coolers, office area, and emptying trash cans, etc.)
• Perform other duties as assigned by leader

Job Requirements

In addition to bringing your whole self to the workplace each day, qualified candidates will need the following:

• One year of food service experience required
• High School Diploma preferred
• If a Food Handlers Permit is a requirement by your state, county or local health code, it must be obtained within 30 days of hire.*

Physical requirements: Medium Work - (Exert up to 50lbs force occasionally, and/or up to 20lbs frequently, and/or up to 10lbs constantly)

Where You'll Work

OrthoColorado Hospital is Colorado's only orthopedic specialty hospital and is designed specifically for the orthopedic patient. With such a specialized facility and team of experts, we have the utmost in experience and understanding of the needs of orthopedic patients � meaning better outcomes, increased patient satisfaction and a reduced risk of infection or complications. Located on the St. Anthony Medical Campus, OrthoColorado Hospital is a joint venture between physician investors and CommonSpirit Mountain Region. Our state-of-the-art facility features a 48-bed inpatient unit, including six intermediate care beds and eight operating rooms. All members of our team from pre-operative care through recovery and our in-patient nurses are specialty trained in orthopedics. Our surgeons are renowned for their talent, knowledge and experience in their orthopedic specialties and subspecialties. Having a team with a focused background and years of experience allow our employees to provide an unprecedented level of care, resulting in the best outcomes and experience for our patients.