Nutrition Assistant II

Methodist Hospital Sacramento; Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Dignity Health - Methodist Hospital is seeking a Nutrition Assistant II to support dietary and nutrition services for patients, guests, and staff. You will ensure safe food handling, follow dietary guidelines, and assist in meal service and documentation within a healthcare setting.

Responsibilities include applying therapeutic diet orders, using electronic diet tools, and coordinating with clinical staff to meet patient nutrition needs.

Qualifications

• Minimum one year of food service experience.
• High School GED or equivalent.
• Willingness to follow dietary guidelines and patient needs.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a hospital setting.

Responsibilities

• Follow therapeutic diet modifications and allergy restrictions for patient meals.
• Print and use production tools and diet differentials for meal prep.
• Explain basic diet orders and respond to patient/family questions; escalate as needed.
• Collect patient food preferences and share with kitchen for menu planning.
• Operate electronic diet office software according to procedures.
• Navigate electronic health records to access diet orders and nutrition reports.
• Perform general cleaning of equipment and work areas.

Skills

Food service

Customer service

Food safety

Education

High School GED

Tools

Electronic diet office software

Electronic health records

Job description

Job Summary and Responsibilities

As our Nutrition Assistant II, you will play a crucial role in our Dietary and Nutrition Services department, contributing to all facets of our healthcare foodservice operations. You'll work collaboratively with facility staff to deliver optimal nutritional care and demonstrate outstanding customer service to patients, guests, and colleagues.

Every day you will ensure adherence to stringent food safety standards, including monitoring and maintaining food temperatures across all stages, preventing cross-contamination, and proper labeling and storage of food products. You'll be responsible for preparing and serving meals according to menu guidelines and dietary requirements, including knowledge of recipe ingredients and food allergy information.

To be successful in this role, you must have a strong understanding and commitment to healthcare foodservice industry standards, regulations, and guidelines.

• 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 kitchen 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.)

Job Requirements

Required

• One (1) year food service experience.
• High School GED General Studies, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Where You'll Work

Founded in 1973, Dignity Health - Methodist Hospital is a 158-bed, acute care, nonprofit hospital located in Sacramento, California. Serving over 80,000 patients annually, the hospital offers a full complement of services including a Level II NICU, heart care, cancer care, women’s health, and neurology. Additionally, Methodist Hospital of Sacramento has been recognized as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and is a Joint Commission-certified Primary Stroke Center.

One Community. One Mission. One California