Nutritional Assistant I

Advocate Health Care; Barrington (IL); On-site; USD 1,929,000 - 2,480,000; Full time

Job summary

Advocate Health Care in Barrington, IL is seeking a Dietary Aide to assemble patient trays, deliver meals, and assist patients with meal service. The role emphasizes accuracy with diet orders, adherence to safety and sanitation standards, and maintaining a caring, professional demeanor with patients and staff.

Strong communication and customer service skills are required, with ability to work flexible hours and lift up to 50 pounds as needed.

Qualifications

• In high school, graduate or GED required.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills are essential.
• Ability to follow dietary restrictions and safety guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Assemble trays according to patient menu selections and diet orders.
• Deliver meals and nourishments to patient rooms and unit kitchens.
• Assist patients with opening containers and providing courteous service.
• Maintain professional appearance and comply with uniform policy.
• Document temperatures and maintain accurate patient information.

Skills

Communication skills

Customer service

Detail oriented

Organizational skills

English proficiency

Computer skills

Education

High school diploma/GED

Tools

Computer skills

Job description

Major Responsibilities

Provides high quality patient service in assembling trays, distributing patient trays, retrival of patient trays, delivery of nourishments and floor sock.

Assembles Patient Trays

• Assembles trays according to patient's menu selections on tray tickets in a timely and accurate manner.
• Complies with dietary restrictions on special, modified diets to ensure optimal food preferences are met within guidelines of diet order limitations.
• Make sure that food allergies are closely monitored.

Cart and Tray Delivery and Pick Up

• Delivers meal carts from ground level to assigned nursing areas within designated time frame.
• Distributes patient meals; verifies diet and meal accuracy at point of service.

Guest Relations

• Maintains professional image and follows department uniform policy.
• Transports tray carts, delivers trays to patients.
• Assists patients with opening containers, removing lids as needed.
• Demonstrates a caring attitude with patients, family and guests.
• Responds positively to all requests seeking to maximize dining experience.
• Communicates wrong or missing items to the kitchen.
• Communicates patients' needs to nursing.
• Displays commitment to hospital's philosophy mission statement, BOEs and values in all interactions.

Nourishments

• Delivers nourishments to assigned patients.
• Delivers floor stock to assigned unit kitchens.
• Takes calls from patients and nursing units.

Dietary Menu and Call Handling

• Takes patient menu selections, confirms patients' needs/requests and discusses patients' needs and tray delivery time with nursing or department associates.
• Exhibits a friendly, caring attitude and follows proper telephone etiquette and procedures with patients, visitors and healthcare professionals.
• Goes to patient rooms where patients are unable to call down their selections.
• Complies with dietary restrictions, (based on the diet ordered by the patient's physician) allergies, dislikes, cultural, ethnic and religious preferences.
• Offers alternatives to menu as allowed on prescribed diet when patient inquires or needs additional selections.
• Interacts with nursing to ensure patients' diet orders are accurate and patients' food needs are met.
• Responsive to patient's needs at all times.
• Resolves patient concerns or complaints immediately and/or reports needed assistance to supervisor as appropriate.
• Communicates any patient related problems/concerns to appropriate personnel, in a timely manner following departmental procedures.

Maintains accurate information for each patient

• Assists dietician with monitoring of patients who are NPO, on liquid diets or have a calorie count ordered.
• Utilizes "Just for You" call system and Care Connection/ CBord information for patient care.

Delivering patient trays properly following the AIDET script/ communicating properly with our patients

• Communicates effectively when assisting patients and/or family b)
• Communicates between nursing, guest service representatives and tray line associates in order to clarify orders and provide prompt service.
• Communicates special patient needs to dieticians and diet clerks.

Training/In-services/Meetings

• Assists with training of other associates b)
• Attends scheduled huddles, in-services and meetings.
• Participates in QA/CQI documentation process.
• Takes Temperatures to ensure proper food temps are achieved.
• Documents temperatures of all steam table items.
• Documents time menu is received and when the tray leaves the department for delivery.
• Receives, fills and delivers patient tray items to satisfy customers' needs.

Participation in area huddles, inservices, training, orientation and meetings

• Attends huddles, in-services and training sessions to keep current with specific procedures, DNV requirements and changes within the department and/or hospital.

Completes annual CBTs

• Attends orientation and area specific meetings to keep current on area specific changes or concerns and for a communication exchange with peers and management.
• Continue to learn ways to which CQI can be applied to our areas to ensure customer satisfaction.

Education/Experience Required

• In high school, high school graduate or GED
• 6 months in customer service field/ office Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required:

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required

• Good Computer skills and able to navigate on computer
• Good communication skills
• Detail and results orientated
• Strong organizational skills
• Mathematical competence
• Ability to communicate effectively;
• Ability to speak, read and write English clearly and proficiently
• Have a neat and professional appearance N/A

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

• Flexible work hours between 6:00 am and 8:00 pm including weekends and holidays.
• Ability to work under stressful/difficult conditions.
• Ability to meet time constraints in a fast pace environment.
• Ability to work for significant periods of time.
• Ability to communicate with various internal/external customers.
• Ability to document.
• Ability to read patient menus, names and logs.
• Ability to spend majority of time standing and sitting.
• Position requires constant hearing and seeing.
• Position requires frequent bending, keying, reaching, speaking, standing, walking, lifting, carrying, kneeling and smelling.
• Position requires occasional climbing and tasting.
• Limited exposure to hazardous conditions.
• Safety and sanitation when entering patients' rooms or kitchen.
• Ability to handle various tasks simultaneously especially during peak hours.
• Ability to move 50 pounds. If position has direct patient care or direct patient contact the following lifting requirement supersedes any previous lifting requirement effective 06/01/2015.

Limited Lifting Info

Ability to lift up to 35 pounds without assistance. For patient lifts of over 35 pounds, or when patient is unable to assist with the lift, patient handling equipment is expected to be used, with at least one other associate, when available. Unique patient lifting/movement situations will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties.