Patient Dining Assistant

Legacy Health; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 25,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Legacy Health seeks a Patient Dining Assistant to assist with meal ordering based on dietary needs. You will input menu selections, respond to nursing unit requests, and ensure meals adhere to prescribed diet orders.

Strong customer service, data entry skills, and knowledge of therapeutic diets are important. High school diploma preferred; Diet Technician certification is a plus.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent preferred.
• Experience in customer service environment and computer operations required.
• Experience in high-volume call center and food service operations with knowledge of therapeutic diets preferred.
• Registered Diet Technician preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provides excellent customer service, acting as the Nutrition Services greeter.
• Serves meals to patients in a professional, efficient manner.
• Instructs patients on meal ordering system.
• Assists patients in placing meal orders.
• Completes calorie counts and records intake.
• Communicates diet order restrictions to patients.
• Participates with nurses, dieticians and other staff.
• Takes patients’ orders and inputs menu selections.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Data entry

Dietary knowledge

Telephone etiquette

Multitasking

Computer literacy

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Registered Diet Technician

Job description

Overview

Patients feel comfortable seeking your advice on meals and snacks because of your keen understanding of dietary restrictions and your ability to recommend the best food options. Your caring and competent nature aligns perfectly with Legacy’s mission of making life better for others.

As a natural “people person,” the Patient Dining Assistant communicates directly with patients—in person or by phone—to assist with meal ordering based on their dietary needs. As a valued member of the food and nutrition team, you accurately input menu selections, respond promptly to nursing unit requests, and ensure that patients’ meals consistently adhere to prescribed diet orders.

Responsibilities

• Provides excellent customer service, acting as the Nutrition Services “greeter” who directly communicates with patients by telephone or in-person.
• Serves meals to patients in a professional, efficient manner.
• Instructs patients on meal ordering system.
• Assists patients in placing meal orders.
• Assess the patients’ capabilities to utilize the meal order system.
• Completes calorie counts - recording patient intake.
• Clearly communicates diet order restrictions to patient.
• Participates as part of the food and nutrition team with nurses, dieticians, and other staff.
• Takes patients’ orders and menu choices for their meals or snacks.
• Accurately inputs menu selections, prints, meal tickets, responds to printed requests from nursing units, assuring patient choices are consistent with their diet orders.

Qualifications

Education:

• High school diploma or equivalent preferred.

Experience:

• Experience in customer service environment, and computer operations required.
• Experience in high volume call center, and food service operations with knowledge of therapeutic diets are preferred.
• Registered Diet Technician preferred.

Skills:

• Knowledge of specialized diets, hospital processes, medical terminology, along with emergency codes and responses are essential for this position.
• Experienced in use of computers, with focus on data input, production reports/tallies.
• Ability to work efficiently without direct supervision; time management skills are essential.
• Ability to manage high call volumes – to courteously receive patient phone calls, process the information and accurately enter into computer system.
• Demonstrates the ability to speak clearly and be easily understood in a positive and professional manner.
• Ability to complete all conversations in a positive and helpful manner while meeting time management expectations.
• Ability to understand and determine patient requests when language or communication style may be difficult to understand, or other patient complications exist.
• Ability to triage and manage requests to ensure that customer service and essential job functions are always maintained.
• Ability to understand and operate and problem solve office equipment issues.
• Ability to interact effectively with hospital and department computer software programs.
• Ability to understand, operate and problem solve office equipment issues.
• Ability to successfully negotiate patient meal choices during phone interactions.

Licensure

• Current Food Handler’s Certificate/Card for applicable County/State.

Pay Range

USD $18.47 - USD $25.01 /Hr.

Our Commitment to Health and Equal Opportunity

Our Legacy is good for health for Our People, Our Patients, Our Communities, Our World. Above all, we will do the right thing.

Legacy Health is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits unlawful discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion or creed, citizenship status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

To learn more about our employee benefits click here: www.legacyhealth.org/For-Health-Professionals/careers/benefiting-you