Clinical Dietitian II

CommonSpirit Health•Glendale, CA

About The Position

The Clinical Dietitian II provides expert nutrition care by developing and implementing individualized nutrition plans to improve patient health outcomes. The position communicates nutritional data across systems, participates in health team meetings as the nutrition expert, and provides empathetic, evidence-based care in accordance with professional standards. The dietitian routinely works with high-acuity patients and requires advanced competency to provide expert-level nutrition care and therapy in neonatal intensive care and pediatric units, enteral and parenteral nutrition support, oncology, renal care, diabetes, and gerontology. The role also collaborates with Food and Nutrition Services to support the patient experience, menu and diet-order accuracy, customer service, peer review, chart audits, and clinical staff training. For neonates and pediatric patients in California, nutrition services are coordinated with California Children’s Services; a CCS-paneled provider is required when providing nutrition care to NICU or pediatric patients at a CCS-approved facility.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree.
Completion of an accredited dietetics program (ACEND—Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics).
Three years of acute-care hospital or similar experience working with patients in more complex levels of care and specialized populations.
Registered Dietitian credential through the ADA and/or CDR.
For California NICU or pediatric nutrition care at a CCS-approved facility, must be a California Children’s Services-paneled provider.

Nice To Haves

Board Certified Specialist in Oncology Nutrition.
Board-certified pediatric nutrition qualification.
Certified Nutrition Support Clinician.
Certified Diabetes Educator.
Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant.

Responsibilities

Conduct specialized clinical screenings for patients at nutritional risk.
Perform nutrition assessments using age- and gender-appropriate standards, accounting for cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds and using validated assessment tools; identify nutrition-related diagnoses when indicated.
Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to facilitate care and identify patients at nutritional risk or in need of a higher level of care.
Implement targeted nutrition interventions based on the patient’s medical condition.
Provide customized nutrition education to patients, families, and caregivers.
Participate as a member of the multidisciplinary care team and contribute to overall patient care.
Monitor, evaluate, and rescreen patients’ nutrition status; update plans of care and follow up as needed.
Develop nutrition intervention plans that specify an appropriate feeding route, mode, and prescription in accordance with physician orders and individual patient needs.
Document and evaluate patient responses to interventions against measurable goals in the nutrition care plan in a timely and thorough manner in the medical record.
For neonates and pediatric patients in California, coordinate nutrition services with California Children’s Services (CCS); maintain CCS paneling when providing nutrition care to NICU or pediatric patients with a CCS-approved facility.
Collaborate with Food and Nutrition Services to enhance the patient experience, including participating in test trays and menu reviews, auditing trayline accuracy against diet orders, validating menu compliance with the facility Diet Manual Handbook and Nutrition Care Manual, supporting patient-interactive positions, and communicating with patients, staff, and guests.
Participate in peer reviews and chart audits.
Collaborate on Diet Manual Handbook training for clinical staff, including registered dietitians, nurses, therapists, and physicians, and training on accessing the handbook in hard and soft copy.
Support training and development of Clinical Dietitian I staff, patient-interactive staff, interns, and other positions as needed; this may include leading Medical Nutrition Therapy training sessions and workshops for hospital clinical staff.