Cook - Dietary Aide HCC

PruittHealth•Sylvester, GA

12d

About The Position

The Cook prepares palatable, nutritionally sound meals in accordance with departmental policies and procedures and applicable state and federal laws and regulations. Meals must meet each resident’s daily nutritional and special-diet needs and be prepared and served at the proper temperature and time. The Cook works with the Director of Food Service to allocate resources efficiently so residents receive food in the amount, type, consistency, and frequency needed to support acceptable body weight, nutritional values, and quality of life. The role also assists with food preparation and service, including preparing meals and between-meal nourishments, following diet orders, serving residents, maintaining food and equipment, and keeping food-service areas sanitary. The Cook may assist with supervising kitchen staff and supports compliance with safety, infection-control, food-handling, and facility procedures.

Requirements

Sufficient education to demonstrate functional literacy.
At least one year of institutional food-service experience as a cook.
Working knowledge of food handling, preparation, and storage techniques that comply with state and federal laws and regulations.
Ability to apply food-service regulations to cook duties and the supervision of staff assistants.
Knowledge of emergency and disaster procedures, including locating the nearest exit and understanding and responding to written or oral emergency instructions.
Ability to arrive and begin work on time and report for scheduled duty across shifts, weekends, and holidays.
Ability to comply with workplace safety and infection-control procedures, including universal precautions, use of personal protective equipment, and handling hazardous materials.
Ability to follow facility procedures for sanitary food preparation and storage, including special handling of resident trays.
Ability to inspect food-service areas for pests, safety or fire hazards, housekeeping issues, and maintenance problems.

Nice To Haves

Experience in long-term care food production.

Responsibilities

Assist with preparing meals, salads, desserts, snacks, and other dishes, as well as between-meal nourishments.
Follow diet orders, including NPO diet orders, and serve nourishments according to procedural guidelines.
Store leftovers and opened food properly and follow procedures for serving partner meals.
Offer menu substitutions and record them according to procedural guidelines.
Deliver trays to residents in halls and dining areas; assist with serving beverages and prepare coffee or tea as requested.
Clean dining tables after meals and clean work areas at the end of shifts and after meals, including sweeping and mopping.
Clean kitchen equipment and maintain cleaning equipment appropriately.
Remove kitchen garbage and hose out garbage containers.
Scrape, wash, and properly store dishes, pots, and pans.
Record freezer and walk-in refrigerator temperatures according to established procedures.
Maintain the dishwasher and dish sink; check and record water temperatures, use sanitizer strips, and monitor and replace chemical levels as needed.
Maintain supply stock and store items according to established procedures.
Set up the tray line and perform tray-line service.
Operate dish machines, garbage disposals, mixers, blenders, meat slicers, steamers, and coffee and tea makers.
Use, clean, and maintain serving equipment according to established procedures.
Follow recipes and menu cycles to prepare attractive, palatable, nutritionally adequate meals in institutional quantities and serve them at proper times.
Assist with supervising kitchen staff involved in food preparation, tray assembly, cleaning, and supply and equipment storage.
Use food supplies and equipment efficiently and economically to prevent waste, and continuously clean food-service areas during preparation and service.
Prepare and maintain food substitutes for resident choices and cultural, ethnic, and religious preferences.
Inspect trays after meal service to monitor and record resident acceptance of menu items and report findings to the Dietary Manager.
Use food-preparation equipment according to manufacturer instructions; follow cleaning techniques and preventive-maintenance schedules.
Handle, store, and dispose of food and supplies in accordance with department procedures and applicable regulations.
Participate in center or agency surveys and related required reports, attend survey training, assist with state-inspection preparation, and interact with surveyors as instructed.
Attend continuing education and mandatory in-service programs.
Respect residents’ rights, dignity, individuality, privacy, property, and civil rights, and demonstrate honesty and integrity in the care and use of resident and facility property.
Follow facility safety, fire-prevention, infection-control, universal-precaution, personal-protective-equipment, and hazardous-material procedures.
Report occupational hazards, safety or maintenance problems, pest evidence, and injuries promptly; correct problems or report them to the Dietary Manager.
Communicate with the Dietary Manager as needed and perform other related duties as directed.