Cook

Roosevelt General Hospital•Portales, NM

4h•$16 - $25

About The Position

The Cook helps sustain high-quality food service and nutritional care for patients, guests, and the RGH family. The role prepares, seasons, and cooks food, with the goal of consistently providing a high-quality dining experience and personalized service. Under the direct supervision of the director, the Cook performs food-service and dish duties and upholds the hospital’s mission, vision, values, safety standards, and quality guidelines. The position prepares meals—including texture-modified and therapeutic diets—according to patient diet orders, portions meals onto trays, and helps ensure timely delivery. It also prepares breakfast and lunch for dining-room customers, maintains food lines and supplies, supports menu planning for dietary restrictions, and assists with catering. Kitchen responsibilities include coordinating production, monitoring and recording food temperatures, checking food quality, labeling and rotating food, maintaining inventory, and following food-safety, sanitation, storage, and cleaning procedures. The Cook may operate the cash register and assist in training new cooks. The role requires weekend work and may involve irregular and on-call hours. Work takes place in a physically demanding, high-stress environment with varying temperatures and potential exposure to blood and body fluids, communicable diseases, chemicals, and radiation. Roosevelt General Hospital requires employees to follow its organizational values, policies, regulatory requirements, confidentiality standards, and professional conduct expectations.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
Food Handler’s certification, or ability to obtain it within 90 days of employment.
At least two years of kitchen experience.
Must pass the Patient Assessment, Cook Skills Assessment, and Patient Diet Assessment.
Must provide a minimum of two in-services to team members during regular staff meetings.
General knowledge of food industry services.
Strong organizational and interpersonal skills.
Ability to determine an appropriate course of action in more complex situations.
Ability to work independently, exercise creativity, attend to detail, and maintain a positive attitude.
Ability to manage multiple simultaneous responsibilities and prioritize work schedules.
Ability to maintain confidentiality of medical, financial, and legal information.
Ability to complete assignments accurately and on time.
Effective oral and written communication skills.
Ability to handle difficult situations involving patients, physicians, or others professionally.
Ability to manage time efficiently and productively.
Ability to understand written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Ability to meet the physical and environmental demands of the position, including standing and walking for extended periods, repetitive motions, pushing and pulling heavy objects, and lifting and carrying up to 50 pounds.
Corrected vision and hearing within the normal range.

Responsibilities

Promote the organization’s mission, vision, and values.
Prepare and serve meals, including texture-modified and therapeutic diets, according to patient diet orders.
Portion meals onto patient trays based on dietary orders and ensure meals are delivered on time.
Create and plan menus that include options for special dietary restrictions.
Coordinate cooking schedules to complete food production in a timely manner.
Maintain a clean, organized kitchen and follow hygiene, sanitation, safety, and quality standards.
Maintain and record food temperatures and conduct taste tests to assess food quality before service.
Prepare breakfast and lunch for dining-room customers.
Maintain and replenish food lines; restock condiments and serveware; transport food orders or supplies to designated locations.
Label food items when received and when opened or used, and rotate produce and other foods to maintain freshness.
Use protective gear as appropriate and safely handle cleaning solutions in accordance with precautions.
Follow proper receiving, storage, preparation, serving, sanitation, and cleaning procedures.
Assist with kitchen cleaning, including washing dishes, disposing of trash, sweeping, mopping, and storing food-truck merchandise.
Work with other kitchen staff to ensure smooth kitchen operations and follow federal cleanliness and sanitation guidelines.
Take inventory of food and non-food supplies.
Manage the cash register, nightly deposits, and opening drawer.
Assist in training new cooks and introducing them to kitchen equipment and the kitchen space.
Assist the manager or director with catering requests.
Communicate effectively with the manager or director and staff.
Attend regular staff meetings and in-services, and provide a minimum of two in-services to team members during regular staff meetings.
Complete annual education requirements and participate in performance-improvement and continuous-quality-improvement activities.
Maintain patient confidentiality, report to work on time as scheduled, wear identification while on duty, and comply with dress, appearance, regulatory, ethical, and organizational standards.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Work weekends; work irregular hours, including on-call hours, as required.