Dietitian III

Sutter Health•San Francisco, CA

6d•$56 - $78•Hybrid

About The Position

The Dietitian provides Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) and, where applicable, Diabetes Self-Management Education/Training (DSMT) to designated patient populations, including patients for whom an advanced credential is a department requirement and patients supported by California Children’s Services. The role exercises sound judgment and developed clinical skills to implement timely, diagnosis-based plans of care while building patient and care-team confidence through assessment, monitoring, and effective communication. The Dietitian follows applicable regulations and policies to protect privacy and safety and deliver optimal patient care. Supporting the Sutter Sync HF multidisciplinary model, the Dietitian assesses nutritional status and develops individualized, diagnosis-specific nutrition plans addressing sodium and fluid management, protein and electrolyte adequacy, vitamin D deficiency, food insecurity, and other clinical needs. The role monitors unintentional weight loss, malnutrition, sarcopenia, and cachexia risk, escalating concerns for medical evaluation when appropriate, and leads the nutrition component of the joint frailty intervention with Exercise Physiology. The Dietitian coordinates with Pharmacy during steroid bursts for HF/COPD overlap patients, communicates progress to the HF Nurse and multidisciplinary team, and provides counseling, education, consultation, interdisciplinary care planning, and documentation. As the program evolves, the Dietitian helps build and operationalize its nutrition services, including scalable workflows, patient education, referral pathways, and team processes in a virtual care environment. The role requires adaptability, comfort with ambiguity, and the ability to translate clinical nutrition expertise into practical, sustainable operations. The position is expected to be onsite at the Sutter Innovation Center at least two days per week. The schedule is full-time, days, Monday through Friday, with eight-hour shifts and weekend work as needed.

Requirements

Completion of an accredited degree program and supervised practice program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics.
Registered Dietitian (RD) or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) credential.
Credentialing must be completed within 45 days of hire and before billing.
Advanced credential if required by the department.
Five years of recent relevant experience.
Advanced nutrition and/or diabetes education knowledge and skills relevant to the department’s areas of expertise.
Strong understanding of human anatomy, pathophysiology, pharmacology, laboratory results, and medical terminology for complex care.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain sensitive information clearly and professionally to diverse audiences.
Well-developed time management and organizational skills, including prioritization and meeting deadlines within standardized operating procedures.
General knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and Outlook, and electronic health records.
Ability to interpret written, oral, diagram, or schedule-based data and instructions.
Ability to work autonomously and as part of a team, including managing multiple tasks in an environment with interruptions.
Ability to identify, evaluate, and resolve standard problems by selecting appropriate solutions from established options.
Ability to ensure the privacy of patients’ protected health information.
Ability to build collaborative relationships with peers and other healthcare providers.
Ability to interact compassionately and effectively with patients and staff across diverse ages, backgrounds, cultures, values, beliefs, and behaviors.
Ability to retain and apply new knowledge.

Nice To Haves

Experience providing individual nutrition consultation, assessment, treatment planning, and monitoring for patients with chronic or life-threatening medical conditions.
Experience with heart failure nutrition concepts, including sodium and fluid management, protein adequacy, cachexia and malnutrition risk, electrolyte considerations, and food insecurity.
Experience participating in interdisciplinary care teams, case conferencing, and collaborative planning with physicians, nursing, pharmacy, exercise physiology, and operations teams.
Experience developing or improving clinical programs, workflows, referral processes, patient education materials, group visits, classes, or operational tools in a new or evolving care model.
Adaptability, initiative, and comfort working in ambiguity, including identifying gaps, recommending practical solutions, and adjusting as program needs change.
Experience creating patient education, classes, or workshops and clearly communicating nutrition recommendations to patients and staff.
Knowledge of diagnosis-specific nutrition, medical conditions, medication or supplement interactions, and nutrition-related lifestyle-change support.
Bachelor’s degree in nutrition or a related field, clinical nutrition training, BLS, and CNC, RD, or RDN credential consistent with the job description.

Responsibilities

Assess patients’ nutritional status and develop individualized, diagnosis-specific nutrition plans.
Provide Medical Nutrition Therapy and, where applicable, Diabetes Self-Management Education/Training to designated patient populations.
Address sodium and fluid management, protein and electrolyte adequacy, vitamin D deficiency, food insecurity, and other clinical nutrition needs.
Monitor unintentional weight loss, malnutrition, sarcopenia, and cachexia risk, and escalate concerns for medical evaluation as appropriate.
Own the nutritional component of the joint frailty intervention in collaboration with Exercise Physiology.
Coordinate with Pharmacy during steroid bursts for patients with HF/COPD overlap.
Communicate patient progress to the HF Nurse and multidisciplinary team.
Provide patient counseling, education, consultation, interdisciplinary care planning, and documentation.
Help build and operationalize the nutrition component of the evolving program, including scalable workflows, patient education, referral pathways, and team processes.
Follow applicable regulations, policies, and procedures to ensure patient privacy and safety.
Prioritize assignments, meet deadlines, and work autonomously as well as collaboratively with patients and healthcare providers.