Dietitian - TRU - PACE - Dietary

St. Paul's Senior Services•Lafayette, CO

3d•$63,700 - $87,550•Onsite

About The Position

The PACE Registered Dietitian is responsible for coordination and assessment of nutritional status and dietary needs of the PACE participants and planning for the provision of adequate dietary intake to enable participant to achieve his/her optimal level of independent functioning. Providing necessary consultation and teaching to participants, families, and health team. Oversees food services, including congregate and home delivered meals.

Requirements

Master’s Degree in Dietetics.
May consider grandfathered Baccalaureate Degree with major studies in food and nutrition with specialty in Dietetics.
License to hold the position of Registered Dietitian (RD)
2-3 years relevant experience working as an RD.
ServSafe certification or completed within 60 days of hire.
Must possess BLS/CPR certification or be able to obtain within 60 days of hire.
Experience working within an Interdisciplinary Team Model.
Experience with Electronic Medical Records (EMR).
Skills and knowledge necessary to assure assessment, treatment or care is appropriate to the age and nutritional needs of the Adult and Geriatric patients served.
Clinical experience in medical nutritional therapy, especially for common chronic diseases seen in the geriatric population (e.g., diabetes, heart disease).
Able to instruct others in the correct use of standard kitchen equipment and utensils and food handling safety.
Clear, concise verbal and written communication skills.
Able to manage time and prioritize tasks.
Personable, professional interaction skills with others.
Capacity of knowledge base on health care problems of the frail elderly.
Ability to establish and maintaining effective working relationships with participants, medical staff, staff members and family caregivers.
Ability to prepare and maintain records, writing reports, and responding to correspondence.
Ability to maintain department quality assurance.
Highly proficient in organization, communication, and documentation skills.
Ability to work in a team-based workplace environment.
Demonstrates ability to coordinate multiple tasks simultaneously, and work independently with minimal supervision.
Proficient working with spreadsheets, databases, word processing, and Electronic Health Records.
Ability to advocate effectively.
Ability to react calmly and effectively in emergency situations.
Proficient in common knowledge of safety hazards and precautions to establish a safe work environment.
Must comply with PACE health screening and immunization requirements including medical clearance for communicable diseases and up-to-date immunizations before having direct participant contact.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with individuals with mental health needs (Preferred).
Experience working with the frail or elderly population (Preferred).
Experience in team management, preferably in a geriatric care setting.

Responsibilities

Participates as a member of the interdisciplinary team (IDT). Maintains regular attendance at, and participates in all IDT meetings, communicating participant changes, collaborating on care planning decisions and coordination of 24-hour care delivery.
Participates in the PACE QAPI program by identifying systemic opportunities for improvement, taking leadership of critical quality improvement initiatives, and contributing to process improvement projects.
Effectively identifies, responds to, recommends and/or resolves problems as they arise in collaboration with Manager, and IDT.
Effectively communicating with IDT and community entities at meetings and throughout the day as needed.
Communicates effectively with Manager to keep them abreast of any issues or concerns.
Develops and maintains effective work relationships with participants, families, peers, co-workers, contracted entities and vendors, and the public.
Protects privacy and maintains confidentiality of all company procedures and information about employees, participants, and families.
Follows all PACE Program Policies and Procedures and OSHA Safety Guidelines.
Demonstrates ability to coordinate multiple tasks simultaneously, and work independently with minimal supervision.
Maintains professional affiliations and any required certifications.
Conducts an initial comprehensive nutritional assessment on all PACE participants upon enrollment, annually and unscheduled reassessments when needed.
Collaborates with the IDT to develop a comprehensive care plan for each participant.
Remains abreast of advances in nutrition. Applies nutritional knowledge to patient populations ranging from age 55+ for inpatient, outpatient, and home care settings.
Monitors weight, medical diagnosis, drug nutrient interactions, changes in chewing or swallowing, mood changes, hydration status, intake, skin breakdown and report changes to the IDT with recommendations for plan of care adjustments.
Provides nutritional counseling and education for PACE program participants and/or caregivers using appropriate materials. Provide individual and group education as appropriate.
Monitors and provides direction to Dietary Aides and/or CNAs in the Day Center as needed.
Oversees maintenance/cleanliness and orderliness of Day Center kitchen.
Monitors portion control; appropriate serving of food; adherence to therapeutic diets, purchasing and inventory of food.
Provides nutrition and food service training to PACE staff.
Acts as liaison with contracted meal service provider to ensure meals meet the needs of the PACE participants.
Acts only within the scope of his or her authority to practice.
Completes assessment and documentation in a timely fashion and to comply with PACE established standards.
Collaborates with TRU Landmark Memory Care for dietary support as needed.