Dietitian - Harborview - Per Diem, Day Shift
About The Position
The Dietitian is part of Harborview’s multidisciplinary inpatient or ambulatory care team and provides nutrition care to patients. The role includes nutrition assessment, education, and medical nutrition therapy, as well as directing professional administrative dietetic services when applicable. The Dietitian participates in quality improvement, professional development, and education for other healthcare professionals, and complies with applicable laws, regulations, and Harborview Medical Center’s scope of practice. The Dietitian uses the Nutrition Care Process to assess patients, develop and implement individualized nutrition care plans, evaluate outcomes, provide nutrition education and referrals, and document care in the electronic health record. The role also involves collaboration with patients, families, clinical teams, food services, and other departments; participation in evidence-based practice and quality assurance; and consultation on food-service standards and therapeutic menus. Depending on assignment, the Dietitian may provide specialist nutritional care for clinical services, lead nutrition initiatives, participate in research, or perform delegated team-lead and employee-training duties. This is a temporary, per-diem position on the first shift. The listed pay range is $37.00–$57.92 per hour. The position is represented by SEIU 1199NW HMC Social Worker and Dietitian.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree involving major study in food and nutrition or dietetics.
- Registration as a Dietitian by the American Dietetic Association, or eligibility for registration at hire and passage of the registration examination within one year of hire.
- Equivalent education and/or experience may substitute for minimum qualifications except where legal requirements, such as licensure, certification, or registration, apply.
Responsibilities
- Use the Nutrition Care Process to provide nutrition care for nutritionally complex patient populations.
- Assess nutritional status using relevant medical-record data, interviews, healthcare-team input, physical examination, and anthropometric data as appropriate.
- Interpret assessment data, including nutrient intake and requirements, while considering the patient’s age, health, psychosocial circumstances, and cultural background.
- Develop individualized nutrition care plans, including diagnoses, goals, intervention priorities, nutrient and energy requirements, and appropriate feeding methods and nutrient sources.
- Document nutrition assessments, plans, recommendations, communications, and progress in the medical record and follow department documentation procedures and time frames.
- Implement nutrition plans, recommend prescriptions and monitoring procedures, communicate actions to patients and care-team members, and carry out delegated nutrition-related orders and standing orders.
- Implement preference-based meal service, diet-texture changes, and oral nutrition supplements in accordance with physician therapeutic diet orders.
- Monitor patient adherence, tolerance, understanding, and outcomes of nutrition interventions; document findings and adjust care as appropriate.
- Identify patient and family education needs, develop and deliver nutrition education, counsel patients, teach classes, evaluate understanding and outcomes, and determine need for follow-up or referral.
- Use current nutrition knowledge and research in clinical practice and participate in educational programs, performance-improvement projects, audits, quality assurance, and nutrition-related research as assigned.
- Consult on menus and standards and procedures for preparing and serving regular, therapeutic, and supplemental-nutrient foods.
- Coordinate nutrition care with health-team members; provide staff education and student precepting as assigned; promote patient engagement through phone or the EMR portal; and serve as a liaison among patients, clinical staff, and Nutrition and Foodservices.
- Promote nutrition and health wellness through classes, demonstrations, community events, and educational materials.
- When delegated, participate in employee hiring, onboarding, training, work assignment and scheduling, leave decisions, performance evaluations, and disciplinary recommendations.
- Provide specialist nutrition care and leadership for assigned clinical service areas, or direct food-service systems in a specialty area, as assigned.
