Dining Services Associate

Emory Healthcare•Decatur, GA

2d•$18 - $22

About The Position

The Dining Services Associate supports patient dining services by coordinating meal delivery with unit personnel, ensuring trays are accurate and attractively presented, and helping patients select and receive meals that comply with their diet orders and preferences. The role involves frequent interaction with patients, families, nursing staff, and clinical dietitians, as well as monitoring patient satisfaction and intake and communicating service or dietary concerns. The associate also supports meal-service operations by retrieving trays, delivering between-meal nourishments, maintaining patient food preferences in diet software, completing system updates and backup procedures, and helping maintain unit food and nutrition supplies. Physical demands include lifting and carrying items, standing and walking, and pushing or pulling carts. Work environment and exposures may vary by assigned work area and tasks.

Requirements

Ability to read, write, and follow instructions.
Demonstrated customer service, critical-thinking, problem-solving, and written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to make sound judgments while quickly processing information.
Proficiency with computer and web-based software applications and ability to adapt to regular changes in systems and processes.
Ability to lift up to 50 pounds.
Ability to walk and stand for extended periods.
Ability to push and/or pull carts weighing up to 250 pounds.

Nice To Haves

High school diploma or equivalent preferred.
At least two years of college preferred.
Previous hospitality experience preferred; fast food experience does not qualify.
Experience working in a high-volume operation preferred.

Responsibilities

Coordinate timely delivery of patient meals with unit personnel according to service standards.
Ensure meal trays and components are accurate and attractively presented, and provide requested food items within the patient's diet order.
Open packages and arrange tray items for patients when needed.
Communicate with nursing staff about patients who need feeding assistance and anticipated patient-status or diet changes.
Retrieve meal trays after service and return them to the kitchen or load them onto transport carts.
Enter patient food preferences in the diet software system and perform updates and backup procedures when systems or interfaces are unavailable.
Provide written reports after meal periods and promptly communicate concerns about food quality, menu selections, or meal service.
Deliver between-meal nourishments as required.
Participate in Unit Practice Councils and other meetings to identify and resolve patient dining-service issues.
Monitor patient satisfaction and respond to food-service concerns.
Serve as a liaison between dining services and nursing units, maintaining frequent interaction with patients and families and providing excellent customer service.
Use portable technology to review menu options and assist patients in selecting meals that meet diet-order requirements, including allergies, intolerances, and cultural or religious needs.
Keep clinical dietitians informed of special dietary requirements and patients with limited intake so alternatives or other support can be provided.
Provide patients with information about menu ordering, diet specifications, and meal distribution.
Receive calls and communications from patients and nursing staff regarding special requests or changes to diet orders.
Observe patient intake at each meal and report limited intake to clinical dietitians.
Inventory floor stock as needed and monitor enteral food supplies.
Help maintain supplies needed for food and nutrition services on the unit; monitor usage and report changing needs to appropriate personnel.
Perform other related duties as assigned.