Food & Nutrition Assistant

Advocate Health•Oak Lawn, IL

1d•$19 - $28•Onsite

About The Position

The Food & Nutrition Assistant performs duties across patient, retail, and catering areas of the department. Responsibilities include preparing, delivering, and retrieving patient meals and nourishment; serving cafeteria customers; supporting catering events; maintaining assigned areas; and completing dishroom and sanitation duties. The role follows recipes, production standards, food safety processes, department task flows, and applicable hospital and regulatory requirements. Duties may vary, and other related work may be assigned. The position works 40 hours per week on schedules such as 6:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. or 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Flexible hours may include holidays, nights, and weekends. The job involves prolonged standing, exposure to hot and cold conditions and cleaning chemicals, repetitive movements, cleaning tasks, and use of kitchen equipment. Lifting up to 35 pounds is required; lifting equipment or assistance from another associate is expected for heavier items.

Requirements

High school education, current high school enrollment, or GED; high school education or GED is preferred.
Food Service Handler training within three months of hire.
Ability to read, write, speak, and understand English well enough to complete simple reports related to essential job activities.
Effective communication skills and ability to relate to a diverse audience.
Ability to count accurately and perform basic mathematical functions.
Basic computer skills.
Ability to work safely and continuously while standing, meet time constraints in a fast-paced environment, perform cleaning tasks, communicate with others, safely use kitchen equipment, push wheeled equipment and carts, and deliver food carts to patient units.
Ability to lift up to 35 pounds without assistance; for heavier lifts, use lifting equipment or lift with at least one other associate when available.
Ability to work flexible hours, including holidays, nights, and weekends.

Nice To Haves

At least one year of previous food handling experience is preferred.
High school education or GED is preferred.

Responsibilities

Complete duties listed on the job routine in patient, retail, and catering areas, including sanitation duties.
Check perishable items for spoilage and discard spoiled items in waste buckets.
Clean, maintain, and stock assigned areas.
Prepare, expedite, deliver, and retrieve patient trays; prepare and deliver nourishments and floor stock; assist with patient food orders and deliver food carts to patient units as needed.
Serve cafeteria customers, process point-of-sale transactions, wipe tables, restock service stations, and prepare specialty beverages.
Follow standardized recipes, production standards, and food safety processes.
Work in dishroom and pot-and-pan areas as assigned.
Assist with catering orders and set up and clean up catering events.
Maintain department cleanliness, including cleaning and sanitizing heavy-duty equipment and stainless-steel areas; detail floors with machinery; delime steamers and dish machines; maintain fryers; dispose of old oil; and clean and maintain hoods, vents, ovens, grills, and stoves.
Follow task flows and notify a Lead or Coordinator of deviations.
Use safety and sanitation techniques that meet department standards and regulatory requirements, practice clean-as-you-go, and use chemicals according to department and manufacturer guidelines.
Practice safety and sanitation, including hand hygiene, when entering patient rooms and department areas; use appropriate safety techniques and body mechanics; and follow food-handling guidelines.
Observe hospital and Food Service Department policies and guidelines; attend scheduled meetings and in-services; and complete required training and surveys.
Manage time to meet operational deadlines and participate in the department's performance improvement program by completing assignments and helping evaluate and improve processes, quality, appropriateness of patient care, outcomes, and customer satisfaction.
Perform other related duties as required.

Benefits

Paid time off programs.
Medical, dental, vision, life, and short- and long-term disability benefits.
Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses.
Adoption assistance and paid parental leave.
Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs.
Educational Assistance Program.
Premium pay such as shift and on-call pay, based on the teammate's position.
Incentive pay for select positions.
Opportunity for annual increases based on performance.
Career development programs.