Food Service Worker

Gila Regional Medical Center•Silver City, NM

25d

About The Position

The Food Service Worker assists patients with menu selection and delivers meals promptly while providing excellent customer service. The role may also involve food preparation and serving, meal delivery, kitchen sanitation and dishwashing, stocking, cashiering, and other customer-service duties. The position interacts with Nursing, assists the Dietician with monitoring patient restrictions, and communicates with Food Service to accommodate patient food preferences while meeting nutritional requirements and dietary restrictions. The worker prepares and serves food in accordance with health regulations and established handling procedures; helps determine food and supply needs; coordinates production with meal service times; stores and rotates food properly; and maintains appropriate sanitation and food temperatures. The role provides menus and explains room-service processes to patients and families, replenishes and checks floor stock, maintains floor refrigerators, and ensures meals and snacks comply with prescribed diets. It also includes checking on patients after tray delivery, assembling trays, transporting food and soiled carts, cleaning and sanitizing work areas and equipment, maintaining dishwashing facilities, performing cashier functions, and inventorying supplies. The position requires excellent customer service and compliance with HIPAA policies, the facility’s Emergency Preparedness Program, OSHA requirements, and other applicable facility programs. Additional duties may be assigned.

Requirements

Minimum high school diploma or GED preferred.
Prior professional cooking experience and knowledge of commercial food preparation and handling techniques preferred.
Prior kitchen sanitation experience and knowledge of safety and sanitation rules and practices.
Ability to operate a cash register or cash-handling computer system effectively.
All required documents must be presented at the time of hire.
External applicants must successfully complete pre-employment drug and alcohol testing.

Nice To Haves

Prior professional cooking experience.
Knowledge of commercial food preparation and handling techniques.
Minimum high school diploma or GED (listed as preferred).

Responsibilities

Prepare and serve food according to health regulations and established food-handling practices and procedures.
Maintain high standards for food quality and presentation.
Deliver and collect menus in a timely manner.
Determine food and supply requirements using production systems.
Plan food production around meal service hours to preserve food quality, temperature, and appearance.
Store food properly, label items and dates, rotate stock, and break down boxes.
Follow food preparation, handling, sanitation, health, and personal-hygiene standards.
Provide menus and explain room-service processes, food choices, and service times to patients and families.
Replenish floor stock using floor-stock forms, account for requested items, report unavailable items, and discuss discrepancies with a manager.
Keep floor refrigerators clean and discard open containers and expired items.
Provide meals and snacks within prescribed diet orders; observe and document food intake and response to care; and communicate between patients, Food and Nutrition, and Nursing.
Ensure patients on physician-prescribed diets receive meals suited to their needs and preferences.
Make rounds after tray delivery to check whether patients have additional dietary needs.
Assist with patient tray assembly and transport food carts between the kitchen and nursing units.
Maintain hot- and cold-food temperatures during meal delivery.
Transport soiled carts and empty tray racks between the dish room and nursing units.
Clean and sanitize kitchen, serving, and dining areas according to safety and sanitation requirements.
Clean and return pots, pans, china, flatware, trays, storage containers, utensils, and equipment according to CNS standards and policies.
Set up and maintain a three-compartment sink, change water, and maintain chemical levels for washing, rinsing, and sanitizing.
Check soap supplies and use test strips to verify sanitizer concentration.
Perform cashier functions, including sales, making change, reconciliation, and reporting.
Inventory and maintain supplies; keep towels and soap dispensers clean and stocked throughout the shift.
Provide excellent customer service.
Follow HIPAA policies concerning patients’ and residents’ protected health information.
Adhere to the facility’s Emergency Preparedness Program, OSHA requirements, and other applicable mandatory programs.
Perform additional duties as assigned.