Health Technician (Dietetic)

Veterans Health Administration • Madison, WI

6d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is in the Nutrition and Food Service (N&FS) at the VA Medical Center in William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans' Hospital. The Health Technician serves as a Nutrition Communication Center (NCC) Ambassador, providing administrative and customer service support for the hospital food service program. The role is based in the nutrition call center and supports meal service for Veterans, including handling orders, coordinating patient intake reports and meal services, printing food service reports, and conducting patient surveys.

The position is available at GS-03, GS-04, and GS-05 levels. Promotion to the full performance level may be possible without further competition when regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met; selection at a lower grade does not guarantee promotion. The work schedule is either 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. or 10:15 a.m. to 6:45 p.m., with rotating weekends and holidays. This is not a virtual position.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required, subject to the stated exception for cases where qualified citizens cannot be recruited under applicable VA rules.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• For GS-03: At least six months of general experience; or one full year of post-high-school education in medical, health, or related fields; or an equivalent combination of qualifying education and experience.
• For GS-04: At least one year of general experience; or two years of post-high-school education including at least 12 semester hours related to the position; or an equivalent combination of qualifying education and experience.
• For GS-05: One year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-04 in Federal service, including relevant food-service duties in a hospital environment, or a four-year bachelor's degree with a major or at least 24 semester hours in directly related subjects, or an equivalent combination of qualifying education and experience.
• GS-05 specialized experience includes food service in a hospital, tray assembly procedures, dietetics software, regular and modified diets, assisting with food selection, following verbal and written instructions, and using computer equipment, phone systems, and printers.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills and good customer service are required for GS-05 qualification.
• Current or former Federal employees subject to time-in-grade rules must meet the applicable requirement by the announcement closing date; for GS-05, this includes 52 weeks at GS-04.
• Transcripts are required when education is used to qualify. Foreign education used for qualification must be accompanied by a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency.
• Selected applicants must complete required application steps, an online assessment, background/security investigation, and online onboarding. Applicants tentatively selected for testing-designated VA employment are subject to urinalysis.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for VA Health Care Personnel.
• A one-year probationary period or two-year trial period is required, as applicable.

Responsibilities

• Take Veterans’ meal orders in person or by phone and handle patient meal service orders.
• Coordinate calorie counts and patient intake reports, meal services, and nourishment requests.
• Print food service reports and conduct patient surveys.
• Route modified diets, combinations of diet modifications, and orders using commercial off-the-shelf dietetics software.
• Interact with Veterans, dietitians, nursing staff, other medical center employees, and members of the interdisciplinary team.
• Take necessary actions within delegated authority to maximize patient satisfaction with meal service.
• Complete select and non-select menus as required.
• Retrieve computerized information to assist with tray or nourishment assembly, including standing orders, nourishment labels, tabulated recipe lists, and other information needed for meal delivery.
• Provide education and information about local therapeutic diets to patients, guests, and nursing staff.
• Assist patients in selecting foods appropriate to their individual diets.
• Perform clerical and administrative duties in support of the service.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Federal employees and their families have access to a comprehensive benefits package; specific benefits depend on the position type and should be confirmed with the hiring agency.
• VA may, upon request and approval before appointment, credit qualifying job-related non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service toward the annual-leave accrual rate.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level