Hostess

West Tennessee Healthcare•White Deer, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Nutritional Care Specialist is directly responsible for explaining to the patients, all new admits, the nutritional services and menu process that will be provided during their care at the hospital. The associate must have a professional demeanor, representing the hospital and Food & Nutritional department positively. Associates are responsible for adhering to privileged and private patient information, protecting confidentiality by following HIPPA laws and regulations, and being discrete with all communications related to patient information and care. The Patient Nutritional Care Specialist must practice AIDET techniques and execute proper scripting to ensure quality visits with each patient interaction. Associates are responsible for all regulatory guidelines and safe food handling practices, maintaining logs to ensure compliance. The associate is responsible for the nutritional adequacy of up to 46 patients at a time per meal period and is solely responsible for patient satisfaction as it relates to Food & Nutrition Services. The position involves a 12-hour shift to maintain consistency throughout the day with a positive attitude in delivering nutritional needs. In addition to breakfast, lunch & dinner, the associate will maintain adequate nourishments, tube feedings, and formulary stock with feeding tubes, as well as specific foods kept on the floors for patient consumption. This position provides menus, communication peripherals, and acts as the link between nursing and the nutrition department. Associates will interact with the nursing team on designated floors as if they were part of the floor staffing. Employees are subject to call back and overtime as required by the hospital.

Requirements

High School diploma or equivalent
Basic computer skills
Compassionate for all others with the ability to work in a team and autonomously
Proactively seeking out opportunities to improve services and demands for patient satisfaction
A keen sense of detail and accountability for all actions of one’s self
Ability to communicate at various levels within the hospitals staff on patient related conversations
Multi-task orientated individual having the presence to handle more than one responsibility at one time proficiently
Accommodating to all patients, visitors, staff & customers at all times
Ability to recognize when a patient is in distress and report the situation to the appropriate authorities timely with professionalism
Ability to keep up with and be on time with regulatory compliance, in services, and practice daily what is learned
Ability to practice AIDET daily
Ability to take ownership for patient satisfaction for Food Service outcomes & results on Press Ganey
Ability to read, write and follow oral and written directions and make arithmetic calculations.

Nice To Haves

One year of Food Service experience
Proven customer service experience

Responsibilities

Champion the customer service for the patients on any of the patient floors.
Have responsibility on one or more floors.
Solicit feedback from the patients and relay messages to the appropriate manager.
Follow through to see that the issue was addressed and resolved.
Be a great communicator with all team members intra-departmental as well as extra-departmental, maintaining a great can do attitude with a tenacity to follow through to make sure that commitments are completed timely and professionally.
Responsible for presenting specific daily menu choices to patients adhering to physician diet orders using the selective menu, enabling them to select their choices.
Responsible for maintaining up-to-date records for each patient assigned throughout the entire shift.
Notify the dietitian and/or nursing staff of special patient needs or concerns such as consistent refusal to eat within recommended guidelines.
Use AIDET to establish and maintain a positive relationship with the patient that will facilitate a favorable impression of Food & Nutrition and the hospital.
Responsible for maintaining a clean and sanitary environment for all delivery equipment.
Follow physician, dietitian & nursing guidance for specific nutritional care as it relates to their job duties.
Maintain a positive image with a clean, pressed uniform, proper health code coverings and safety shoes.
Be able to work closely with each floors nursing team as an integral part of the team and attend periodic floor team meetings.
Assure all meals are presented in an appetizing and timely manner and at proper temperatures.
Prepare accurate diet meal tickets to be used to obtain selection orders from the patients prior to the next day’s meal.
Highlight and check menu for accuracy and count carbohydrate choices per diet order.
Build customized food trays according to the nutritional requirements by the American Dietetics guidelines based on patient’s food preferences adhering to allergies and likes and dislikes.
Deliver food tray set-ups to patient rooms and make sure the patient is prepared, ready and able to eat their tray with an encouraging attitude, a genuine smile with a gracious heart that leaves a lasting favorable impression to the patients and family.
Be able to keep stock in the nourishment rooms stocked, rotated and nursing aware that it's available.
Be able to interact with patient family members in a manner that is professional and diverse to honor their respect for time with their family member.
Be able to respect and respond to a patient’s cultural and religious preferences while working with the patient on meal selections.
Report to dietitian and supervisor regarding such activities.
Adhere to the hospital grooming standards and wear the appropriate uniform as identified by the hospital and or its management team.
Be a self-reliant and self-directed person whom can work without someone constantly managing their time.
Responsible to meet the time management schedules to complete all assignments as well as manage break times so that it doesn't impede with patient service standards.
Be very responsive to phone calls from patients, nursing and other team members via phone or pager.
Perform related responsibilities as required or directed.