Nutrition Assistant Full Time

San Juan Regional Medical Center•Farmington, NM

About The Position

The Nutrition Assistant provides meal service to patients with compassion and care, honoring food and cultural choices and promoting health and healing through nutrition. The position delivers and supports patient meals, assists with menu selection, and works with the Clinical Nutrition Department to provide exceptional patient care. The employee is expected to embody San Juan Regional Medical Center’s values: Sacred Trust, Personal Reverence, Thoughtful Anticipation, Team Accountability, and Creative Vitality, and to incorporate the organization’s Service Standards—Safety, Courtesy, Effectiveness, and Stewardship—into daily work.

Requirements

Must have a food handler permit issued by an accredited provider by the first day worked.
Must be over eighteen years old.
Ability to work individually and as part of a team.
Self-directed and motivated.
Ability to prioritize.
Excellent customer service skills, including interpersonal communication and phone etiquette.
Critical thinking skills.

Nice To Haves

General computer skills.
Basic knowledge of prescription diets.
Basic knowledge of disease states and parameters, such as renal disease, cardiac disease, and diabetes.
Basic knowledge of other diets, such as gluten-free diets.

Responsibilities

Deliver appropriate menus to new patients and patients with diet changes, and explain the meal-ordering process to patients and families.
Help patients who cannot call select a menu for each meal and guide patients through menu choices while adhering to nutrient limits for special diets.
Enter meals in GEMserve computer software in accordance with special-diet nutrient limits.
Answer phones promptly and courteously.
Assist with patient meal tray assembly as needed; check trays for accuracy, completeness, and quality; and place trays on heated and cooled carts.
Deliver patient meal trays and snacks at requested times or during the designated meal wave.
Verify the patient’s name and date of birth against the tray ticket each time a patient is served.
Move the tray table to the patient and set up the tray when appropriate; alert nursing staff when a patient needs meal assistance.
Follow posted signage, including NPO and Aspiration Precautions, and check with nursing if a discrepancy is noted.
Retrieve patient meal trays within one hour of delivery and return soiled trays to the dish room.
Record patient meal intake in the electronic medical record for each meal and record calorie counts when ordered.
Keep work areas clean and sanitary; promptly clean food objects and spills and pick up objects from the floor.
Follow safe food-handling procedures and guidelines, applying food certification training throughout the shift.
Clean and sanitize equipment each shift as indicated by cleaning logs, document equipment condition, use equipment safely, and report equipment issues to the supervisor.
Attend department in-services and meetings, participate in assigned QA/PI programs, and complete annual HealthStream modules successfully and on time.
Perform Nutrition Assistant duties when scheduled and assist with tray-line tasks, including preparing trays, drinks, condiments, and supplements.
Work with the Clinical Nutrition Department to support patient care and notify a dietitian verbally or in writing about patients with poor intake or eating difficulties.
Count nourishment items daily according to the par list and deliver stock to assigned units.
Clean refrigerators; label, date, and rotate products; discard outdated items and food of unknown origin; and record assigned refrigerator temperatures, alerting the supervisor immediately to problems.
Complete logs and documentation promptly, including tray-line cleaning documentation.
Maintain snack jars and retrieve breakfast items in the Physician Lounge.
Cooperate with and help coworkers, follow through on other assigned duties, and demonstrate willingness to assist.