Nutrition Assistant (Full-Time) - Day

Hackensack Meridian Health•Hackensack, NJ

6d•$22

About The Position

The Nutrition Assistant obtains and processes meal orders in a courteous and professional manner, ensures adherence to diet prescriptions, and maintains accurate dietary records for each patient. The role interacts with patients and customers by phone, callbacks, and bedside visits, and processes meal orders and related requests using a computer within required time frames. The assistant helps ensure patients’ menu selections are therapeutically appropriate and communicates special requests and important information to appropriate staff. The role also supports patients who cannot select meals, processes guest tray and nourishment requests, prints reports, and adapts communication and care to the needs of the patient population, including age, culture, language, literacy, and hearing or visual impairments. The position requires regular contact with Medical Center personnel, patients, and visitors.

Requirements

High school diploma, GED, and/or GED-equivalent program.
Knowledge of basic principles of nutrition and modified diets.
Proficient computer skills.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's or associate's degree in foods and nutrition.
Bilingual ability, especially Spanish or Korean.
One or more years of similar hospital or acute care experience.

Responsibilities

Handle patient and customer interactions courteously and professionally, using standardized scripts where required.
Receive meal requests by phone, diet-office callbacks, or bedside visits, and process meal orders in the computer within the allotted time frame.
Order non-select meals for patients who cannot select a meal and have no order placed, as appropriate.
Maintain accurate dietary records for patients in the computer as necessary.
Ensure patient menu choices are therapeutically accurate and suggest alternatives when necessary to support patient satisfaction.
Process guest tray orders courteously and in a timely manner.
Communicate special requests and important information to appropriate staff in a timely and courteous manner.
Print reports in a timely manner.
Process requests for 10 a.m., 3 p.m., and HS nourishments.
Identify the needs of the patient population served and modify and deliver care to those needs, including age, culture, language, literacy, and hearing or visual impairments.
Communicate with patients, parents, and/or primary caregivers at an appropriate developmental, age, educational, and literacy level.
Adhere to the Medical Center's Organizational Competencies and Standards.