Nutrition Technician

Banner Health•Phoenix, AZ

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Nutrition Technician provides patients with menu and tray/patient meal service, receives patient requests, and communicates them to dietary staff when appropriate. The position supports patient satisfaction with dietary and food services and is responsible for diet office processes. In the absence of a supervisor, the technician may provide lead responsibility for the diet office, including making position coverage assignments. The technician visits patients to discuss menu selections according to prescribed diets, checks selections for appropriateness, makes modified-diet decisions when required, records meal selections and preferences, and provides standard information about prescribed diets. The role also processes menus, tallies menu-item counts, prepares production sheets, and may lead tray assembly and meal service. It may include delivering and serving meals and making judgments about assigned special requests, snacks, and nourishments. The technician works with patients, families, food service staff, nursing staff, and dietary staff while maintaining customer service, food quality, dietary, and sanitation standards. The position is full-time, with eight-hour varied shifts, primarily 11:30 a.m.–8:00 p.m. Consistent weekend and holiday work is required. The job is based at Banner Estrella Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

Requirements

High school diploma, GED, or equivalent working knowledge.
Reading, writing, and mathematical skills.
Understanding of nutrition services, common modified diets, and portion measures.
Three years of related experience and/or education in health care nutrition services.
Ability to lead assignments and reschedule staff assignments in the supervisor's absence.
Ability to work effectively with business computer software and point-of-sale systems.
Ability to learn food-handling regulations and pass required certification tests.
Demonstrated effective customer service skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience as an RSA, in a hospital kitchen, or similar setting.
Additional skills and knowledge in health care nutrition services.
Bilingual skills for some assignments.
Additional related education and/or experience.

Responsibilities

Visit patients to obtain or discuss menu selections based on their prescribed diets.
Check that patient selections comply with prescribed diet options and make modified-diet decisions when required.
Record daily patient meal selections and preferences for one or more patient units.
Provide standard information about prescribed diets and request dietary staff assistance when needed.
Edit patient menus, tally daily menu-item counts, and prepare production sheets.
Lead patient tray assembly or meal service as assigned, ensure food presentation meets quality standards, and check trays for menu compliance.
Deliver and serve meals and use independent judgment regarding assigned special requests, snacks, and nourishments.
Receive and forward patient requests and communicate with patients, families, food service staff, nursing staff, and dietary staff.
Complete diet office processes and, when the supervisor is absent, provide lead responsibility, including making or rescheduling staff assignments.
Work efficiently with minimal supervision while maintaining customer service, dietary, food quality, and sanitation standards.