Nutritionist

Central Neighborhood Hlth Fdn•Los Angeles, CA

About The Position

Under the direction of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), the Nutritionist provides nutrition consultation and education for patients and their families who are screened at nutrition risk, identified with nutrition risk, and/or referred by physicians or other healthcare providers for nutrition-related problems, chronic disease management, management of nutrition support, to meet regulatory requirements, or for prevention and wellness. The Nutritionist is an integral part of the multidisciplinary team who serves as the patient’s nutrition advocate. The Nutritionist ensures that the patient’s nutrition needs are being met, including when nutrition support (enteral or parenteral) initiation and/or management is necessary, during patient care, and clinic visits. Primary responsibilities include application of the Nutrition Care Process (NCP), including completion of the nutrition assessment, determination of the nutrition diagnosis, developing and implementing evidence-based nutrition intervention(s), monitoring and evaluating the patient’s progress, and communicating the nutrition care plan with other members of the care team through effective verbal and written communication. The nutrition assessment can include nutrition-focused physical exam, identification and documentation of malnutrition, and care plan development for patients with complex medical, surgical, and biochemical histories. The Nutritionist provides evidence-based medical nutrition therapy to patients of varying acuity levels. The Nutritionist works independently and performs business and supervisory functions, such as management of resources cost-effectively, and participates in compliance and quality performance improvement efforts to ensure nutrition care is safe and effective, and oversees the experiences for dietetic interns. The Nutritionist is an integral part of the multidisciplinary team, is involved in education of physicians, residents, medical students, other health professionals, and patients as requested via lectures and in-service opportunities and team conferences, and contributes to the development and revision of organizational policies and guidelines. The Nutritionist maintains professional competency and skills required for professional practice.

Requirements

Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition or related field.
Minimum one (1) year of clinical and nutrition-related experience.
Knowledge of the Nutrition Care Process and the ability to apply all steps.
Comprehensive knowledge, application of medical nutrition therapy, human behavior, and techniques for affecting behavior change.
Comprehensive knowledge and application of nutrition support services.
Critical thinking to integrate facts, informed opinions, active listening, and observations.
Decision making, problem solving, and collaboration.
Excellent counseling skills and ability to relate to a multi-ethnic community and varied learning levels.
Strong interpersonal skills to establish productive working relationships with multidisciplinary teams and support services.
Ability to communicate effectively in both written and verbal form to patients, the public, medical staff, and physicians.
Ability to organize tasks and function independently.
Ability to counsel and motivate others, as individuals and as a group.
General knowledge of nutrient analysis, word processing, spreadsheets, and professional presentation software.