OPS DIETETIC TECHNICIAN - 64855574

State of Florida•MARIANNA, FL

7d•$15•Onsite

About The Position

This is a part-time, up-to-25-hour-per-week paraprofessional breastfeeding peer counselor position with the Jackson WIC Agency. The role is primarily based at the Jackson County WIC Clinic, with work at WIC clinics in Holmes, Washington, Calhoun, and Liberty counties as needed. Work is performed under the supervision of a Health Educator and the direction of professional staff. The employee must have experience breastfeeding at least one baby and be available by phone outside normal clinic hours, up to 9 p.m., and on weekends as needed. The employee counsels pregnant and breastfeeding WIC participants by phone and during clinic visits, provides basic breastfeeding information and support, maintains a client caseload, and refers participants to appropriate clinical and community resources. The role also provides backup support for certifying low-risk participants, collecting measurements and other health data, providing low-risk nutrition counseling, and identifying and referring high-risk clients. The position requires accurate documentation, confidentiality, customer service, teamwork, completion of the State of Florida Nutrition Training Series, and compliance with agency and information-security procedures.

Requirements

Must be a paraprofessional without extensive professional training in health, nutrition, or the clinical management of breastfeeding.
Must be recruited and hired from the same population served by the local WIC agency and have characteristics similar to the participants served.
Must be available by phone outside normal clinic hours up until 9 p.m. and on weekends as needed.
Must have experience breastfeeding at least one baby.
Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, in English.
Knowledge of VENA, effective communication principles and techniques, community resources, program objectives, and basic arithmetic.
Basic counseling skills.
Ability to assist clients in accessing community resource services.
Ability to understand and apply methods and practices used in medical, nutrition, child development, or childcare settings.
Ability to interview clients to identify needs.
Ability to plan, organize, and coordinate work activities.
Ability to establish and maintain working relationships with others.
Ability to work with clients fairly and impartially and maintain confidentiality.

Nice To Haves

High school diploma or GED.
Experience exclusively breastfeeding, preferably for six months; ideally, exclusive breastfeeding for six months with continued breastfeeding for at least 12 months.
Currently or formerly a WIC client.

Responsibilities

Counsel WIC pregnant and breastfeeding mothers by telephone and clinic visits at intervals established by the local WIC program.
Maintain an assigned caseload and make routine client contacts according to agency protocol.
Provide basic breastfeeding information and support, including information about benefits, common barriers, getting started, and preventing or addressing common concerns.
Be available to new mothers with breastfeeding problems outside usual working hours, up to 9 p.m. and on weekends as needed.
Maintain confidentiality of client information and accurately record all client contacts.
Refer mothers to appropriate WIC nutrition and breastfeeding staff, lactation professionals, public health programs, and social service agencies according to clinic protocols.
Serve as backup for certifying low-risk participants for program benefits using established criteria.
Perform and record measurements and collect anthropometric and hematological health data as needed, including for prenatal participants receiving breastfeeding education and counseling.
Use established nutrition criteria to assess low-risk participants, assign nutrition risks and food packages, and provide individual nutrition counseling based on assessment and available data.
Identify high-risk clients and refer them to nutrition staff; document counseling in the participant’s FL-WISE record as appropriate.
Attend and assist with prenatal classes, breastfeeding support groups, and Jackson Hospital breastfeeding encouragement visits.
Attend monthly staff meetings and breastfeeding conferences or workshops as appropriate.
Assist with projects promoting breastfeeding peer counseling and perform other WIC duties as assigned.
Complete required records and administrative documentation, including phone use, timesheets, Employee Activity Records, Leave and Attendance Records, and travel records, according to agency protocol.
Maintain full compliance with Information/Key Custodian responsibilities under DOH information-security policies and procedures.
Work cooperatively with staff, communicate program issues to the supervisor and WIC Coordinator, assist when clinic staffing is short, and provide fair, respectful, courteous customer service.
Complete the State of Florida Nutrition Training Series and comply with applicable program standards and security, integrity, and confidentiality requirements.