Registered Dietician

Advocate Health • Chicago, IL

6d • $31 - $46

About The Position

The Registered Dietician provides clinical nutrition care to inpatient and outpatient populations, including Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) assessment, individualized care planning, nutrition support, patient education, and interdisciplinary coordination. The role adapts daily workflow to changing census, consult volume, patient acuity, and staffing needs. It documents nutrition care in the electronic medical record in accordance with clinical documentation and coding standards, and supports appropriate reimbursement through documented nutrition diagnoses and malnutrition findings.

The Clinical Dietitian assesses nutritional status using medical history, laboratory data, patient interviews, and physical examinations. The role prescribes and manages therapeutic diets, oral supplements, and enteral and parenteral nutrition within the MNT protocol and applicable order-writing privileges. It collaborates with physicians, pharmacy, nursing, food and nutrition services, and other teams to align nutrition care with clinical needs and patients’ personal, religious, and cultural preferences.

The position also contributes to malnutrition identification and treatment, quality improvement, regulatory readiness, outpatient program support, student and resident education, discharge planning, system nutrition initiatives, and coverage across other sites as needed. Work takes place in a normal office environment and may involve remote work, travel between sites, and support for other locations.

Requirements

• Dietitian certification issued by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).
• Dietitian (RD) registration with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
• Licensure by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation for Illinois positions, or certification by the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services for Wisconsin positions.
• Minimum bachelor's degree if CDR registration eligibility was obtained before January 1, 2024; minimum graduate degree (master’s, practice doctorate, or doctoral) if initial CDR registration is obtained on or after January 1, 2024.
• Successful completion of an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program.
• Didactic experience in clinical nutrition from an ACEND-approved program.
• Advanced knowledge of clinical nutrition and Nutrition Focused Physical Examinations.
• Ability to respond to the needs of a diverse patient population.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent organization, decision-making, time-management, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to sit, stand, walk, lift, squat, bend, reach above shoulders, and twist frequently during the work shift; occasional lifting of 25 pounds.
• Functional vision, hearing, speech, and touch.

Responsibilities

• Provide ongoing Medical Nutrition Therapy care to the hospital inpatient census through screening, prioritization, assessment, and recommended interventions.
• Develop and implement individualized nutrition plans of care based on life cycle- and diagnosis-specific needs.
• Document nutrition care plans and billable nutrition diagnoses in the electronic medical record in accordance with clinical documentation and coding standards.
• Prescribe, calculate, and manage enteral and parenteral nutrition support, evaluating patient tolerance and effectiveness and coordinating with physicians and pharmacy, including the Pharmacy Integrated Clinical Services team for TPN orders.
• Prescribe therapeutic diets, oral nutrition supplements, nutrition support regimens, vitamins and minerals, fluid management, and laboratory work within the MNT protocol and order-writing privileges.
• Coordinate with patient services, physicians, nursing, and other teams to ensure nutrition prescriptions, restrictions, allergies, preferences, and tube feedings meet patient needs.
• Recommend appropriate clinical nutrition formula and supplement substitutions during supply disruptions, and develop patient-specific menus for complex dietary needs.
• Identify, treat, and prevent malnutrition; perform Nutrition Focused Physical Examinations for high-risk patients and communicate findings to the medical team.
• Document Global Malnutrition Composite Score elements and participate in QAPI efforts, regulatory readiness, safety initiatives, and compliance with DNV regulations and department standards.
• Provide clinical support to hospital-based outpatient programs as needed and enter outpatient nutrition charges in the electronic medical record.
• Precept dietetic graduate students and medical residents, monitor and provide feedback on trainee progress, coordinate with didactic program staff, and provide nutrition lectures or orientation as applicable.
• Coordinate nutrition-related discharge and transition needs with discharge planners, Care Management, Home Health, physicians, pharmacy, and interdisciplinary teams, including home enteral or parenteral nutrition.
• Provide nutrition education and counseling to inpatients, outpatients, and family members, and provide classes or teammate in-services as applicable.
• Contribute clinical input to system nutrition initiatives, evidence-based practice changes, and system projects; help deploy updates related to clinical systems, menus, formulary, procedures, and policies.
• Liaise with nursing and physicians to champion system clinical nutrition initiatives and provide coverage at other sites as needed.

Benefits

• Paid Time Off programs.
• Medical, dental, vision, life, and short- and long-term disability benefits.
• Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses.
• Adoption assistance and paid parental leave.
• Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs.
• Educational Assistance Program.
• Potential premium pay, incentive pay for select positions, and annual performance-based increases.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Mid Level