Registered Dietitian

Fresenius Medical Care•Dallas, TX

About The Position

Provides nutritional services to in-center and home patients, as applicable, to maximize nutritional status and improve clinical outcomes. Serves as a member of the interdisciplinary healthcare team and supports the organization’s Quality Enhancement Program (QEP), Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAI) activities, and other process-improvement efforts aimed at helping patients achieve individualized goals determined by their physicians. The Registered Dietitian assesses patients’ understanding of diet and kidney disease, provides individualized nutrition education and counseling, completes nutritional assessments, calculates diet prescriptions, and contributes to comprehensive plans of care. The role monitors nutritional status and response to nutrition therapy, identifies patients at risk of malnutrition, reviews nutrition-related laboratory results, and recommends or coordinates interventions with patients, caregivers, physicians, and the interdisciplinary team. It also requires accurate medical-record documentation, participation in quality and care-plan meetings, ongoing professional development, and travel between assigned facilities and other locations as required.

Requirements

Registered Dietitian credential as defined by the Commission on Dietetic Registration.
Current state licensure, if applicable.
At least 1 year of professional clinical nutrition work experience as a Registered Dietitian.
Demonstrated leadership competencies and skills, including teaching ability, strong organization, excellent communication, customer service, relationship development, results orientation, team building, and decision making.
Ability to perform responsibilities with minimal supervision.
Basic computer skills.

Nice To Haves

Board Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition certification is encouraged.
Previous renal experience is preferred.

Responsibilities

Assess patients’ knowledge of diet and kidney disease and provide education suited to their learning needs.
Educate patients, families, and caregivers about nutritional status, adequacy measures and results, fluid status, and nutrition-related laboratory parameters.
Complete nutritional assessments and participate in interdisciplinary comprehensive assessments.
Work with the interdisciplinary team to develop written, individualized comprehensive plans of care in accordance with applicable guidelines and regulations.
Calculate diet prescriptions according to standard practice.
Complete progress notes for chronic dialysis patients and maintain accurate medical-record documentation in accordance with company policies and applicable regulations.
Provide ongoing nutrition assessment and outcome-oriented counseling to help patients achieve and sustain effective nutritional status.
Identify malnourished patients and those at risk, and work with the interdisciplinary team to identify interventions, resources, or solutions.
Review each patient’s albumin level and body weight at least monthly and implement the plan of care with patient, family, or caregiver involvement.
Monitor adherence and response to nutrition therapy, adjust therapy as needed, document barriers to meeting goals, and implement care-plan responses to those barriers.
Collaborate with the interdisciplinary team on Urea Kinetic Modeling recommendations to achieve the physician’s Kt/V prescription.
Collaborate with the interdisciplinary team on mineral metabolism and renal bone disease, anemia and iron status, nutritional and psychosocial status, vascular access, modality, rehabilitation status, and sodium/volume control.
Follow company algorithms and medical-record policies.
Report nutrition QAI results and participate in the interdisciplinary QAI program.
Coordinate with team members in providing Pre-ESRD education as appropriate.
When appropriate, work with the Case Manager to coordinate patient-education plans and identify candidates for physician referral for nutritional supplements under disease-management agreements.
Review nutrition-related laboratory results, counsel patients or caregivers, formulate appropriate actions, recommend treatment changes, and communicate results and recommendations to the interdisciplinary team, physicians, facility staff, and other patient-care providers as appropriate.
Participate in staff, quality-improvement, care-plan, and other applicable meetings.
Consult with the FMS Corporate Dietitian about nutrition concerns as needed.
Maintain and improve professional knowledge and skills, dietetic registration, and continuing-education hours as required by applicable professional and state licensure rules.
Collaborate with the interdisciplinary team to help ensure work areas are safe and clean.
Perform other assigned nutrition-management and related duties.