Dietitian (Clinical)

SummaryThe incumbent works as a Dietitian (Clinical) within the Clinical Service of NFS serving as the medical nutrition expert. Clinical Dietitians coordinate nutritional care of Veterans with other health care providers - the Veteran - the Veteran's caregiver and the community.QualificationsBasic Requirements:United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA PolicyRegistered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) or Registered Dietitian (RD) - Must be registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing branch of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics formerly known as the American Dietetic Association (ADA)Exception for GS-07 and GS-09 Only: Dietitians who do not possess the RDN/RD credentialNon-credentialed Dietitians who otherwise meet the basic qualification requirements and have fulfilled the requirements below - but do not possess the RDN credential - may be given a full-time temporary appointment not to exceed one year under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405(c)(2)May only be appointed at the GS-07 or GS-09 level and may not be promoted/converted until they obtain their RDN credentialNon-credentialed Dietitians must have fulfilled each of the following: Earned a bachelor's or higher degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university or foreign equivalentForeign Education: To be creditable - college and/or university degrees earned outside the U.S and its territories must be evaluated by ACEND and meet ACEND's International Dietitian Education standards which are designed to provide graduates with the knowledge and competencies to sit for the CDR credentialing exam~AND~ Completed an ACEND accredited experiential or supervised practice program and provide a verification statement from the program director that conveys eligibility to take the CDR registration exam as a prospective RDNA list of ACEND accredited programs are located on the ACEND website or at ACEND Accredited Programs DirectoryPhysical RequirementsSee VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service for requirementsEnglish Language ProficiencyDietitian candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C.7403(f)Current VHA Dietitians that qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision may not be promoted to a higher grade if they do not meet the current RDN/RD requirements.Grade Determinations: All individuals assigned to this occupation must meet all the basic qualification requirements in paragraph 3 a-f and all the requirements defined in the specific assignment.Dietitian (Clinical) - GS-07 Experience or EducationNone beyond the basic requirementsDietitian (Clinical) - GS-09 ExperienceAt least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade levelOR EducationMaster's degree from a regionally accredited university or collegeKnowledge - Skills and AbilitiesIn addition to the experience or education above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of various accrediting and regulatory requirementsKnowledge of virtual technology to provide nutrition careAbility to deliver patient care using the NCP (e.g. - assessment - diagnosis - intervention - monitoring and evaluation)Ability to apply evidence-based nutrition practices to improve patient outcomesAbility to develop patient-centered goalsAbility to collect data for performance improvement studiesAbility to collaborate with stakeholdersDietitian (Clinical) - GS-11 ExperienceAt least one year of experience as an RDN equivalent to the next lower gradeKnowledge - Skills and AbilitiesIn addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Skill in delivering patient care using the NCP (e.g. - assessment - diagnosis - intervention - monitoring and evaluation)Skill in interpreting research to apply evidence-based nutrition practices to improve patient outcomesSkill in developing patient-centered goalsSkill in analyzing data for performance improvement studiesSkill in collaborating with stakeholdersAbility to comply with various accrediting - regulatory and agency authoritiesReference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this positionQuestions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.DutiesDuties include but are not limited to the following: Conducts comprehensive nutrition assessments using the Nutritional Care Process (NCP) - including nutrition focused physical examinations - to establish a nutrition diagnosis and determine risk and/or degree of malnutritionDevelops and implements Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) to address the nutrition diagnosis - evaluates and monitors the effectiveness and outcomes of MNT interventionsModifies the plan as needed to achieve positive patient outcomesCalculates nutrient requirements and necessary diet restrictions or food and drug interactions tailoring the diet prescription to each individual patientDocuments MNT in the medical record using the Assessment - Diagnosis - Intervention - Monitoring - Evaluation (ADIME) formatFunctions independently and accurately when record keepingIdentifies patients in need of nutritional support and recommends the appropriate mode of support and communicates appropriately with the health care teamActively participates in formal and informal interdisciplinary team meetingsAssesses educational needs and provides nutrition education/counseling for individuals and groups that is tailored to the Veteran(s)Utilizes virtual care technology to improve access to careMaintains productivity standardsMaintains accurate record keeping of daily clinical activities and completes patient encounters using approved systemsEnsures continuous improvement of safe and quality care of VeteransLeads activities in the implementation of new initiativesUses data in the development of measures - data evaluation - and initiation of corrective actionsComplies with The Joint Commission requirements and other accrediting agency standards to ensure safe and quality patient careCollaborates with the Food Operations Section and department leadership to enhance the Veterans' dining experience - support patient satisfaction - and serve as a liaison between clinical units and the Food Operations SectionMay perform other related duties as assigned which are appropriate for this grade and assignmentWork Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am to 4:00pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual positionFunctional Statement #: PD99531S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized