Dietitian

Job Summary:Introduction:A. This position is located in the Food & Nutrition Services Unit of Hilo Medical Center, an acute and long-term care facility located on the island of Hawaii, serving as the Regional Center, which also includes Ka’u Hospital and Hale Ho’ola Hamakua. It is one (1) of twelve (12) facilities within the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation.B. The function of the Food & Nutrition Services Unit is to provide all food service to patients and staff of the hospital. The Food & Nutrition Services Unit receives, stores and inventories food supplies, plans menus and prepares food, assesses the nutritional aspect of patient care and patient education, and prepares necessary reports relating to food service. A selective menu system has been adopted in the department. C. The primary purpose of this position is to provide professional dietetic services to individual patients and manages the clinical dietary operations of the facility. The position plans, organizes, directs and supervises clinical staff; implements policies and procedures to assure that the dietetic services meet the daily nutritional, therapeutic and special dietary needs of the patients.II. MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES A. Clinical Responsibilities :60%1. Ensures that the needs of patients/residents in the acute, behavioral health, long term care, and outpatient settings are met through regular and frequent physician/clinical staff collaboration and patient interaction and education.a. Represents the organization and Department as an ambassador of clinical patient care; uses each and every patient interaction as an opportunity to promote the services and products offered by FANS and the organization.b. Consults with physicians and clinical staff on patient/resident diet orders.c. Interviews patients to obtain diet history, patient eating habits and patterns, and any cultural and socioeconomic and religious information that influence their food preferences.d. Analyzes physician’s diet orders and recommendations, and determines the best method through which their food preferences and diet restrictions may be met via meals.e. Calculate special diets as ordered (e.g., diabetic, low calories, low sodium, cholesterol, etc.).f. Educates patients on the diet restrictions that may have been established by their physician, and the reasons that the FANS Unit may not be able to comply with all of their dietary requests, including the possible interaction of medication and/or their disease process with regard to food choices. Provides education to patients and their family members on their transition from the hospital to home, with regard to nutritional/dietary requirements.g. Provides direction where necessary to the employees of the Clinical Arm of the unit with regard to patient education.h. Monitors patients’ progress and updates their dietary plan as necessary; participates as a member of the multidisciplinary team on the patient’s diet, progress, and discharge planning, Enters information into the patient’s electronic medical record to ensure that it is up to date with regard to the patient’s dietary progress.2. Meal Preparation