Under the direction of the
System Director, Nutrition, the Clinical Dietitian is responsible for
maintaining a program that assures that the patients are provided with quality
and age appropriate Medical Nutrition Therapy consistent with hospital policy
and in accordance with the requirements of The Joint Commission, the DPH and
other regulatory agencies.
Job Specific Responsibilities:
- Establishes, maintains, monitors
and evaluates appropriate standards of care for Medical Nutrition Therapy.
- Continually evaluates the nutrition
program in relationship to established standards of care and offers
suggestions for change as needed.
- Prioritizes daily work assignments
to ensure monitoring of patients at nutritional risk.
- Provides Medical Nutrition Therapy
to patients, determined on admission to be at nutritional risk, including
assessment, intervention, determination of plan, goals and educational needs.
- Reviews medical orders for modified
diets and assesses appropriateness of orders in conjunction with clinical
status, age of patient, religious, ethnic and social-economic status. Interviews patients or others involved in
patients care to obtain information regarding food habits and preferences for
guidance in planning diets.
Communicates regularly with these patients to assess diet acceptance
and understanding.
- Documents Nutrition care plan in
the medical record or in other appropriate places (i.e. computer, page 2
continuing care/discharge planning referral) within established time
period. Maintains monthly productivity
logs.
- Instructs patients, relatives
and/or responsible party regarding prescribed diet, when determined
necessary, during and subsequent to hospitalization. Documents patient's level of understanding
and motivation to adhere to diet prescription.
- Uses the nutrition office
communication book to identify and make other coworkers aware of pertinent
issues.
- Maintains effective
multi-disciplinary relationships and communication with medical staff,
nursing and other health care professionals, including those outside the
NSMC.
- Plans and conducts educational
in-service programs for nursing staff, medical staff, nutrition and food
service staff and the general public.
- Maintains professional competency,
and develop an ongoing program of self-education through continuing education
activities. This includes reviewing
technical journals and publications, attending professional meetings,
conferences and conventions and reporting on these at in-services.
- May serve on hospital committees
related to patient care as assigned.
- Participates in the Continuous
Quality Improvement Monitoring program established for Food and Nutrition
Services Department.
- Conducts daily meal rounds to
assess patient's intake, progress and acceptance of food. Communicates patient comments to managers,
supervisors and cooks.
- Participates in multi disciplinary
team meetings and/or attend medical rounds as appropriate.
- May provide individual or group
nutritional counseling to outpatients as part of a hospital program or when
referred for instruction by a physician.
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Performs other related duties as assigned.