Dietitian

We are hiring in Rochester, NY! Join us at Easterseals NY for an exciting career as a Part-Time Dietitian/Nutritionist!

MUST be vaccinated against COVID-19. Required to provide documentation during the Onboarding process.

Mission: Easterseals New York's mission is to spread help, hope, and answers-http://www.easterseals.com/newyork/our-programs/

Easterseals is a standard-bearer for creating equity and access for people with disabilities and other barriers to long-term self-sufficiency. For 100 years, Easterseals has been an indispensable resource for people and families living with disabilities. Throughout all life's moments - from the extraordinary to the ordinary and everything in between - Easterseals is here to help people and families realize and reach for their full potential.

Job Title: Dietitian/Nutritionist

Location: Rochester, NY

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Position Type: Part-Time

Position Summary: The Dietitian/Nutritionist provides direction to residents and their staff on healthy living and good nutrition, implements meal plans, works with the health care personnel regarding residents' nutritional needs, and teaches residents and their staff about food selection and nutrition principles.

Essential Job Functions:

• Oversee screening of new clients for nutritional risk/need for nutritional assessment primarily in the residential programs.
• Make recommendations to the admissions committee about the ability of ESNY to meet the nutritional health needs of potential clients.
• Perform nutritional assessments, including evaluation of height, weight, and BMI-for-age (using the CDC growth charts), estimation of energy, protein, and fluid needs versus intake (with a strong collaboration with nursing and PCP on bowel management), diagnosis of current nutrition problems, recommendations and follow up for nutrition interventions and goals.
• Correspond and collaborate with case managers, clinicians, nurses, physicians, educators, therapists, and direct staff to develop and implement appropriate nutrition interventions.
• Oversee monthly anthropometric measurements of residents and monitor changes and report changes to nurse/PCP and Interdisciplinary Team.
• Develop and recommend nutritional policies as needed; follow up on the proper and consistent execution of policies implemented by upper management.
• Periodically observe meal preparation and meal services in the residences to ensure appropriate menus, health codes, safety, and support of all individuals and consult with behavior specialists, occupational therapists, medical providers, or other clinical staff or contractors as needed to ensure the success of all individuals in areas of nutrition and self-feeding (pacing, grip, adaptive equipment).
• Consult with the psychiatric team on medication impact on diet, drug/food interactions, and lab work.
• Participate in interdisciplinary treatment team meetings, medical rounding, and/or psychiatric rounding as required/requested.
• Contribute to the comprehensive functional assessment and/or individual service plan and design and monitor functional goals for independence based on those assessments.
• Gain expertise in PKU, diabetes, or other metabolic disorders as required by current residents including but not limited to attending and consulting with the PKU clinic at URMC.
• Present regular in-services and training to residential, food service, and educational staff on nutritional policies and tenets of good nutrition and overall wellness.
• Develop and implement appropriate group nutrition education to residents.
• Provide one-on-one nutritional counseling for residents.
• Participate in, design curriculum for, and deliver new employee orientation.
• Consult and collaborate with foodservice manager and kitchen staff in the educational setting (The Kessler Center school) as needed to guide the service of appealing nutritionally balanced meals which meet the needs of the residents, day students, as well as state and federal guidelines. This is a collaboration, not a direct supervisory oversight as the school is an NYSED program not under the direct jurisdiction of the agency nutritionist. Consult with the Director of Education for consistency of practice and client support.
• Consult with other agency day programs serving ESNY residents as requested by those programs to support ESNY resident health.
• Consult on food consistency/texture to support the self-feeding and sensory needs of residents.
• Regularly review residential menus and create specified meal plans and weekly revised menus for residents with special nutritional needs and/or medical conditions.
• Design and coordinate health promotion initiatives for residents and staff.
• Provide supervision to any nutrition assistants if applicable.
• Attend continuing education and bring best-practices and current research into practice.
• Place the health and welfare of the clients, paramount above all other requirements including operating as a mandated reporter.
• Travel between sites as required.
• Perform other duties as assigned.