Registered Dietitian

Reports to:  Administrator

Department: Dietary

Job Qualifications

A Dietitian, or Registered Dietitian, creates nutrition plans to improve the health and physical conditions of our residents. Their main duties include analyzing patients’ health status, goals and dietary restrictions, tracking clients’ dietary intake and progress and educating patients on how to maintain a balanced diet.

Job Function

Every effort has been made to identify the essential functions of this position.  However, it in no way states or implies that these are the only duties you will be required to perform.  The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from your responsibility if the work is similar, related, or is an essential function of the position.

Duties and Responsibilities

A Dietitian looks at a facility’s dietary needs and provides answers to combat malnourishment. They must ensure that proper courtesy is established when serving in-house patients. Knowing who that exact patient is and who’s to receive a menu-listed meal is crucial knowledge. The Dietitian role is responsible for:

• Coming up with a core meal plan for general patients, for special requests or for critical needs
• Acting in the role of counselor and thus sustaining patient morale
• Maintaining documentation from aides and management as a daily routine
• Keeping track of what has or hasn’t worked for a patient, which is crucial to providing proper meals later on
• Ensuring the cleanliness of a workspace and proper use of utensils during food preparation

Skills and Qualifications

• Leading critical projects to design new patient diets and delivery methods
• Ensuring that clients understand their medical care
• Demonstrating impeccable, analytical skills when assessing patient nutrition
• Developing solutions for any challenges that malnourishment poses—over multiple cases

Education and Training Requirements

** Licenses/certifications are required as a national standard for work. 

Specific Requirements:

• Must be able to read, write, speak, and understand the English language.  Others must be able to understand your speech.
• Must possess the ability to make independent decisions when circumstances warrant such action.
• Must possess the ability to deal tactfully with personnel, residents, family members, visitors, government agencies/personnel, and the general public.
• Must possess the ability and willingness to work harmoniously with other personnel.
• Must have patience, tact, a cheerful disposition and enthusiasm, as well as the willingness to handle difficult residents.
• Must be willing to seek out new methods and principles and be willing to incorporate them into existing nursing practices.
• Must be able to relate information concerning a resident’s condition.
• Must not pose a direct threat to the health and safety of other individuals in the workplace.

Physical and Sensory Requirements: (With or Without the Aid of Mechanical Devices)

• Must be able to move intermittently throughout the work day.
• Must be able to cope with the mental and emotional stress of the position.
• Must be able to see and hear or use prosthetics that will enable these senses to function adequately to ensure that the requirements of this position can be fully met.
• Must function independently and have flexibility, personal integrity, and the ability to work effectively with residents, personnel, and support agencies.
• Must meet the general health requirements set forth by the policies of this facility which include a medical and physical exam
• Must be able to relate to and work with the ill, disabled, elderly, emotionally upset, and at time, hostile people within the facility.
• Must be able to push, pull, move, and/or lift a minimum of 50 pounds to a minimum height of 3 feet and be able to push, pull, move, and/or carry such weight a minimum distance of 10 feet.
• May be necessary to assist in the evacuation of residents during emergency situations.