Clinical Dietitian

About the role

Brown University Health employees are expected to embrace Brown University Health's mission of Delivering health with care and successfully role model Brown University Health's values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence as these guide our everyday actions with patients, customers and one another.

Responsibilities

• Uses accurate and relevant data and information to identify nutrition related problems.
• Affirms current and past information related to personal, medical, family, and psychosocial/social history.
• Affirms anthropometric indicators (e.g. height, weight, body mass index (BMI), arm circumference), comparison to reference data (e.g. percentile ranks/z-scores) and individual patterns and history.
• Affirms laboratory profiles (e.g. acid-base balance, renal function, endocrine function, inflammatory response, vitamin/mineral profile, lipid profile), medical tests and procedures (e.g. gastrointestinal study, metabolic rate).
• Affirms food and nutrition related history including food and nutrient intake, food and nutrient administration, medication and diet supplement use, knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes (e.g. understanding of nutrition related concepts, emotions about food and/or weight, readiness to change nutrition or health related behaviors, and activities and actions influencing achievement of nutrition related goals), and food security.
• Estimates nutrient needs and recommended body weight, BMI, and desired growth patterns.
• Collections data and reviews data collected and/or documented by the dietetic technician and other health care practitioners, patients, or staff for factors that affect nutrition and health status.
• Identifies possible problem areas for determining nutrition diagnosis. Re-evaluates and revises nutrition diagnosis(es) per department standards of care.
• Documents patients' nutritional care plans on the Interdisciplinary Plan of Care in addition to routine documentation in patients' electronic health records and regularly monitors patients' nutritional status updating the Plan of Care per departmental standards of care.
• Participates in the discharge planning process, evaluating the patient's condition from a nutritional perspective and recommending programs, procedures, etc., which will enhance the patient's readiness for discharge.
• Provides nutrition education, through seminars and workshops, for physicians and other health care professionals, including professional peer groups in the community.
• Represents Food & Nutrition Services at interdisciplinary meetings.
• Participates in patient satisfaction initiatives and department programs in customer service for meeting the department and hospital mission, vision and goals.
• Participates in department quality improvement programs and department financial and productivity measures as requested.
• Might be requested to participate in community and media programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Food and Nutrition or a related concentration from a US Accredited College/University approved by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics(ACEND).
• Completed ACEND accredited supervised practice program and successfully passed national examination for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) by the Commission of Dietetic Registration (CDR), the credentialing agency for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
• If registration eligible must provide documentation of scheduled registration exam date.
• Licence as a Dietitian/Nutritionist in the state of Rhode Island (must have within 3 months of hire).
• Proof of application for license to be submitted upon employment.
• If registration eligible must have proof of Rhode Island Department of Health License as a Dietitian/Nutritionist Graduate Practice prior to start date and must pass the CDR Registration Exam and obtain LDN license within 3 months of hire.
• All unlicensed dietitians' notes are cosigned by a licensed registered dietitian until a license is obtained.
• Thorough understanding of the application of principles of nutrition to human physiology in adult and pediatric disease states.
• Thorough knowledge of the nutrition care process and the nutritional values of food and food groups.
• The analytical ability to identify overt and potential nutritional problems.
• The ability to develop nutritional plans of care.
• The ability to communicate nutrition education through formal and informal channels.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
• The administrative ability to direct and coordinate the delivery of quality nutrition care in assigned areas of responsibility.
• Maintenance of Commission on Dietetic Registration through completion of 75 hours of continuing education every five years and Rhode Island LDN of 20 hours of continuing education every 2 years.
• Membership preferred in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and relevant practice groups such as the Medical Nutrition Practice Group (MNPG) or the Pediatric Nutrition Practice Group (PNPG).
• Ability to resolve patient food service satisfaction issues through a thorough knowledge of patient service operation (training provided on the job).
• Proficient computer skills in MS Word. MS PowerPoint and MS Excel preferred.