Dietician - four hours per week

Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive nutritional assessments for patients with chronic diseases, acute conditions, eating disorders, weight management needs, or other medically indicated dietary requirements.
• Develop individualized nutrition care plans and document assessments, recommendations, and follow-up in the EMR according to facility and regulatory standards.
• Review and approve therapeutic diets, ensuring alignment with clinical orders, nutritional guidelines, and correctional facility requirements.
• Monitor patient progress, adjust diet plans as needed, and conduct follow-up evaluations to support optimal health outcomes.
• Collaborate with physicians, nurses, mental health staff, and administrative teams to manage patients requiring special diets, tube feedings, calorie counts, or complex nutritional interventions.
• Perform ongoing audits of dietary services, meal preparation, food safety practices, and tray accuracy to ensure compliance with NCCHC/ACA standards, state regulations, and contractual requirements.
• Work closely with food service staff and vendors to review menus, ensure nutritional adequacy, and confirm that meals meet established dietary guidelines and caloric standards.
• Provide direct nutrition education to patients on disease management, healthy eating habits, weight control, and other nutrition-related topics.
• Participate in interdisciplinary case reviews, chronic care clinics, infection control initiatives, and behavior management teams to support patient-centered care.
• Review and evaluate requests for special diets, verifying medical necessity and ensuring accurate communication of orders to food service teams.
• Document all patient interactions, assessments, and recommendations accurately and thoroughly within the required timelines.
• Aid in developing and updating nutrition-related policies, procedures, and protocols to ensure compliance and standardization across the facility.
• Support the facility’s quality improvement program by monitoring dietary indicators, analyzing data, and recommending corrective actions.
• Provide training and guidance to healthcare staff, food service personnel, and correctional officers on dietary protocols, special diet management, and food safety expectations.
• Participate in accreditation readiness activities, including chart reviews, dietary audits, and staff preparation for NCCHC/ACA surveys.
• Respond to patient grievances or concerns related to diet, nutrition, or food services, working collaboratively to resolve issues appropriately.
• Maintain professional knowledge of current nutrition science, dietary guidelines, and correctional food service regulations.
• Follow all MEDIKO policies and site protocols, including those related to safety, infection control, patient confidentiality, and emergency response.

Requirements

• Registered Dietitian (RD) or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) credential required.
• Experience in healthcare, correctional healthcare, or a regulated industry is preferred.
• Minimum 1–3 years of clinical nutrition experience; correctional healthcare or institutional food service experience preferred.
• Experience developing nutrition care plans, conducting assessments, and working with interdisciplinary teams.
• Familiarity with NCCHC/ACA standards, state dietary regulations, and correctional food service requirements preferred.
• Demonstrated success in applying function-specific skills (e.g., employee relations for HR, financial reporting for Finance, or sales strategy for Sales) is required.
• Knowledge of relevant industry-specific regulations, compliance standards, and best practices may be required, particularly for roles in highly regulated functions like HR and Finance.
• Relevant industry certifications based on the role (e.g., PHR, SHRM-CP, CPA, etc.).
• Active CPR/BLS certificate required (American Heart Association/American Red Cross guideline approved), if role is located in a correctional facility.