Dietitian (Clinical)-Home Based Primary Care

About the role

Employees in this assignment serve as a full performance Dietitian (Clinical) providing Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) within the Clinical Section of NFS serving as the medical nutrition expert. They are autonomous in their work in applying evidenced based nutrition practice guidelines for Veterans - including those with complex medical and nutritional needs.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) or Registered Dietitian (RD) – Must be registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), the credentialing branch of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association)
• Non‑credentialed Dietitians must have:
  • Earned a bachelor's or higher degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university or foreign equivalent
  • Foreign education: Degrees earned outside the U.S. and its territories must be evaluated by ACEND and meet ACEND's International Dietitian Education standards to be eligible for the CDR credentialing exam
  • Completed an ACEND‑accredited experiential or supervised practice program and provide a verification statement from the program director confirming eligibility to take the CDR registration exam as a prospective RDN
  • A list of ACEND‑accredited programs is available on the ACEND website or ACEND Accredited Programs Directory

Grade Determinations:

• Dietitian (Clinical) – GS‑11: (1) Experience – At least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS‑09; OR (2) Education – Master's degree from a regionally accredited university or college and at least one year of experience as an RDN equivalent to the next lower grade.
• Current VHA Dietitians qualified under the Grandfathering Provision may not be promoted to a higher grade if they do not meet the current RDN/RD requirements.
• Preferred Experience: Dietician – Customer Service (see VA Qualification Standards)
• Physical Requirements: See VA Handbook 5019; a state Driver's license is required and a safe driving record are required.

Skills

• Skill in delivering patient care using the NCP (e.g., assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation)
• Skill in interpreting research to apply evidence‑based nutrition practices to improve patient outcomes
• Skill in developing patient‑centered goals
• Skill in analyzing data for performance improvement studies
• Skill in collaborating with stakeholders
• Ability to comply with various accrediting, regulatory, and agency authorities

Responsibilities

• The Dietitian is responsible for coordinating nutritional care of Veterans with other health care providers, the Veteran, the Veteran's caregiver, and others as appropriate
• Conducts comprehensive nutrition assessments using the Nutritional Care Process (NCP) – including nutrition‑focused physical examinations – to establish a nutrition diagnosis and determine risk and/or degree of malnutrition
• Develops and implements Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) to address the nutrition diagnosis; evaluates and monitors the effectiveness and outcomes of MNT interventions
• Modifies the plan as needed to