Nutrition Assistant

About the role

At Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital, the Nutrition Assistant educates patients on dining services programs and processes, serves as the initial point of contact for problem resolution, and ensures diet information is accurate. The role assists patients with menu selection based on physician‑prescribed diet orders, ensures timely meal and tray delivery, monitors feedback for improvement, corrects patient‑reported issues, communicates hazards to peers and management, follows sanitation procedures, and complies with department policies and local food ordinances.

Responsibilities

• Greets patients by name and educates them on dining services programs/processes specific to their physician‑prescribed diet order.
• Interacts positively and professionally with patients, family, and staff.
• Communicates clearly and professionally with nursing, interprofessional staff, and peers to promote work efforts and problem resolution.
• Serves as the first point of contact for all patient food‑service complaints, follows through to resolution, and informs management of identified problems.
• Communicates pertinent information (e.g., difficulty eating, poor appetite, nourishment concerns, formula usage, requests to see the dietitian) to ensure proper handling.
• Contributes to department employee‑engagement scores through peer‑to‑peer accountability.
• Ensures new admits receive information about dining services operation and their prescribed diets.
• Assists patients with diet‑related information, menu selections, computerized ordering, and resolves ordering problems.
• Distributes tube feedings, nourishments/supplements, fruit baskets, and birthday cakes as ordered.
• Identifies menu items, describes taste and ingredients, and responds to inquiries.
• Checks tray accuracy and presentation before delivery; secures missing or additional items requested by the patient.
• Assists in plating food items on patient trays during peak times as directed.
• Delivers trays and sets up accordingly.
• Accurately logs and tracks customer concerns on appropriate documents.
• Utilizes proper patient identifiers prior to meal delivery.
• Ensures patient satisfaction with all service levels before leaving the room.
• Contributes to patient‑satisfaction scores through peer‑to‑peer accountability.
• Confirms diet orders listed as “no orders” on patient meal worksheets, including non‑standard orders, and stays current on diet orders and hospital menus.
• Reviews insulin reports/tickets for diabetic patients requiring medication reminders prior to meal delivery and contacts nursing as needed.
• Performs quality or PI projects as directed, which may include test trays.
• Ensures correct meal selection to reduce waste and redundancy.
• Collects soiled trays, returns them to food carts, and records calorie count information on tray tickets.
• Provides accurate documentation of work performed.
• Maintains an orderly work area, storing supplies, equipment, and parts in designated cabinets, closets, or areas.
• Inventories and maintains condiments at pre‑established amounts to reduce waste and stay within budget.
• Maintains stock of patient menus on assigned floors.
• Utilizes resources with cost‑effectiveness and value creation in mind.
• Self‑motivated to independently manage time, prioritize daily tasks, and assist coworkers as needed.
• Makes recommendations to improve patient satisfaction scores through excellent room‑service advocacy.
• Assists management in developing and implementing process improvements to increase patient satisfaction.
• Seeks opportunities to identify self‑development needs and takes appropriate action.
• Ensures career discussions occur with appropriate management.
• Completes and updates the My Development Plan on an ongoing basis.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent (e.g., GED, homeschool verification, partial or full post‑secondary completion).
• One year of customer service or hospitality experience preferred.
• Must have one of the following certifications:
  • Food Handlers Permit – accredited food handler training course approved by the Texas Department of State Health Services (TXDSHS) or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI);
  • Certified Food Manager – to be obtained within 90 days; once obtained, the Food Handlers Permit is no longer required; Food Service Manager certification must be renewed every 5 years.
• Uniform required (department‑approved attire); scrubs and business professional attire not required.
• On‑call not required; travel not required.

Skills

• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing English to perform essential functions, especially those impacting patient or employee safety.
• Ability to communicate effectively with patients, physicians, family members, and co‑workers using a customer‑service focus and positive language principles.
• Good communication skills and ability to work in a fast‑paced environment.
• Demonstrates good judgment in professional decision‑making.
• Ability to obtain and analyze pertinent information to make informed decisions.
• Active listening skills, giving full attention to what others are saying.
• Skills to take appropriate follow‑up action to ensure workload is processed and identified discrepancies are resolved within established time frames.