PATIENT DINING ASSOCIATE (DIETARY AIDE) (FULL TIME)

Location: Inova Fairfax Hospital - 3300 Gallows Road, Falls Church, VA 22042

About the role

Patient Dining Associates work on assigned units in a healthcare facility, providing services that include helping patients make menu selections, assembling, delivering, and picking up their meal trays. They are part of the caregiving team, responsible for patient safety and satisfaction goals by ensuring meals are accurate and delivered at the right time and temperature.

At Morrison Healthcare, a Compass Healthcare company, you’ll join a culture that values caring for people, fostering belonging, and creating moments that truly matter. Here, your work has purpose: to nourish patients, caregivers, and communities while upholding the highest standards of detail, quality, and excellence in every meal served. For more than 70 years, Morrison has supported leading health systems nationwide with culinary, nutritional, and operational expertise.

Responsibilities

• Help patients understand their menu selections and work with nursing to ensure their orders comply with their nutritional requirements or restrictions.
• Work with caregivers and the culinary team to determine menu alternatives for patients with food allergies, sensitivities, cultural, ethnic, and religious preferences, or when a patient inquires about additional selections.
• Manage tray tickets and assemble meals according to each patient’s menu selection in a timely and accurate manner.
• Retrieve trays from patient rooms at assigned times.
• Comply with regulatory agency standards, including federal, state, and JCAHO.
• Adhere to facility confidentiality and the patient’s rights policy as outlined in the facility’s Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) policies and procedures.
• Follow Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) guidelines when handling food, cleaning work stations, and breaking down patient tray line.
• Follow facility and department infection control policies and procedures.
• Assist dietitians, such as helping monitor patients who cannot eat food through their mouth, are on liquid diets, or have a specific calorie count to manage.
• Communicate problems or concerns with patients to appropriate personnel in a timely manner, following department procedures.
• Complete all daily, weekly, or monthly reports as outlined in Morrison Healthcare policies and procedures.
• Comply with federal, state, and local health and sanitation regulations, as well as department sanitation procedures.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• 1 year previous dietary aide/food service experience preferred.
• Ability to read, write, and interpret documents in English.
• Basic computer and mathematical skills.
• Must be able to occasionally lift or move up to 100 pounds, as well as maneuver and push food delivery carts.

Schedule

Full-time schedule: 6:30 am to 6:30 pm and 6:45 am to 6:45 pm; days may vary. Rotating weekends included.

Pay

Pay Range: $17.95 per hour to $18.25 per hour.

$750 sign-on bonus: half at 30 days, and the remaining at 90 days.

Benefits

Full-time and part-time positions are offered the following benefits:

• Retirement Plan
• Associate Shopping Program
• Health and Wellness Programs
• Discount Marketplace
• Identity Theft Protection
• Pet Insurance
• Other voluntary benefits including Critical Illness Insurance, Accident Insurance, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Legal Services, and Choice Auto and Home Program

Full-time positions also offer the following benefits:

• Medical, Dental, Vision
• Life Insurance/AD
• Disability Insurance
• Commuter Benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Associates may also be eligible for paid and/or unpaid time off benefits in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.