Clinical Nutrition Coordinator

Trinity Health•Hartford, CT

About The Position

Come join the Dietitian team at Saint Francis Hospital, part of Trinity Health Of New England! We are a member of the nationwide Trinity Health family, bringing compassionate care to our communities. Position Purpose: Oversees clinical dietitians, performs administrative duties, and participates in patient satisfaction, quality management, and performance improvement projects and meetings. Collaborates with the leadership in Food and Nutrition Services, as well as leadership in other departments as it relates to patient care and nutrition. Provides these clinical nutrition duties to more than one site. Completes nutrition assessments and provides medical nutrition therapy using the nutrition care process in a timely manner. Delivers individualized nutrition care to patients while performing within the Scope of Practice per Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Serves as a member of the interdisciplinary care team. Provides nutrition education for the patients, family, medical, and non-medical staff and community. What you will do: Leadership Management: Interviews, selects, orients, trains, rounds and/or develops dietitians, dietetic technicians and dietetic interns to uphold THS mission, vision, and values, and achieve strategic goals specific to THS and the RHM. Ensures that the clinical dietetics team practices and conducts themselves in a professional manner aligned with the Code of Ethics and Scope of Practice. Creates and adjusts schedule to provide adequate coverage while optimizing staffing pattern. Assists in the timely review and payroll sign-off. Maintains updated employee files including annual competencies, registration, licensure, certification, and continuing education requirements. Assists Regional Clinical Nutrition Manager with performance evaluations and disciplinary action as needed. Coordinates dietetic intern schedule and experience to help meet competency requirements. Serves as liaison between the General Manager and dietitians to resolve menu/formulary related issues and maintains regulatory compliance. Assists Regional Clinical Nutrition Manager in the implementation of Trinity Health initiatives, standards, and new programs. Functions as clinical nutrition expert and technical advisor to clinical staff, directors and managers for more than one site. Patient Care Management: Meets hospital, department, and regulatory standards for providing nutrition screening, assessments, and reassessments from assigned units according to established policies. Uses evidence-based practice and clinical judgment to individualize medical nutrition therapy, documents using standardized language from Nutrition Care Process Terminology manual and communicates initiation and progress of care plans. Actively participates with rounds, interdisciplinary teams and committees as appropriate. Provides education/or counseling to patients and/or family as per assessed need, request, or consult Education and Training: Provides nutrition and other related education to Food Service Staff, medical, nursing, dietetic interns and/or allied health as requested by RHM or as assigned by the Regional Clinical Nutrition Manager. Conducts yearly clinical nutrition competency assessments on all Clinical Dietitians and Dietetic Technicians. Participates with the promotion of health or provision of nutrition education/information for the community/café, in collaboration with Retail Manager or as assigned by the Regional Clinical Nutrition Manager. Performance & Quality Improvement: Ensures dietitians adhere to the scope of practice and standard of care documentation and policies through chart audits and timeliness of assessment tool. Maintains minimum productivity standards. Ensures productivity tools for benchmarking are completed in a timely manner and reviewed with the Regional Clinical Nutrition Manager. Participates in multidisciplinary meetings and committees, including the quality improvement committee (QIC) and leadership/management meetings. Identifies quality improvement opportunities, collects data, and develops and implements strategies as appropriate. Participates in food and nutrition-related research as appropriate.

Requirements

Active status as Registered Dietitian Nutrition (RDN) with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) is required and licensed where states mandate.
Bachelor's degree required.
Minimum 3-5 year of clinical experience in an acute care setting.
Previous experience working with dietetic interns, maintaining comprehensive curriculum, and acting as a preceptor.
Displays strong communication skills and ability to interact in a positive manner with physicians, patients, families and other hospital staff.
Must be able to read, speak, and write English with understanding.
Knowledge of federal, state, and local regulatory requirements and experience interacting with inspectors and documentation standards.
Ability to be a self-starter and independent worker able to manage multiple conflicting priorities and demands.
Excellent leadership, analytical, organizational, planning, delegation, coaching, communication (verbal, written and interpersonal), and computer (MS Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, EMR and nutrition software) skills; with a continuous improvement mindset and ability to challenge conventional thinking at all levels of the organization.
Demonstrates knowledge of diverse patient populations, various acuity levels, in a high volume setting.
Ability to work effectively in a diverse, collaborative, and team oriented culture.
Ability to lead a team, manage performance, provide constructive feedback, prepare and issue performance reviews.
Demonstrates the ability to handle confidential information and situations.
A personal presence characterized by a sense of honesty, integrity, and caring with the ability to inspire and motivate others to promote the philosophy, mission, vision, goals, and values of Trinity Health.
Must be able to set and organize own work priorities and adapt to them as they change frequently.
Must be able to work concurrently on a variety of tasks/projects in an environment that may be stressful with individuals having diverse personalities and work styles.
Must possess the ability to comply with Trinity Health policies and procedures.
Requires working in a normal patient care area and office environment where there are relatively few physical discomforts due to dust, dirt, noise, and the like.
Requires traveling to other facilities as needed.
May experience exposure to injury, occupational or contagious disease hazards which require routine precautions.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree along with advanced certification (e.g. CDE, CNSC, CSO, CSG, or AP) preferred in dietetics.

Responsibilities

Oversees clinical dietitians
Performs administrative duties
Participates in patient satisfaction, quality management, and performance improvement projects and meetings
Collaborates with the leadership in Food and Nutrition Services, as well as leadership in other departments as it relates to patient care and nutrition
Provides these clinical nutrition duties to more than one site
Completes nutrition assessments and provides medical nutrition therapy using the nutrition care process in a timely manner
Delivers individualized nutrition care to patients while performing within the Scope of Practice per Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Serves as a member of the interdisciplinary care team
Provides nutrition education for the patients, family, medical, and non-medical staff and community
Interviews, selects, orients, trains, rounds and/or develops dietitians, dietetic technicians and dietetic interns to uphold THS mission, vision, and values, and achieve strategic goals specific to THS and the RHM
Ensures that the clinical dietetics team practices and conducts themselves in a professional manner aligned with the Code of Ethics and Scope of Practice
Creates and adjusts schedule to provide adequate coverage while optimizing staffing pattern
Assists in the timely review and payroll sign-off
Maintains updated employee files including annual competencies, registration, licensure, certification, and continuing education requirements
Assists Regional Clinical Nutrition Manager with performance evaluations and disciplinary action as needed
Coordinates dietetic intern schedule and experience to help meet competency requirements
Serves as liaison between the General Manager and dietitians to resolve menu/formulary related issues and maintains regulatory compliance
Assists Regional Clinical Nutrition Manager in the implementation of Trinity Health initiatives, standards, and new programs
Functions as clinical nutrition expert and technical advisor to clinical staff, directors and managers for more than one site
Meets hospital, department, and regulatory standards for providing nutrition screening, assessments, and reassessments from assigned units according to established policies
Uses evidence-based practice and clinical judgment to individualize medical nutrition therapy, documents using standardized language from Nutrition Care Process Terminology manual and communicates initiation and progress of care plans
Actively participates with rounds, interdisciplinary teams and committees as appropriate
Provides education/or counseling to patients and/or family as per assessed need, request, or consult
Provides nutrition and other related education to Food Service Staff, medical, nursing, dietetic interns and/or allied health as requested by RHM or as assigned by the Regional Clinical Nutrition Manager
Conducts yearly clinical nutrition competency assessments on all Clinical Dietitians and Dietetic Technicians
Participates with the promotion of health or provision of nutrition education/information for the community/café, in collaboration with Retail Manager or as assigned by the Regional Clinical Nutrition Manager
Ensures dietitians adhere to the scope of practice and standard of care documentation and policies through chart audits and timeliness of assessment tool
Maintains minimum productivity standards
Ensures productivity tools for benchmarking are completed in a timely manner and reviewed with the Regional Clinical Nutrition Manager
Participates in multidisciplinary meetings and committees, including the quality improvement committee (QIC) and leadership/management meetings
Identifies quality improvement opportunities, collects data, and develops and implements strategies as appropriate
Participates in food and nutrition-related research as appropriate