Nutritionist Ii Wic – Phn Ii

The primary purpose of this position is to provide nutrition services and breastfeeding support for the Bladen County WIC program. This is achieved by conducting nutrition and/or breastfeeding assessments, reviewing client data, monitoring client’s ongoing condition/response to care, providing nutrition education, completing food prescriptions, completing referrals to health care and public assistance programs, and coordinating breastfeeding services. In accordance with the nursing care plan, the employee will use critical thinking skills in problem solving and decision making processes.

Further, the employee will be responsible for identifying client’s needs, developing a plan of care, evaluating the outcome, recording all communications and aspects of nursing care, and collaborating with the medical provider and other services to support client’s care.

• Provides direct nutritional services to patients with complex nutritional needs resulting from high risk and a limited number of clients who may have chronic medical conditions, such as women with diabetes, hypertension, substance abuse, obesity, anemia, and clinical risks suggestive of IUGR and gestational diabetes in the prenatal patient; infants with birth weight less than 1500 grams, gestational age less than 32 weeks, bronchopulmonary dysphasia, hypoglycemia, hyperbilirubinemia, neonatal seizures, congenital anomalies affecting feeding, CNS infection/trauma, congenitally acquired infection;
  
  children with developmental delay/disability, behavioral disorder, chronic illness, failure to thrive, genetic disorder, substantiated abuse/neglect, and neuromotor disorder; women, infants, and children with clinical risks, such as growth failure, anemia, obesity, and lead poisoning.
• Receives referrals on WIC patients with the above conditions from Maternity Clinic, Child Health Clinic, Maternity Care Coordinators, Child Service Coordination and other health providers. Receives referrals on non-WIC patients as time allows.
• Completes nutrition assessment and examines food preferences.
• Conducts interviews to obtain health and professional information and obtains data from medical records.
• Develops patient care plans specific as they relate to the patient’s needs and condition.
• Counsels concerning therapeutic diets, nutrition principles and modification of dietary habits.
• Counsels concerning breastfeeding promotion, education and support.
• Communicates with other local agencies and resources, physicians, and Medical Centers to ensure that all of the patient's needs are met and makes necessary referrals based on needs assessed.
• Plans and implements the WIC Nutrition Education program with other on‑going nutrition education programs.
• Evaluates the nutritional status of WIC applicants to determine eligibility for WIC services by:
• Interpretation of the following anthropometric data:
  Height, Weight, Length and BMI; assessment of the following biochemical and clinical data:
  Hematocrit/Hemoglobin/Anemia profile, Blood Pressure, Urine, Blood Sugar/GTT, Sickle Cell, Newborn Screening, Blood Lead, History and Physical Assessment.
• Obtaining and assessing dietary information which may consist of any of the following:
• 24 Hour Recall, Food Frequency, 1 – 7 Day Food Record
• Provides initial counseling at certification to participants in nutrition appropriate to the needs determined by evaluation.
• Provides follow‑up assessment and counseling to participants between certifications and at re‑certifications.
• Prescribes appropriate food packages to WIC participants tailored to individual needs.
• Documents all entries in patient's medical record.

• Providing breastfeeding education/counseling and support for participants through a wide variety of activities (i.e., counseling participants, offering breastfeeding classes, maintaining supplies of client education materials, establishing referral systems among the appropriate health care providers, coordinating with the breastfeeding peer counselor program).
• Establishing, building and maintaining collaborative partnerships for breastfeeding promotion and support with community health care providers/systems,…