Clinical Dietetic Technician- Morristown Medical Center

Job Description Patient Care

• Completes and documents nutrition screening within 24 hours of inpatient admission according to facility/state/accreditation requirements.
• Using medical record and interview with patient/family collects food and nutrition intake information (e.g., current and previous diets, nutrition support, meal and snack patterns, medical food/nutritional supplements, typical foods and beverages, cultural and religious preferences, and food allergies and intolerances), and reviews for factors that affect health conditions and nutritional risk.
• Obtains medical, anthropometric, biochemical, and medical test data and compares to standards provided by the RDN.
• Documents nutrition-related data, patient/family interactions in electronic medical record, and food and nutrition documentation system according to procedure.
• Communicates results of nutrition screening, diet order, and data collection for nutrition assessment to RDN; and meal service-related data of immediate concern to diet office staff.
• Communicates with nursing or other staff as needed to obtain or clarify information to inform nutrition assessment to report to RDN.

• Communicates with RDN about discussions with patient/family and observed changes in patient’s status that may influence the nutrition intervention/plan of care.
• Contributes to and implements nutrition intervention/plan of care developed by the RDN.
• Reviews plan of care with resident/family, nursing staff, addressing, or referring any concerns to the RDN as need.
• Provides nutrition education per plan of care to help patient voluntarily manage or modify food choices and eating behavior to maintain or improve health.
• Plans between-meal nourishments according to patient’s diet and food preferences.

• Utilizes techniques that consider the varied needs of age-specific populations as well as cultural, religious, and ethnic concerns.
• Evaluates food and intake from all sources.
• Compares current data findings with previous status, intervention goals, and/or reference standards for evaluation of outcomes.
• Documents progress toward nutrition goals, factors/barriers impacting progress, change in patient’s/family’s level of understand and food-related behaviors, and relevant biochemical, anthropometric, meal intake data.
• Communicates with RDN regarding monitoring and evaluation activities, and with the RDN, modifies the plan of care as needed.

• Works cooperatively with patient food service staff to ensure conformance with diet order, patient preferences, and other applicable components of the nutrition prescription.
• Participates in supervised practice experiences for nutrition and dietetics students/interns, other disciplines when requested, and helps orient new patient food service employees.

• Conducts patient round to assess adequacy of nutrition intake and patient satisfaction with meals and meal service.
• Monitors and verifies changes in diet orders.

• Verify faxed/printed order matches order in EPIC. Confirm any order changes with nursing and RDN prior to preparation.
• Prepare and distribute formulas through proper food safety and infection prevention handling procedures.

• Demonstrates accountability for the proper use of patients’ protected health information by following regulatory requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1966.
• Assists in achieving compliance with the Joint Commission, Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP), or other accrediting agency standards to continuously improve the safety and quality of…