Diet Technician Valley Health Services

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The primary purpose of the Diet Technician is to provide assistance to the Food Service Director and Dietitian in facilitating optimal nutritional care of all patients and residents. Assist the Dietitian in developing, implementing and evaluating the nutritional care plan of all patients and residents. Monitor food services to patients and residents for conformance with quality standards. Maintain effective communication and good rapport between all Dietary personnel and other departments within the facility.

Provides education and counseling on specific diets and general nutrition. Monitors nutrition status of patients and residents and communicates changes to dietitian.

• Receive dietary orders and requests from nursing through the use of Diet-o-grams
• Make all necessary changes, as requested, with the consultation of the Dietitian, if necessary
• Write therapeutic diets (i.e., diabetic, renal, etc.) using cycle menu with an awareness of parameters, i.e., diet, prescription, food preferences and nutritional balance
• Responsible for maintaining all nourishment lists and daily labels
• Responsible for inputting nourishment/meal information into the computer
• Write out Dietary meal tickets, as needed
• Obtain information as directed by the Dietitian in the patient/resident’s charts, using the prescribed format. This may include:
  • Confirmation of the patient/resident’s initial diet order and subsequent changes
  • Initial visitation of patient/resident and/or family upon admission
  • Summary if patient/resident’s diet history
  • Pertinent observations made by the technician
  • Summary of nutrition information and diet information given patient/resident, including: goals established, evidence of patient/resident’s/family’s understanding of the diet and probable compliance of diet instruction
• Evaluate foods served for compliance to quality standards and dietary prescriptions as necessary. This may include:
  • Checking the Dining Rooms for accuracy according to diet order and food preferences, as well as portion size
  • Making appropriate substitution on the tray line when necessary
  • Visit resident dining rooms during meal times, observing resident acceptance of food and appropriately reporting any observations to the Dietitian and/or Food Service Director, as necessary
• Provide nutrition information to the patient/resident and/or family, as needed. This may include:
  • Brief explanation of patient/resident’s diet order and its relationship to menu as served
  • Planning and instructing patient on diet, prior to discharge using established guidelines
  • Complete written transfer summary
• Communicate complete and accurate information to Dietitian and Dietary Staff to facilitate proper nutritional care
• Review all aspects of nutritional care for assigned patient/residents and document in medical record
• Completion of resident care plans and MDS 2.0 for assigned patient/residents
• Completion of patient/resident progress notes monthly or as needed
• Review patient/resident treatment books to monitor resident acceptance of meals, fluids and nourishments
• Assure that Diet orders are reflected on patient/resident meal tickets
• Attend and participates in multi-disciplinary team meetings
• Cooperate with and maintains close relationship with nursing service and all other disciplines for the benefit of total patient/resident care
• Is responsible for the total department operation in the absence of the Dietitian, Food…