Dietitian I/II - San Mateo Medical Center -Extra Help (Open)

San Mateo County Health is currently seeking a Dietitian I/II– Extra Help for San Mateo Medical Center's (SMMC) Main Campus in San Mateo and outlying clinics across the County.
 
This is an Extra Help, Part-Time (0.5 FTE) position, and will be primarily for the coverage of shifts in the absence of regularly scheduled dietitians and during high volume periods. The work hours and days may vary based on operational needs. The work locations will include SMMC Main Campus and other County clinics.
 
In the outpatient setting, the incumbents will work collaboratively with a team of caregivers (including physicians, nurses, and other dietitians) to provide excellent care to both adult and pediatric patients. Nutrition-related counseling can be expected to occur in the individual and group setting.
 
In the inpatient setting, the incumbents will work collaboratively with a team of dietitians to provide excellent patient care to both acute and skilled nursing patients; assess nutrition status; and develop and act on care plans.
 
Dietitians will be responsible for the planning of special/therapeutic diets for patients, conferring with medical staff about patients' nutrition needs, and documenting in the medical record. The dietitians also monitor patient acceptance of diet; educate patients on appropriate diets; and initiate and complete appropriate Quality Assurance reports that are both clinical and operational in nature.
 
The ideal candidate will have a minimum of one year of recent experience working with patients with multiple diseases and diagnoses including diabetes is preferred but not required; a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) preferred but not required; have experience in an ethnically diverse client population; Spanish Speaking is preferred, but not required. Additionally, desirable qualifications include knowledge of and experience in Title 22 Long-term Care facilities, as well as involvement in Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Joint Committee on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations surveys.
 
Dietitian I ($50.01 - $62.51 Hourly) is the journey level, fully experienced level in the series, providing a full range of nutrition needs assessment, nutrition education, and dietetic consultation services to individuals and/or communities. Incumbents at this level develop nutrition standards and protocols, perform community advocacy. Incumbents at this level may advance to Dietitian II after one year of satisfactory performance of clinical dietitian work utilizing MNT.

Dietitian II ($52.85 - $66.10 Hourly) practices Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) and provides a full range of clinical dietetic duties as listed below. This level is distinguished from the Dietitian I in that incumbents at this level perform significant and ongoing responsibility for implementing, coordinating, and evaluating medical nutrition therapy for hospital inpatients and outpatients.

NOTE: This is an extra-help, at-will assignment, paid on an hourly basis. Extra-help hours are dependent on the business needs of the department and therefore work hours may vary from week to week. Extra help employees shall not exceed 1,040 hours of work per fiscal year. Some extra help positions are eligible for benefits under the Affordable Care Act. Extra help employees are not guaranteed permanent status at the end of the assignment.Duties for all options may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Perform nutritional assessments using anthropometric, biochemical, clinical and dietary data.
• Provide counseling regarding diet changes, diet history, and nutritional care plans.
• Utilize dietary guidelines to develop and/or modify menus and recipes and ensure quality standards.
• Speak to community groups on nutrition.
• Participate in the acquisition and/or development of nutrition education materials.
• Participate in development of nutrition standards and protocols.
• Provide technical consultation and training to County staff and staff of community agencies.
• Serve on committees as assigned.
• May supervise health support staff.
• Identify nutritional risk and diet priority.
• Develop nutritional care plan for all clients and counsel clients utilizing plan.
• Develop special care plans for high risk clients.
• Appropriately refer clients to available support resources such as health services, emergency food, substance abuse programs, Children's Protective Services, family planning; document referrals made.
• Complete documentation of nutritional risk and interventions on program forms.
• Participate in development and implementation of annual nutrition education plan.
• Participate in planning and implementation of training program for paraprofessional staff.
• Conduct computerized nutrient analyses of recipes/menus for restaurants, caterers, etc.
• Meet the requirements of the standards set forth in Section H of the Title III Nutrition Program regulations, California State Department of Aging.
• Select, train, evaluate, and discipline drivers for the Senior Nutrition Program.
• Revise and review senior menu with chef and kitchen employees monthly; plan special events calendar each year with accompanying appropriate menus.
• Provide nutrition education to senior congregate sites quarterly with individualized topics that fulfill participants' requirements.
• On a quarterly basis provide in-service training to site volunteers and food handlers; driver training for Meals on Wheels drivers; serve as resource for and meet with other provider dietitians; and site manager training meetings to orient, train and keep site managers apprised of current events in the program.
• Provides multiple personal consultations per year to Meals on Wheels program participants.
• Attend nutritional commissions, committees, coalitions, and other related meetings.
• Provides technical assistance on nutrition issues and reviews nutrition program proposals and contracts.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Dietitian II also performs the following duties:

• Identify patients with nutritional issues associated with various disease and risk factors.
• Identify patients at risk for malnutrition in the hospital setting.
• Perform initial and follow up nutritional assessments of patients.
• Develop & provide Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) for patients with acute and chronic conditions.
• Evaluate patient responses to MNT treatment plans and recommend appropriate actions to help improve medical conditions by tracking weight gains and losses, calculating dietary requirements, monitor laboratory data and direct observation.
• Collaborate with the interdisciplinary team to optimize nutrition care.
• Provide appropriate nutrition education in outpatient and inpatient settings.
• Precept and supervise dietetic interns.
• Conduct in service training classes for department, physicians, residents and other health care professional; provide technical assistance to physicians, community groups, schools, private and public agencies on dietetic principles, safety and sanitation.
• Conduct PHQ9 Depression Screens.
• Conduct Nutrition Focused Physical Exam (NFPE) for hospitalized patients.
• Assist in the development of nutrition education material.  
• Participate in the development of nutrition standards & protocols.
• Recommend enteral/parenteral feeding modalities to optimize nutrition, confer with MD, pharmacist to optimize nutrition on a daily basis.
• Perform in quality assurance and improvement projects.
• Assess nutrition adequacy of menus.
• Maintain patient records in compliance with JCAHO & CMS Guidelines & Regulations.
• Complete Minimum Data Sheets (MDS) with Title 22.
• Make appropriate referrals to interdisciplinary team.
• Provide tele-health visits as needed.

Knowledge of:

• Special diet recipes and preparation methods.
• Menu planning for individuals and groups.
• Food safety, hospital kitchen sanitation practices, procedures and equipment.
• Food composition and how various factors (e.g., food processing) can alter its composition.
• Current principles of medical nutrition therapy in health and disease.
• State and Federal laws and regulations affecting dietetic and food service practices.     
• Nutritional needs throughout the life cycle (neonatal, infancy, pediatrics, adults and geriatrics) and general influences of socioeconomic, cultural and psychological factors on food and nutritional behavior.
• Principles, methods and techniques of education and counseling.
• Common office software, including word processing, spreadsheets, power point, electronic   medical record databases, diet software systems.
• Nutrition education interventions appropriate to diverse individuals and groups.
• Community nutrition resources.
• Food patterns, practices and beliefs of diverse cultural-ethnic groups.
• Dietary guidelines for health promotion and disease prevention.
• Methods of planning nutritional, appetizing and economical meals for large groups.
• Principles and practices of supervision and training.
• Nutrition education and counseling.
• Ability to develop, implement and maintain program improvements.

Additional knowledge requirements for Dietitian II:

• Principles, methods and techniques of nutritional assessment and care planning, including nutrient composition of foods, pathologies of disease and impact on biochemical laboratory values and anthropometrics measurements, drug-nutrient interactions and the effect of MNT.
• Concepts of research and methodology, including design, statistical methods of collecting and analyzing data.
• Special diets requirements of the different types of patients in a general hospital.
• Require to have up to date knowledge on MNT, IDDSI Guidelines (dysphagia guidelines) to assist patients with safe practices in the inpatient and outpatient setting.
• Continuous Quality Improvement Processes.
• Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare organizations (JCAHO) standards affecting dietetic and food services practices.

Skill/Ability to:

• Demonstrate understanding of multiple system organ failure, necrotizing enterocolitis, critical illness in the morbidly obese, diabetes, failure to thrive, malnutrition and other disease states.
• Provide food production oversight in the absence of the supervisor or manager.
• Interpret and apply evidenced-based scientific research outcomes in provision of nutrition care.
• Consult with other professional staff regarding the relationship between nutrition and specific medical/ physical conditions and medications.
• Assess nutritional risk and plan special diets as needed.
• Design, use and evaluate nutrition education methods and materials.
• Instruct employees and others concerning dietary matters.
• Prepare and maintain clear and concise records and reports, and operate computer systems and databases.
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with individuals of diverse, cultural, ethnic, and educational backgrounds.
• Maintain effective relationship with employees and patients.
• Supervise, instruct, train and provide leadership to others.
• Plan and present nutrition training and classes.

Education and Experience:
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying.  A typical way to qualify is:


Licensure/Certification:

• Must be a Registered Dietitian or eligible for registration as a Dietitian through the Commission of Dietetic Registration (CDR) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.  Full registration must be achieved within 3 months following date of employment. Registered Dietitians are required to maintain certification through continuing education requirements of CDR.

If you are interested in being considered for this extra-help position, the following materials must be electronically submitted in a Word or PDF format.

- Cover letter
- Resume
- Responses to the following questions:



Please include the words "Dietitian I/II - San Mateo Medical Center - Extra Help (Open)" in the subject line of email submission. Please submit the required materials electronically via email to:
Application materials will be reviewed as they are received, and well-qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Apply immediately. Application materials will be accepted until positions are filled. This posting is open on a continuous basis and selection may be made at any time within the process.
 
NOTE: Application materials are only accepted via e-mail. Materials sent via regular mail and/or fax will not be accepted. 

About The County

San Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities.

The County of San Mateo is committed to advancing equity in order to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment. The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply. Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work.

The County of San Mateo is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels. 

Analyst: Debbie Kong (10142026) (Dietitian I/II- S023/S024)