Dietitian (Clinical)

Summary

The Battle Creek VA Medical Center is recruiting for an Dietitian (Clinical). The Dietitian (Clinical) will function under the Nutrition & Food Service.

This position will work in female/maternal health and provide Medical Nutrition therapy to women Veterans who receive care in the Women's Health Program at the VA.

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Overview

• Accepting applications

• Open & closing dates

06/27/2024 to 07/08/2024

• Salary

$49,025 - $94,317 per year

• Pay scale & grade

GS 00 - 11

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Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

• Battle Creek, MI 1 vacancy

• Remote job

No

• Telework eligible

No

• Travel Required

25% or less

• You may be expected to travel for this position.

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

• Appointment type

Permanent

• Work schedule

Full-time

• Service

Excepted

• Promotion potential

11

• Job family (Series)

0630 Dietitian And Nutritionist

• Supervisory status

No

• Security clearance

Not Required

• Drug test

No

• Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

• Trust determination process

Credentialing

Suitability/Fitness

• Announcement number

CBSR-12457944-24-JC

• Control number

797576700

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This job is open to

• Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to current/permanent employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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Duties

The major duties may include but are not limited to:

• Conducts comprehensive nutrition assessments using the Nutritional Care Process (NCP), including nutrition focused physical examinations, to establish a nutrition diagnosis and determine risk and/or degree of malnutrition.

• Develops and implements Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) to address the nutrition diagnosis, evaluates and monitors the effectiveness and outcomes of MNT interventions. Modifies the plan as needed to achieve positive patient outcomes.

• Calculates nutrient requirements and necessary diet restrictions or food and drug interactions tailoring the diet prescription to each individual patient.

• Documents MNT in the medical record using the Assessment, Diagnosis, Intervention, Monitoring, Evaluation (ADIME) format.

• Functions independently and accurately when record keeping.

• Identifies patients in need of nutritional support and recommends the appropriate mode of support and communicates appropriately with the health care team.

• Actively participates in formal and informal interdisciplinary team meetings.

• Assesses educational needs and provides nutrition education/counseling for individuals and groups that is tailored to the Veteran(s).

• Utilizes virtual care technology to improve access to care.

• Maintains productivity standards.

• Maintains accurate record keeping of daily clinical activities and completes patient encounters using approved systems.

• Ensures continuous improvement of safe and quality care of Veterans.

• Leads activities in the implementation of new initiatives. Uses data in the development of measures, data evaluation, and initiation of corrective actions.

• Complies with The Joint Commission requirements and other accrediting agency standards to ensure safe and quality patient care.

• Collaborates with the Food Operations Section and department leadership to enhance the Veterans' dining experience, support patient satisfaction, and serve as a liaison between clinical units and the Food Operations Section.

• May perform other related duties as assigned which are appropriate for this grade and assignment.

Work Schedule: 80 hours bi-weekly, Monday

• Friday, 8:00am

• 4:30pm

Telework: Ad-Hoc at service discretion

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: PD99531S, PD99530S, and PD99529S

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.

• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.

• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.

• You may be required to serve a probationary period.

• Subject to background/security investigation.

• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) or Registered Dietitian (RD) - Must be registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing branch of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics formerly known as the American Dietetic Association (ADA).

• Exception for GS-07 and GS-09 Only: Dietitians who do not possess the RDN/RD credential. Non-credentialed Dietitians who otherwise meet the basic qualification requirements and have fulfilled the requirements below, but do not possess the RDN credential, may be given a full-time temporary appointment not to exceed one year under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405(c)(2). May only be appointed at the GS-07 or GS-09 level and may not be promoted/converted until they obtain their RDN credential.

• Non-credentialed Dietitians must have fulfilled each of the following:

• Earned a bachelor's or higher degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university or foreign equivalent. Foreign Education: To be creditable, college and/or university degrees earned outside the U.S and its territories must be evaluated by ACEND and meet ACEND's International Dietitian Education standards which are designed to provide graduates with the knowledge and competencies to sit for the CDR credentialing exam. ~AND~

• Completed an ACEND accredited experiential or supervised practice program and provide a verification statement from the program director that conveys eligibility to take the CDR registration exam as a prospective RDN. A list of ACEND accredited programs are located on the ACEND website or at ACEND Accredited Programs Directory.

Current VHA Dietitians that qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision may not be promoted to a higher grade if they do not meet the current RDN/RD requirements.

Grade Determinations: To qualify for the GS-07 grade level, Entry-level. Examples of experience include knowledge of basic food production and service for various populations which incorporates. Ability to provide nutrition care utilizing the Nutrition Care Process (NCP) to patients and family. Basic knowledge of, and ability to use, current information technology operations, software. Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing with patients, family and/or caregiver, and other professional healthcare providers (e.g., tailoring to audience and use of medical terminology).

To qualify for the GS-09 grade level, you must have at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. Examples of experience include meeting the above listed GS-07 knowledge, skills and abilities and assignment.

OR have education equivalent to 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education, or master's degree from an accredited university or college in the field of dietetics or closely related field.

Note: If you are using education to qualify, please provide copies of transcripts in application packet to be considered.

In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Ability to plan and organize work of considerable difficulty and responsibility, under general supervision.

• Knowledge of various food preparation and delivery systems within a healthcare environment.

• Knowledge of educational concepts, methods, training materials, and resources and the ability to develop and conduct education and training programs for NFS employees.

• Ability to participate in research studies and conduct performance improvement studies and document findings to evaluate staff, food, supplies, equipment, and service, in order to improve the efficiency of the operation.

• Knowledge of the principles and practices of clinical dietetics including NCP and MNT in order to plan, develop, and coordinate nutrition interventions, including enteral and parenteral nutrition, interdisciplinary care plans, and nutrition education activities that promote Veteran health, wellness and lifestyle management.

To qualify for the GS-11 grade level, you must have at least 1 year of experience as a registered dietitian equivalent to the next lower grade level. Examples of experience include meeting the above listed GS-09 knowledge, skills and abilities and assignment.

OR have education equivalent to 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education, or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited university or college in the field of dietetics or closely related field.

Note: If you are using education to qualify, please provide copies of transcripts in application packet to be considered.

In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of best practices in the dietetics profession and in scientific literature, including knowledge of research methods, study design, data collection, interpretation of findings, and translation of results into nutrition practice.

• Ability to comply with various accrediting, regulatory, and agency authorities.

• Ability to develop and maintain a system of internal reviews and direct quality control and performance improvement studies.

• Knowledge of computer software programs relative to food service systems.

Preferred Experience: This position will work in female/maternal health and provide Medical Nutrition therapy to women Veterans who receive care in the Women's Health Program at the VA.

This dietitian will work collaboratively with the Women's Health clinical team including APN, RNs, Social Worker and PharmD and will utilize the Nutrition Care Process to provide quality care to female patients requiring specialized nutrition support including pre/postnatal care, pre/postmenopausal care, geriatric and at times infant education advice and recommendations along with overall general health and nutrition, diabetes care and weight management. Group and individual education will be provided. Groups to include but not limited to MOVE! weight management and Healthy Teaching Kitchen programming.

Experience in Gestational Diabetes beneficial.

This position may at times assist with the coverage of the outpatient dietitian team in situations where additional assistance is needed.

This position is not posted as a remote/virtual opportunity as warm handoffs of Veterans being seen in the clinic will be expected. This may be discussed at a later date. Some travel may be expected due to coverage at more than one clinic. Government transportation is available

References: VA Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G20

Physical Requirements:

• Light lifting, under 15 pounds

• Light carrying, under 15 pounds

• Walking ( 4 hours)

• Standing ( 6 hours)

• Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4

• Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other

• Hearing (aid may be permitted)

• Emotional and Mental Stability

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

ACEND accredited programs are located on the ACEND website or at ACEND Accredited Programs Directory.

Additional information

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

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• Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window

Learn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.