Dietetic Specialist - Inpatient Clinical Nutrition

The Dietetic Specialist at MD Anderson Cancer Center is responsible for assisting the Registered Dietitian in providing direct nutrition care to cancer patients and ensuring compliance of patient menus with MDACC standards. They impact nutrition care for patients with a low to moderate nutrition risk.

Candidates must have either Dietetic Technician, Registered (DTR) or Certified Dietary Manager (CDM) to be considered for the position.

MD Anderson offers our employees:

• Paid employee medical benefits (zero premium) starting on first day for employees who work 30 or more hours per week

• Group Dental, Vision, Life, AD&D and Disability coverage

• Paid time off (PTO) and Extended Illness Bank (EIB) paid leave accruals

• Paid institutional holidays, wellness leave, childcare leave and other paid leave programs

• Tuition Assistance Program after six months of service

• Teachers Retirement System defined-benefit pension plan and two voluntary retirement plans

• Employer paid life, AD&D and an illness-related reduced salary pay program

• Health Savings Account and Dependent Care Reimbursement flexible spending accounts

• Fertility benefits

• State of Texas longevity pay

• Extensive wellness, recognition, fitness, employee health programs and employee resource groups.

The Clinical Nutrition department at MD Anderson consists of a team of registered dietitians and dietetic technicians that provide comprehensive nutrition care for our patients. The dietetic technicians assist with patient scheduling, general education, and food and drug interactions for primarily out-of-state patients while working remotely, and help with screenings for low acuity patients while working onsite. The inpatient team will cross-train with the outpatient team as well.

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is ranked the nation's top hospital for cancer care by U.S. News & World Report's "Best Hospitals." MD Anderson's mission is to eliminate cancer in Texas, the nation and the world through exceptional programs that integrate patient care, research and prevention. Our mission also includes education for undergraduate and graduate students, trainees, professionals, employees and the public.

JOB SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES:

Patient Care:

Accurately schedules patient appointments from patient appointment desk or the schedule orders work queue; also uses patient communication received via in-basket messaging for coordination of appointments. Communicates pertinent information regarding appointments, scheduling, and necessary preparations to patients, families, physicians, team members, and other patient care areas in person, by mail, by phone, by online applications, or by in-basket messaging. Schedules and coordinates patient appointments for the benefit of the patient, considering factors such as patient demographics, other scheduled appointments, patient preference, etc. Under the supervision of a Registered Dietitian, assists with screening patients, monitoring of low nutrition complexity patients. Communicates results of nutrition screening, diet order, and data collection for nutrition assessment to Registered Dietitian and meal service-related data of immediate concern to call center staff. Utilizes medical records and interviews with patient/family to collect food and nutrition intake information and reviews for factors that affect health conditions and nutritional risk. Evaluates information gathered, and follows up as assigned. Completes low complexity nutrition educations to both inpatient and ambulatory patients. Handles and processes a complex and varied series of documents and situations. Supports successful implementation of department-wide new tools, support, and operational models to improve access to care and employee workflow.

Development and Process Improvement:

Maintain high level of competency and professional development related to nutrition trends, research, policy, certifications, and standards of practice. Includes participation in staff development activities via formal and informal education. Provide supervised learning experiences for new employees, students, interns, and observers within the department. Lead or active participation in workgroups or institutional committee. Routinely attends meetings, completes assignments and turns in reports on time providing pertinent information to clinical team.

Professionalism:

Prioritizes tasks by importance and deadline. Discerns what is crucial from what is just urgent. Adjusts priorities as situations change. Focuses time and effort on key tasks. Easily transitions between tasks and picks up where left off when interrupted. Makes reasonable estimates of resource needs to achieve goals or complete projects. Uses sound methods to plan and track work, appointments, and commitments. Evaluates progress on tasks and adjusts work style as needed. Completes high volumes of work, keeping a rapid pace without sacrificing accuracy.

EDUCATION:

Required: Associate degree in Food, Nutrition, Health, Culinary Arts or related field.

EXPERIENCE:

Required: No experience required with required degree. May substitute required education degree with additional years of equivalent experience on a one to one basis.

LICENSE/CERTIFICATION:

Required: Must have one of the following to be considered:

• Dietetic Technician, Registered (DTR) from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)

• Certified Dietary Manager (CDM) from the Association of Nutrition and Food Professionals (ANFP).

It is the policy of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state or local laws unless such distinction is required by law. /mdanderson.org/about-us/legal-and-policy/legal-statements/eeo-affirmative-action.html

Additional Information

• Requisition ID: 171443

• Employment Status: Full-Time

• Employee Status: Regular

• Work Week: Days

• Minimum Salary: US Dollar (USD) 41,500

• Midpoint Salary: US Dollar (USD) 52,000

• Maximum Salary : US Dollar (USD) 62,500

• FLSA: non-exempt and eligible for overtime pay

• Fund Type: Hard

• Work Location: Onsite

• Pivotal Position: No

• Referral Bonus Available?: No

• Relocation Assistance Available?: No

• Science Jobs: No

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