Dietician

JOB SUMMARY:
The Dietitian provides consultant services as they pertain to the clinical and therapeutic nutrition and hydration requirements of the resident in accordance with quality management, legislative requirements and the organization standards.
As a valued member of the team, the Dietitian demonstrates a commitment to the quality of resident care by providing services in accordance with the organization’s vision, mission and values.
RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Acts as the clinical nutrition expert for the home.
- Plans, organizes, directs and evaluates residents’ nutritional care in collaboration with the Director of Dietary Services (DDS)/Food Service Supervisor (FSS) and Executive Director/Administrator.
- Determines nutritional screening/profile requirements to identify residents at nutritional risk.
- Provides nutritional care including assessments, reassessments and develops
appropriate nutrition interventions in consultation with the interdisciplinary team.
- Develops nutritional care plans for residents on admission and reviews/updates the care plans on an ongoing basis.
- Consult in the development and implementation of policies and procedures relating to nutrition care, dietary services and hydration.
- Identification of risk related to nutrition care, dietary services and hydration.
- Documents on the Med-e-Care system.
- Completes RAI MDS annual Resident Assessment Protocols (RAPs), significant change RAPs and quarterly assessment RAPs for assigned residents, based on organizational parameters, and according to MDS schedule.
- Communicates with the DDS/FSS using the Organization’s Dietitian/Food Service
Supervisor communication tool.
- Participates in and makes recommendations at Multidisciplinary Care Conferences
(Reviews) as requested, by providing verbal or written input or by delegation to the
Director of Dietary Services (DDS)/Food Service Supervisor (FSS).
- Develops and conducts education programs for dietary and nursing team members conducting a minimum of two in-services per year for team members.
- Biannually, in conjunction with new menu implementation, reviews the Food
Committee menu changes for the home and signs off on home specific menu changes.
- Develops Therapeutic menus for Special diets not included in the Therapeutic menu extensions.
- Participates in the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee.
- Maintains confidentiality of all resident information.
- Meets once per month with the Executive Director/Administrator.
- Submits invoices on a pre-determined basis.
- Submits RD monthly risk report to Executive Director/Administrator and Director of Dietary Services.
- Evaluate the food and fluid intake of residents with identified risks related to nutrition and hydration.
- Completes a once per menu cycle review and approval by signature of the regular and therapeutic menus, including texture modification and snacks.
- Completes comprehensive nutrition/hydration assessments within 14 days admission and annually.
- Provide nutrition/dietary counseling or education for residents and/or their caregivers, family members or substitute decision makers for the purpose of supporting optimum resident nutrition care.
- Development of nutrition plans of care with individualized, realistic and measurable goals and interventions within 21 days of admission, upon change of status and annually.
- Reassessment of the effectiveness of goals and interventions for high risk individual residents at minimum quarterly and as indicated.
- Ensuring the accuracy of diet orders, food texture and fluid consistency in all
documentation, i.e. MARS, plan of care, point of service information, progress notes,
reports and consultations through specified audits.
- Provide input for interdisciplinary resident care conferences (participate as schedule allows).
- Participate on other appropriate interdisciplinary committees such as the Professional Advisory, Quality Management (continuous quality improvement), and Accreditation.
- Participate as a key member of the home’s Care Teams, such as Skin/Wound Care,
Bowel Management and Dysphagia Management, Restorative Care, Circle of Care
teams.
- Consult with other healthcare providers (e.g. speech-language pathologist, pharmacist, mhospital RD’s etc.), residents, care givers and family members as required.
- Plan for discharge, as appropriate.
- Provision of nutritional supplements, according to residents’ assessed needs.
- Oversee the nutrition component of the home’s enteral feeding program.
- Provide regular in-service education as requested and required for dietary and nursing staff and other multidisciplinary team members. Core in-service sessions that are considered annually includes:

- hydration
- feeding/dysphagia management
- pleasurable dining including flex breakfast/24 hour nutrition clock
- bowel management
- weight monitoring
- Monitor resident weights monthly and respond to needs as a result of notified changes.
- Provides the Foodservice Sup