Job Description

Registered Dietitian

📍 Newark, NJ | 🕒 Full-Time (Day) | 💼 Dietary |

About the Role

The primary purpose of the Registered Dietitian position is to assess and intervene with Pediatric (birth to 18 years), Adult (19-64 years) and Geriatric (65-95+ years) clients, for nutritional risk and education requirements.

Responsibilities

What You’ll Do

Care provided is patient centered.

• Actively contributes to creating a friendly, welcoming and safe environment for UH customers. Communicates clearly to ensure understanding.
• Responds to complaints and concerns by resolving issues immediately whenever possible.
• Interacts with all members of the multidisciplinary team to ensure the plan of care is coordinated. Meets or exceeds patient/family expectations for service. Acts as a role model for Service Excellence. Maintains professional composure and confidence in the care setting.
• Works effectively with team to ensure customer service scores for work area meet/exceed targets. Demonstrates respect for patient rights and is committed to the uniqueness of the individual patient.

Nutrition Assessment

• Performs nutrition assessments in the time frame consistent with the N.J. State Health Code and/or policy and procedure for designated subunits, and triages clients into appropriate level of care to determine time frame for reassessment intervention and intensity of nutritional care provided.
• Documents all nutritional care provided to clients in the electronic medical record as outlined in the policy and procedure for designated subunits.
• Assesses nutrition status of patients by systematically collecting, recording, and interpreting relevant data from patients, clients, family members, and caregivers.
• Utilizes food-/nutrition-related history; anthropometric measurements; biochemical data, medical tests, and procedures; nutrition-focused physical findings; and client history to determine factors affecting nutrition and health status, and compares data to criteria, relevant norms, and standards for interpretation and decision making.

Nutrition Diagnosis

• Evaluates and monitors client’s progress consistent with policy and procedure and implements appropriate nutritional care collaboratively with primary care physician or designate. Attends and actively participates in interdisciplinary rounds and discharge planning.
• Finds patterns and relationships among the nutrition assessment data to identify a nutrition problem that can be resolved or improved through treatment/nutrition intervention.
• Utilizes standard nutrition diagnostic terminology to write a PES (problem, etiology, and signs/symptom) statement that describes the problem, its root cause, and the assessment data that provide evidence for the nutrition diagnosis.
• Performs Nutrition Focused Physical Examinations (NFPE) to assess and identify patients at risk of malnutrition, preventing malnutrition, and improving nutritional status.

Nutrition Intervention/Plan of Care

• Formulates a nutrition intervention plan based on the nutrition diagnosis and its etiology that prioritizes diagnoses based on urgency, impact, and available resources; utilizes evidence-based nutrition practice guidelines and other practice guidelines; coordinates care with other health care providers; and considers patients’/clients’ values and expected outcomes.
• Selects nutrition intervention strategies to affect nutritional intake, nutrition-related knowledge or behavior, environmental conditions, or access to supportive care and services.
• Confers and collaborates with patient/client/caregivers to implement and communicate the nutrition care plan.
• Monitors and measures outcomes by selecting nutrition care indicators that are relevant to the nutrition diagnosis and its etiology and signs and symptoms, as well as to the nutrition intervention, medical diagnosis, and quality management goals for nutrition, patient/client population, and disease state and/or severity.

Counseling and Education

• Provides nutrition counseling and education to patients, families and caregivers, and the community using evidence-based nutrition practice guidelines and appropriate instructional methods and tools. Assists in the education of nutrition and dietetics students and interns; plans learning experiences, teaches, and evaluates performance.

Documentation and Communication

• Enters specific diet orders for each patient in the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) as outlined in the policy “Registered Dietitian Order Writing Privileges” and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to meet the client’s nutritional needs for food, nutritional supplements, enteral nutrition, parenteral nutrition, vitamin and mineral supplements, and modular enhancements. Passes a competency test to be granted and/or maintain order writing privileges.
• Communicates and influences treatment interventions determined by the medical team through interdisciplinary meetings, rounds, medical conferences, and nutrition-related in-services; serves as a resource on nutrition issues.
• Communicates comprehensive knowledge and application of nutrition services and Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT).

Administrative

• Maintains productivity standards and practices effective time management and prioritizing of tasks. Submits primary unit reports monthly.
• Maintains professional competency, skills, and certifications required for professional practice.
• Manages resources (time, materials, and staff) in a cost-effective manner.
• Participates in the hiring, orientation, evaluating, and training of students, nutrition and dietetics technicians, and newly hired dietitians.
• Conducts in-services and educational presentations for hospital/department staff.
• Assists in developing and revising patient education materials, clinical forms, and protocols.
• Contributes to the development, implementation, and evaluation of standards of care and nutrition-related policies, procedures, and goals.
• Assists in the supervision of diet office personnel/procedures to ensure accurate processing of diet orders, diet changes, menu modification, and delivery of food and nutrition services.
• Participates in and/or initiates continuous quality improvement activities for nutrition care services.
• Understands and adheres to University Hospital’s compliance standards as they appear in University Hospital’s Compliance Policy, Code of Conduct and Conflicts of Interest Policy. Keep abreast of all pertinent federal, state and University Hospital regulations, laws, and policies as they presently exist and as they change or are modified.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

What You’ll Bring

Required:

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Dietetics, Nutrition, or a related field required; Graduate degree required for those seeking registration eligibility on or after January 1, 2024, in accordance with Commission on Dietetic Registration requirements. Must be registered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration or eligible to obtain registration within six (6) months of hire.
• The ideal candidate must demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work as part of a team to prioritize patient care. Excellent oral and written communications skills required.

What We Offer

• Vacation Time Off
• Medical & Prescription Drug Coverage
• Dental & Vision Insurance
• Health Savings Account (HSA) & Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Short- & Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Pension Plan
• Pet Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Professional Development

Compensation (NJ Job Transparency Law)

In compliance with New Jersey’s Pay Transparency Act, the hourly rate for this position is $71,728.00 - $102,903.00 annually.

University Hospital considers multiple factors when determining compensation, including (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s relevant work experience, education and training, key skills, internal equity, market data, and organizational needs.

About Us

University Hospital is one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers. As the principal teaching affiliate of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the only state-certified Level 1 Trauma Center in Northern New Jersey, University Hospital is training the next generation of physicians and advancing science to discovery while taking exceptional care of patients, regardless of their financial situation.

Apply Today

We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. If you want to grow your career in healthcare while serving a vibrant community, we’d love to meet you.