DIETICIAN

Description

JOB DESCRIPTION

Dietitian

Scope: Responsible for guiding evidence based nutritional interventions as a functional aspect of Skyland Trail’s holistic wellness model and overall nutritional care to patients in treatment at adult campus and adolescent campus. The Dietitian works with the multidisciplinary team at adult and adolescent campuses, including primary care clinic, primary counselors, psychiatrists, medical director, adjunctive therapies, and other internal stakeholders to help guide nutritional assessment and dietary provisions at Skyland Trail. The Dietitian will develop and facilitate nutrition assessments, comprehensive nutrition assessments, as needed, eating disorder assessments, as needed and recommended, evidence based nutritional lesson plans, group work, and will help integrate nutritional and holistic care into the organization’s overall metabolic wellness program.

Duties:

• Performs nutritional assessments and follow-up as appropriate with patients.
• Identifies patients in need of additional nutrition education/support and meets with these patients at an appropriate interval throughout treatment to provide direct care and monitoring.
• Determines necessity and appropriateness of modified diets for patients with specific nutritional needs. Provides nutrition counseling for patients on modified diets.
• Communicates with appropriate patients, psychiatrists, primary care clinic providers and Sage Catering to coordinate and implement nutritional recommendations and/or dietary needs.
• Communicates with treatment teams via progress notes, team meetings, emails, phone consultations and scheduled meetings as needed.
• Documents work in a timely manner including nutrition assessments, individual sessions, group notes, communications, and other relevant information in the electronic health record.
• Advises organization on development of policies, procedures, SOP’s, and care standards relating to the delivery of patient care, nutritional care and recommendations as guided by medical leadership.
• Communicates and collaborates with community Eating Disorder Specialist, if needed. Coordinates care and follow through if a disordered eating assessment has been ordered and follows through to ensure that recommendations are addressed in a timely manner and the information is communicated to the patient, Primary Counselor and Psychiatrist.
• Identifies potential nutritional implications of medications, communicates this information to patients and medical providers, and documents same in patients' records.
• Leads group therapy sessions focused on health and wellness including nutrition, movement/yoga/exercise, metabolic wellness, management of symptoms of disordered eating, and others as determined assessing patients’ needs and in collaboration with the team.
• Completes quarterly patient Food Satisfaction Surveys and monthly meal audits as a part of Skyland Trail’s continuous quality improvement process.
• Communicates with Sage Catering Director about client feedback/reports for menu, food choices and client nutrition needs, as necessary and individualized plans.
• At adult campus active leadership and support with Healthy Challenge Program including tracking orders and medical clearance, informing and orienting clients to program, documenting progress, communicating and updating patient engagement during treatment team and collaborating with the patient’s treatment team to increase engagement when needed.
• Attends staff meetings as scheduled and requested.
• At adult campus awareness and oversight in the gym during client engagement, as an overall staff support to the moving parts of gym activity.
• Support the on-going as well as unplanned needs of group coverage, as available and needed.
• Other duties as assigned.
  
  

Reports To: Director of Adjunctive Therapies

Competencies: This position should have sufficient preparedness in the following areas:

• Nutrition assessment and counseling skills
• Therapeutic diet rationale, principles, normal nutrition education and menu planning
• Group, activity, and outing facilitation and documentation
• Safety across all relevant domains (food safety, campus safety, patient safety)
• Openness to change; forward thinking, flexibility
• Has a strong sense of urgency about solving problems and completing work
• Relates, communicates, and collaborates with internal and external partners
  
  

Qualifications

Qualifications:

• Minimum of Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition plus two years’ experience in clinical dietetics; Master degree preferred.
• Membership in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
• Registration with the Commission on Dietetic Registration
• Licensing by the Georgia Board of Licensed Dietitians
• Experience in working with adults and adolescents with mental health disorders