Registered Dietitian

About the position

Under indirect supervision, plans, develops, and provides diet interventions, medical nutrition therapy and preventive counseling to individuals and groups in all areas of primary and specialty patient care. Collaborates and consults with other health professionals, integrating dietitian services with regional programs and departments that provide care to identified populations that can benefit from diet interventions. Makes members/patients and their needs a primary focus of one's actions; develops and sustains productive member/patient relationships. Actively seeks information to understand member/patient circumstances, problems, expectations, and needs. Builds rapport and cooperative relationship with members/patients. Considers how actions or plans will affect members; responds quickly to meet member/patient needs and resolves problems.

Responsibilities

• Complies with all Kaiser Permanente quality, safety, and emergency policies and procedures.
• Plans and provides diet interventions and Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) for patients/families referred for nutrition counseling.
• Assesses nutritional needs, eating habits, health status, and stage of change by reviewing the medical record, interviewing the patient/family, and observing the patient.
• Provides information for appropriate diet modification and individualized diet intervention relevant to the patient's condition and assessment.
• Incorporates preventive counseling into all patient encounters and assists patients to effectively integrate diet modifications into lifestyle.
• Evaluates comprehension of diet instruction and motivation to adhere to diet therapy.
• Follows up with patients/families to evaluate progress and adherence to diet therapy as appropriate or as indicated by guidelines for MNT.
• Documents all patient encounters, diet recommendations, patient goals, and response to diet intervention in the computerized medical record.
• Applies motivational interviewing techniques and stage of change model to all patient-related communications and materials.
• Speaks to groups for Practicing Prevention and Speakers Bureau, provides training for professional groups, and makes presentations to professionals and departments as needed.
• Serves as a resource or liaison to regional programs and departments, participating as a team member in multi-disciplinary program design, implementations, and ongoing service delivery.
• Plans, develops, implements, and participates in population-based strategies to provide Dietitian services to members at risk for disease or complications related to chronic illness.
• Develops, writes, and reviews written nutrition-related patient materials and participates in making these available for other providers and staff.
• Plans and implements QA studies related to Dietitian services to monitor quality and guide improvements in service delivery.
• Communicates to other departments and professionals in the organization on nutrition-related topics and develops and writes guidelines for Dietitian practice.
• Continually updates professional knowledge of nutrition and diet therapy to maintain a high standard of professional.

Requirements

• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) certification or equivalent.
• Experience in providing medical nutrition therapy and dietary counseling.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to build rapport with patients and healthcare professionals.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team environment.
• Knowledge of current nutrition research and dietary guidelines.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in a clinical setting or healthcare environment.
• Familiarity with electronic medical records and documentation standards.
• Bilingual skills to communicate with diverse patient populations.

Benefits

• Competitive salary range of $40.86 - $57.89 per hour.
• Potential for additional wage premiums as governed by the collective bargaining agreement.