Dietitian (Clinical)

Summary

Employees in this assignment serve in a Dietitian position within the Nutrition & Food Service at the VA Medical Center in San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System (SFVAHCS). They are thoroughly knowledgeable of and responsible for planning, coordinating, and implementing food service technology as well as ensuring continuous evaluation and improvement within the service.

Duties

Major duties include but not limited to: The Integrative Health Dietitian serves as a clinical nutrition expert who collaborates with the Integrative Health (IH) team and the Interdisciplinary Pain Rehabilitation Program (IPRP) to provide evidence-based nutrition care. The Integrative Health Dietitian delivers direct patient care, providing nutrition assessments, counseling, education, and medical nutrition therapy using a patient-centered approach. Integrating Whole Health principles, lifestyle medicine, and personalized care planning, the dietitian empowers Veterans to achieve their health goals, strengthen self-care practices, improve resilience, and optimize overall well-being. Services are delivered across outpatient, group, telehealth, and virtual care settings through individual counseling and by facilitating dynamic, interactive group classes that incorporate cooking demonstrations, online nutrition resources, and utilization of community resources. Through advanced clinical nutrition expertise, motivational interviewing, health coaching, and integrative nutrition strategies, the dietitian promotes disease prevention, chronic disease management, and healthy lifestyle behaviors. Working collaboratively with interdisciplinary healthcare teams, the Integrative Health Dietitian supports the development, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of IH and IPRP nutrition programs. Responsibilities include outcome measurement, accreditation activities, and advancing VA strategic goals and performance measures while ensuring the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based nutrition services. - Assists with the management of VHA supported software programs and/or commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS) to support food operations and patient meal services. - Develops skills in food service technology for meal production, meal service and temperature control, working toward coordination and implementation of technology into the operation. - Uses available technology to enhance the work of all employees within NFS. - Manages VHA supported software programs and/or commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS) to support the effective management of food operations and patient meal services. - Enters and maintains ingredients, recipes, nutritional information and menus. - Oversees the technology used for meal production, meal service and temperature control. - Leads a menu committee. - Ensures recipes are standardized. - Costs out recipes and assures that they are within budgetary constraints. - Creates and revises menus, considering VA established guidelines, policy, patient preference, and religious and cultural considerations. - Completes nutrient analyses of regular and modified menus and ensures menus follow required diet guidelines. - Develops and maintains training and reference materials for the Nutrition Communication Center (NCC). - Manages productivity reports for the NCC. - Completes audits for the NCC, determining action plans when results require corrective measures. - Coordinates and supports downtime procedures for the NCC, ensuring procedures remain up to date. - Coordinates all aspects of training related to computer systems, menus and informatics for NFS employees. - Collaborates with the clinical nutrition section and leadership to ensure the enhancement of the Veterans dining experience. - Supports patient satisfaction within NFS. - Acts as a department Automated Data Processing Application Coordinator (ADPAC) between administration, food services, clinical staff, and the Office of Information Technology (Ol&T) regarding clinical information system processes. - Manages and updates the service SharePoint site. - May perform other related duties as assigned which are appropriate for this grade and assignment. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 99528-S, 99527-S, 99526-S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a). English Language Proficiency: Dietitians must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d). Registration: All applicants must hold the RDN credential from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing agency of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Note: Applicants who hold the RDN credential have met the education requirement (e.g. bachelor's degree or higher) of CDR, as such this occupation is considered professional and scientific with a positive education requirement and the procedures in Part I, Chapter 4 of this Handbook will be followed when applying Veteran's preference. Exception for Dietitians who do not possess the RDN credential. Non-credentialed Dietitians who meet the basic qualification requirements and have fulfilled the requirements below, but do not possess the RDN credential, may be given a temporary full-time appointment not to exceed one year under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2). Non-credentialed Dietitians must have fulfilled each of the following: Earned a bachelor's or higher degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college, university or foreign equivalent. Completed an ACEND® accredited experiential or supervised practice program and provide a verification statement from the program director that conveys eligibility to take the CDR registration exam as a prospective RDN. A list of ACEND® accredited programs is located on the ACEND® website or at ACEND Accredited Programs Directory. Foreign EducationTo be creditable, college and/or university degrees earned outside the U.S and its territories must be evaluated by ACEND® and meet ACEND®'s International Dietitian Education standards which are designed to provide graduates with the knowledge and competencies to sit for the CDR credentialing exam. Non-credentialed Dietitians may only be appointed at the GS-07 or GS-09 grade level and may not be promoted/converted until they obtain their RDN credential. Non-credentialed Dietitians must provide care under the supervision of a RDN at or above the full performance level. Temporary appointments of non-credentialed Dietitian will not be extended beyond one year or converted to a new temporary appointment. Failure to Obtain Registration. In all cases, Dietitians must actively pursue meeting registration requirements starting from their appointment date. At the time of appointment, servicing Human Resources (HR) staff in collaboration with the supervisor, will provide non-registered Dietitians the written requirement to obtain registration, the date by which they must acquire it and the consequences for not doing so by the deadline. Failure to obtain registration within one year from the date of appointment will result in removal from the Dietitian, GS-0630 occupation and may result in termination of employment. Loss of Credential In collaboration with HR Office staff, management officials must immediately relieve employees who fail to maintain the required registration/certification of duties and responsibilities associated with the occupation and/or assignment, which may also result in separation from employment. Grandfathering Provision Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate and legal placement on