Supervisory Dietitian (Clinical Nutrition)

Summary

The Supervisory Dietitian is responsible for carrying out the strategic and business aspects of the Clinical Nutrition section. They support the NFS goals in alignment with the broader medical center mission and coordinate section activities with other services and units in the facility, clinics, and local community. The Supervisory Dietitian is responsible for ensuring compliance with internal and external regulatory authorities.

Duties

Employees in this Supervisory Dietitian (Clinical Nutrition) assignment are the expert in clinical nutrition and oversees a complex Clinical Nutrition Section which involves providing administrative and technical supervision of GS12 Dietitians and the oversight of the work of clinical dietitians at the GS-11 level and below. The Supervisory Dietitian makes decisions based on intricate and unrelated information and assumptions from inconclusive or variable data in all aspects of nutrition operations. They are an essential part of the NFS executive leadership team. They provide professional and management support to the department and continuously strive to increase patient satisfaction and improve veteran experience. Provides clinical nutrition section specific leadership serving as professional and technical advisor to staff and other health care professionals. Has oversight over HR staffing, employee relations and labor relations in Clinical Nutrition section. Exercises a full range of supervisory and personnel management authorities and assumes full responsibility in planning, directing, and assessing work of subordinate staff. Establishes a training plan for the clinical section that is based on evidence-based nutrition. Develops and leads clinical nutrition operations. Establishes strategic goals and ensure priorities align with the strategic plan of the NFS department, VISN and national programs. Leads performance improvement efforts within Clinical Nutrition section, acting on quality improvement data and plans. Identifies and prioritizes problems, sets long and short-term goals, develops action plans and analyses data to evaluate progress to improve outcomes. Develops and updates policies and procedures and the establishment and oversight of a system for regulatory compliance. Solicits support and/or negotiate with facility managers to influence decision making and garner support to ensure clinical nutrition operations are a success. Collaborates closely with the supervisory dietitians to cover the work in all NFS and execute the activities of the department. May perform other related duties as assigned which are appropriate for this grade and assignment The incumbent works under the general supervision of the Supervisory Dietitian, Chief, Nutrition and Food Services, who establishes objectives and department priorities. The incumbent is expected to complete work assignments with relative independence and minimal guidance, personally setting the deadlines for work completions. They assume responsibility in work assignments in accordance with regulations and independently and resolves most conflicts by using considerable judgment and interpretation. Work is reviewed to ensure that overall objectives of the position are met Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00am-4:30pm, Work Schedule is subject to change based on agency need to work schedule. Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 99517-S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: 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. Dietitian candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Registration. 3 (1) 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). i 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 (refer to ii below). 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 Education. To 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. 4 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. Grandfathering Provision. Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and registration/certification, where applicable. Employees appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, either on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. The following provisions apply to employees who do not meet all the qualification requirements: Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to a lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or be newly placed in a supervisory or managerial position. Employees must meet the assignment-specific certification/education requirements to be placed in Dietitian (Advanced Level Practice) or Dietitian (Dietetic Internship Director) assignments. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or registration/certification that meet all the quali