Registered Dietitian- Southfield bei PACE Southeast Michigan

The Registered Dietitian (RDN) is responsible for assessing the nutrition status and implementing appropriate interventions to ensure the needs of the participant are met.

• Reviews nutritional needs prior to enrollment into the program.
• Responsible for completing initial, semi-annual, and annual assessments. Participant comprehensive assessments may include evaluation of:
  
  • Diet recall
  • Current diet
  • Meal patterns
  • Assistance with meal preparation and grocery shopping
  • Anthropometric analysis
  • Weight monitoring
  • Appetite changes
  • Difficulty chewing and/or swallowing
  • Food allergies and preferences
  • Monitoring for food insecurity
  • Cultural and religious preferences
  • Past medical history
  • Evaluation of laboratory indicators
  • Need for nutritional supplements and/or frozen meals
  • Education follow up
• Reviews and determines appropriate therapeutic diets.
• Works and collaborates with participants and caregivers, as well as members of the Interdisciplinary Team in developing the participant’s plan of care.
• Evaluates participant’s motivation for changes towards positive outcomes. Implements individualized interventions and adjusts goals of care as needed.
• Supervises the participants in the Day Health Center to ensure that meals served are in compliance with the RDNs diet recommendations. Communicates changes in dietary needs to Interdisciplinary Team.
• Collaborates with Day Health Center Staff and other members of the Interdisciplinary Team in identifying participants with difficulty chewing and/or swallowing and refers to the appropriate team member for evaluation as needed.
• Counsels and educates participants and their caregivers to enhance the health and overall well-being of the participant.
• Organizes and maintains updated frozen meal and nutritional supplement lists.
• Approves and revises all cycle menus.
• Coordinates care with outside healthcare professionals.
• Maintains frequent contact and follow up with participants identified at high nutritional risk.
• Identifies clinical characteristics of malnutrition.
• Calculates nutritional needs and coordinates care with Home Infusion Company for participants receiving enteral nutritional support.
• Understands, complies with and promotes the Participant Bill of Rights and work to achieve high levels of participant satisfaction.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• A professional level of knowledge such as that required though the completion of a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition.
• Completion of dietetic internship or equivalent practicum, plus registration as a Dietitian by the Commission on Dietetic Registration.
• Must have (1) year of experience with aging adults.
• Participates in annual, mandatory, in-service training and screening, including but limited to: infection control, TB testing, safety training, and BLS training.
• Requires a professional level of analytical skills in order to analyze and solve problems and develop viable plans of interventions.
• The ability to establish and maintain interpersonal and interdepartmental relationships.
• The ability to apply principles of adult learning in planning and implementing educational activities; one-to-one teaching participants and family members at the center or at home, staff education formally or informally in settings such as in-services and group activities with higher functioning participants.
• Participates in and/or facilitates quality improvement projects resulting from data analysis.
• Ensures compliance to departmental and external standards in the provision of quality focused care by attendance at professional meetings/committees and review or national standards of practice.
• Participation in various committees as assigned.
• Must meet a standardized set of competencies before working independently.
• Must be medically cleared for communicable diseases and have all immunizations up-to-date before engaging in direct participant contact.

Working Conditions:

• Working conditions are variable with exposure to communicable disease, due to patient environment.
• Driving is required within PACE of Southeast catchment area, with possible exposure to extreme temperatures, including heat and cold.
• Frequent walking, bending, lifting of forty (40) pounds or more may be needed in the performance of duties.