Registered Dietitian PRN Days

Kindred Hospital Aurora is an all-private room, 37-bed long-term acute care hospital offering the same in-depth care you would receive in a traditional hospital, but for an extended recovery period. We partner with your physician and offer 24-hour clinical care seven days a week so you can start your journey to wellness. We are located in Aurora on the east side of the Denver metroplex at the junction of I-225 at 6th Avenue; specifically, on the 2nd floor of the Medical Center of Aurora North building. We are best known for our wound care program, successful pulmonary outcomes and ventilator patient management.

Job Summary

• Responsible for the planning and implementation of the nutrition care of the patients in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local standards and regulations, clinical guidelines, and policies and procedures
• Provides oversight in coordination with the Culinary Services Manager to ensure that safe and accurate food service is provided to the patients

Essential Functions 

Leadership 

• Completes annual competency testing and maintains professional growth and development to maintain registration and licensure/certification
• Performs job based on applicable federal, state, and local regulations, company policies and procedures and evidenced based clinical guidelines
• Performs job within defined scope of practice
• Participates in the planning of the department budget
• Submits capital budget requests to the Controller/CFO
• Participates in developing and implementing policies and procedures related to nutritional care of the patient
• Participates in the hospital’s Performance Improvement program by conducting aggregating, trending and acting on data for key clinical nutrition indicators
• Annual QAPI department plan is developed with mandatory components. Monthly reports are taken to hospital committees as per facility policy
• Monitors quality assurance in the kitchen by ensuring quality measures are routinely done; spot checking logs for accuracy, ensures safe sanitary conditions in the kitchen by completing kitchen safety/sanitation audits and test tray audits per policy
• Participates in the survey process; instructs staff in matters of conduct and disclosure; always maintains a presence while surveyors are on site and directs the timely collection of information required by the survey team. Undertakes corrective action while survey is in progress if appropriate; works with other hospital departments to develop survey plan of correction as needed
• Services on various committees as required by company standards, regulations, and/or appointment by immediate supervisor

Direct Patient Care 

• Conducts initial and reassessments on all patients admitted to the hospital
• Ensure proper completion of documentation (assessments, care plans, education, discharge planning
• Prescribes nutrition therapy to meet estimated needs and monitors tolerance
• Provides ongoing reassessment to ensure optimal nutrition therapy is provided
• Participates with Interdisciplinary Team meetings to develop, implement, and monitor nutrition care plans
• Interviews patients, family members, legal representatives, and/or significant others, and staff to obtain diet history, food preferences, and other pertinent information needed to develop and/or update plan of care
• Advocates for patients to protect and promote patients’ rights and accommodate individual needs and cultural/religious preferences
• Involves the patient/family in planning objectives and goals for the patient
• Conducts nutrition education individually and in classes to patients, families, staff, and community as appropriate
• Conducts meal rounds to ensure that patients are receiving therapy that meets patient’s needs
• Coordinates with Culinary Service Manager to resolve patients’ concerns or dissatisfactions with diet or meal service

Menu Management (if Culinary Services Manager is not a Registered Dietitian, then RD provides the following oversight) 

• Monitors Culinary Services Manger’s oversight of the menu management process
• Reviews and approves all patient menus in the facility; must approve any substitutions provided to patients
• Reviews and approves all nutri