Registered Dietitian - Per Diem

Kindred Hospital Los Angeles helps patients return to the lives they love. At our hospital, our physician-led care teams provide critically ill patients with the specialized acute care and rehabilitation they need, for the time they need it - empowering them to take the next step in their recovery journey. Located in Ladera Heights near Fox Hills Park, Blanco Park and Ladera Park, we are a short drive from restaurants and shops, as well as close to public transit.

Job Summary: The Dietitian is 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.  The dietitian, in collaboration with the Culinary Services Manager, ensures high quality nutrition care is provided to the patients through oral, enteral, and parenteral nutrition therapy.

 Essential Functions  

Leadership:

• Completes annual competency testing and maintains professional growth and development portfolio 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 clinical duties within the defined scope of practice
• Serves on various committees as required by company standards, regulations, and/or appointment by immediate supervisor
• Participates in developing and implementing policies and procedures related to nutrition care of the patient

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 the nutrition care plan
• Interviews patients, family members, legal representatives, and/or significant others to obtain diet history, food preferences, and other pertinent information needed to develop and/or update plan of care
• Advocates for patient 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 patients are receiving therapy that meets patients’ need
• Coordinates with culinary department 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):

• Provides oversight to the menu management process ensuring all aspects of the menu flow process is completed per policies and procedures
• Reviews and approves all patient menus in the facility; must approve any substitutions provided to patients
• Reviews and approves all nutritional data posted in the café
• Provides oversight for the transcription of diet orders in the department to ensure accuracy
• Ensures all patient snack orders are checked against the diet order and distributed to patients timely
• Provides training to all staff as needed on therapeutic diets, menu process, food allergens, or other related topics
• Is proficient in the operation of the menu management software

Quality Assurance / Performance Improvement:

• Participates in the hospital’s performance improvement program by conducting, aggregating, trending, and acting on data for key department indicators
• Annual QAPI department plan is developed with mandatory components
• Participates in quality assurance activities that ensure oral nutrition therapy is safe and accurate from the culinary department
• Monthly reports are taken to hospital committee as per facility policy
• Participates in the survey process; instructs staff in matters of conduct and disclosure; maintains a presence at all times while surveyors