Responsibilities

• Provide quality nutritional care to patients such as the development, implementation and monitoring of Medical Nutrition Therapies.
• work collaboratively with the medical staff, patients, families and food service department to ensure the patients’ nutrition care plans are implemented and departmental standards are maintained.
• Perform nutritional assessments and re-assessments, identifying goals, recommending nutrition interventions, monitoring and evaluating patient progress.
• Develop and monitor enteral and/or parenteral nutrition support regimens.
• Work closely with the Speech Therapy Department to assist with the progression of textured modified diets to ensure patient safety and optimize oral intake.
• Clarify admission orders to ensure nutrition support, diet and oral supplement orders are consistent with the facility’s established nutrition support formulary and diet manual.
• Consider religious, cultural and ethnic factors in development of nutrition care plans.
• Review yearly updates and approves therapeutic diet manual annually. Educates clinical and food service staff on location of the Nutrition Care Manual. Maintains hard copy of simplified diet manual for downtime.
• Keeps current with nutritional practices and theories. Maintains current professional registration requirements (i.e., Professional Portfolio, self-development and continuing education). Demonstrates interest in continuing education, academics or specialized certification to further enhance professional skills.
• Evaluate potential food/drug interactions, and/or herb/supplement interactions.
• Attend interdisciplinary team meetings and communicating progress and special needs.
• Participate in developing, planning and standardizing menus.
• Perform meal rounds to ensure patients' meal trays are consistent with the prescribed diet and meet standards as to quality, quantity, temperature and appearance.