Duties

Summary

The Clinical Dietitian is responsible for independently planning, developing and directing all nutritional care standards, providing nutritional education for patients, the patient's family and the community.

This position is located at the VA Charlotte Hall Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in Saint Mary's County, MD.

If you are a current federal employee, please apply to Vacancy 10915301.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

Duties may consist of, but are not limited to:

• The Clinical Dietitian is the medical nutrition expert responsible for independently planning, developing and directing all nutritional care activities for assigned clients, including those with complex medical and nutritional needs.
• Provides nutrition support and education to patients and support the facility's mission of coordinated clinical nutrition care with other health care providers, the client, the client's family, and the community;
• Provides expertise in nutrition diagnoses, physical nutrition assessment, food/drug interactions, drug/nutrient depletion, establishment of nutritional goals, and implementing nutrition interventions for a wide range of nutritional disease entities;
• Evaluates nutrition assessments, review and interpret pertinent diagnostic and treatment data, and develop, implement, and monitor the nutrition care plan;
• Reviews and calculates modified diets to meet the special dietary needs of those patients requiring nutrition intervention;
• Conducts a comprehensive nutrition assessment for patients at nutritional risk;
• Develops and implements a plan of care for medical nutrition therapy n accordance with the patient's medical program goals and objectives;
• Asses educational needs and provides nutrition counseling for individuals and groups;
• Serves as the nutrition expert on the interdisciplinary treatment team;
• Responsible for keeping up to date with scientific development of various disease state and evidence based therapeutic intervention;
• May assist with the education of dietetic students and/or interns as needed;
• Responsible for Administrative aspects such as: Managing resources; Revising Patient Education Materials; Compliance and Regulatory Standards; Orientation and Training of new dietitians as needed.

Work Schedule: Negotiable, 8 hours per day; 5 days per week; Rotating weekends and holidays for coverage at the Medical Center in DC.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
None

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Basic Requirements:

Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Education: A bachelor's degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university or foreign equivalent and completion of a didactic program in dietetics accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), formerly known as the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetic Education (CADE). Supervised Practice: Completion of a post-baccalaureate degree ACEND accredited or approved supervised practice program. Registration/Certification: You must be registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), the credentialing branch of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics formerly known as the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Basic knowledge of principles and practices of dietetics and Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT). English Language Proficiency: You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d).

Grade Determinations: In addition to meeting the above stated minimum qualification requirements, applicants at the GS-11 grade level must also meet the Full Performance Level Requirements below:

GS-11 Dietitian (Full Performance Level)
(a) Experience or Education. At least 1 year of experience as a registered dietitian equivalent to the next lower grade level, or education equivalent to 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education, or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited university or college in the field of dietetics or closely related field.
(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
1. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
a. Knowledge of best practices in the dietetics profession and in scientific literature, including knowledge of research methods, study design, data collection, interpretation of findings, and translation of results into nutrition practice.
b. Ability to comply with various accrediting, regulatory, and agency authorities.
c. Ability to develop and maintain a system of internal reviews and direct quality control and performance improvement studies.
d. Knowledge of computer software programs relative to food service systems.
In addition to the KSAs identified in subparagraph 1 above, candidates for clinical nutrition positions must demonstrate the following KSAs:
a. Knowledge of the principles and practices of nutrition care and the treatment of complex cases in clinical settings in order to develop, implement and coordinate best practices in the dietetics profession (e.g. assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation).
b. Knowledge of best practices in areas of clinical nutrition and the ability to apply nutrition interventions to patients with multiple co-morbidities.
c. Ability to act as a consultant for health care providers including registered dietetic technicians, dietetic interns, nurses, physicians, medical students, and allied health professionals.

References: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005/15, Part II, Appendix G20, Dietitian Qualifications. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11.

Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary and typically the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as papers, books, food trays.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ . If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Learn more

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, résumé, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

NOTE: The Professional Standards Board (a peer-review group) will review the selected candidate's education and experience and recommend the grade and salary at which the candidate will be placed. For internal selectees eligible for promotion, the board will recommend grade and HR will determine step in accordance with policy.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Credentialing , Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)
• Resume
• Transcript

VA Form 10-2850c Application for Associated Health Occupations can be found at: http://www.va.gov/vaforms/search_action.asp?FormNo=2850&tkey=&Action=Search . (Not required to submit with your application)

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• VA Form 10-2850c, Application for Associated Health Occupations
• Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)
• Resume
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx .

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.