Registered Dietitian

Job Summary To plan and conduct food service or nutritional programs to assist in the promotion of health and control of disease in accordance with medical nutrition care protocols. To counsel individuals or groups, conduct nutritional research, and/or provide program participant certification.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Knowledge of food, nutrition, and physical/ biological sciences. Knowledge of research methodologies, needs assessments, out-come-based research, scientific method, and quality improvement methods. Knowledge of the influence of age, growth, and normal development on nutritional requirements. Interpersonal and motivational skills. Ability to interpret basic statistics. Ability to calculate and interpret nutrient composition of foods.

Ability to calculate and/or define diets for specific health conditions.

Responsibilities Assess nutritional needs, diet restrictions, and current health plans to develop and implement dietary-care plans and provide nutritional counseling.

Assesses nutritional status, identifies nutrition problems, and formulates a comprehensive care plan according to patient needs including age, cognitive, social, and physical developmental stage, culture, severity of diseases, conditions of impairment or disability, and physical signs of malnutrition.

Determines nutrition goals and recommends comprehensive nutrition interventions to resolve or improve nutrition problems and achieve goals, including but not limited to: fluid, electrolyte, and glucose management, management of pharmacotherapy in relation to drug-nutrient interactions, supplements, enteral and parenteral formulas, equipment needed to deliver nutrition formulas, transitional feeding plans and post discharge nutrition care plans.

Confers with physicians and healthcare personnel to determine nutritional needs and diet restrictions of patient.

Educates patients and their families on nutritional principles, dietary plans and modification, and food selection and preparation; arranges for individual follow-up as needed.

Counsels individuals and groups on basic rules of good nutrition, healthy eating habits, and nutrition maintenance to improve their quality of life.

Certifies individuals for participation in programs such as women, infants, and children (WIC) and research programs as appropriate.

The duties listed are general in nature and are examples of the duties and responsibilities performed and are not meant to be construed as exclusive or all-inclusive. Management retains the right to add or change duties at any time.

Physical and Environmental Demands Requires constant exposure to biohazardous conditions such as risk of radiation exposure, blood borne pathogens, fumes or airborne particles, and/or toxic or caustic chemicals which mandate attention to safety considerations, occasional working hours significantly beyond regularly scheduled hours, occasional travelling to offsite locations, constant activities subject to significant volume changes of a seasonal/clinical nature, constant work produced subject to precise measures of quantity and quality, occasional bending, occasional lifting and carrying up to 25 pounds, occasional crouching/stooping, occasional driving, occasional kneeling, occasional pushing/pulling, occasional reaching, constant sitting, constant standing, frequent twisting, and constant walking. (occasional-up to 20%, frequent-from 21% to 50%, constant-51% or more)

Requirements Education & Experience Meet the requirements for registration as a registered dietitian (RD) by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).

Certifications, Licenses or Registration required: Mississippi licensure within the applicable time frame. Registered dietitian (RD) by the commission on dietetic registration (CDR) within the applicable time frame.