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Summary The Clinical Dietician 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 supporting the facility's mission and coordinates nutritional care with other health care providers, the client, the client's family, and the community. The catchment area is 60 miles from the SF CBOC. You will have access to a government vehicle for home visits. Responsibilities Performs nutritional assessment in newly admitted HBPC patients to identify patients at nutritional risk, to obtain pertinent information on eating patterns, economic situation, cultural background, compliance/comprehension of previous diets and other factors influencing nutrient intake and food tolerances/preferences and preparation. Evaluates nutritional assessments, reviews and interprets pertinent diagnostic and treatment data, and develops, implements, and monitors the nutrition care plan through the physician. Initiates laboratory tests to more accurately assess nutritional status. Monitor laboratory values closely and recommends appropriate changes in diet prescriptions to the physician. Develops and implements an individualized plan for medical nutrition therapy in accordance with the patient's medical program goals and objectives. Accurately obtains and interprets medical information pertinent to the patient's nutritional care to determine risk, assess nutritional status and develop individual specialized care plans to simultaneously address several disease processes. Calculates nutritional requirements (calories, protein, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, electrolytes, fluid) and necessary diet restrictions or food/drug interactions. Diet prescribed is tailored to each individual client according to physical and metabolic needs. Designs the nutritional treatment plan with consideration for psychosocial, behavioral, ethnic and cultural factors to obtain desirable outcomes and promote long term adherence to a medical nutritional care plan. Formulates therapeutic plans for specialized nutrition support, including enteral nutrition. Identifies patients in need of nutrition support and recommends the appropriate mode of nutrition support, including suitable route, formula and rate of administration. Provides initial and on-going nutritional assessments of receiving central nutrition. Utilizes assessment and evaluation techniques that consider age-specific needs as well as cultural, religious, and ethnic concerns. Orders labs, diets and consults per Scope of Practice/Clinical privileges. Evaluates and monitors the effectiveness and outcome of medical nutrition therapy interventions. Evaluates the patient's response to care based on identified, measurable outcomes and reviews the plan as appropriate. Assesses the adequacy of the caregiver's capacity to prepare recommended meals. Documents nutrition care plan in the patient's medical record, including nutrition assessment data, medical nutrition therapy initiated and recommendation's, results of nutrition counseling and discharge planning from HBPC. Documentation supports and interdisciplinary approach and continuity of care. Advises HBPC patients and caregivers of community nutritional services available. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 08:00 AM - 04:30 PM Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Qualifications Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Registration: All applicants must hold the RDN credential from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing agency of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Exception for Dietitians who do not possess the RDN credential. Non-credentialed Dietitians who meet the basic qualification requirements and have fulfilled the requirements below, but do not possess the RDN credential, may be given a temporary full-time appointment not to exceed one year under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2). Non-credentialed Dietitians must have fulfilled each of the following: Earned a bachelor's or higher degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college, university or foreign equivalent (refer to ii below). Completed an ACEND® accredited experiential or supervised practice program and provide a verification statement from the program director that conveys eligibility to take the CDR registration exam as a prospective RDN. A list of ACEND® accredited programs is located on the ACEND® website or at ACEND Accredited Programs Directory. Foreign Education. To be creditable, college and/or university degrees earned outside the U.S and its territories must be evaluated by ACEND® and meet ACEND®'s International Dietitian Education standards which are designed to provide graduates with the knowledge and competencies to sit for the CDR credentialing exam. Non-credentialed Dietitians may only be appointed at the GS-07 or GS-09 grade level and may not be promoted/converted until they obtain their RDN credential. Non-credentialed Dietitians must provide care under the supervision of a RDN at or above the full performance level. Temporary appointments of non-credentialed Dietitian will not be extended beyond one year or converted to a new temporary appointment. Failure to Obtain Registration. In all cases, Dietitians must actively pursue meeting registration requirements starting from their appointment date. At the time of appointment, servicing Human Resources (HR) staff in collaboration with the supervisor, will provide non-registered Dietitians the written requirement to obtain registration, the date by which they must acquire it and the consequences for not doing so by the deadline. Failure to obtain registration within one year from the date of appointment will result in removal from the Dietitian, GS-0630 occupation and may result in termination of employment. Current VHA Dietitians that qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision may not be promoted to a higher grade if they do not meet the current RDN/RD requirements. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: Dietitian (Clinical), GS-07 Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements. Dietitian (Clinical), GS-09 Experience or Education. At least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level OR Master's degree from a regionally accredited university or college. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of various accrediting and regulatory requirements. Knowledge of virtual technology to provide nutrition care. Ability to deliver patient care using the NCP (e.g., assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation). Ability to apply evidence-based nutrition practices to improve patient outcomes. Ability to develop patient-centered goals. Ability to collect data for performance improvement studies. Ability to collaborate with stakeholders. Dietitian (Clinical), GS-11 Experience. At least one year of experience as an RDN equivalent to the next lower grade. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Skill in delivering patient care using the NCP (e.g., assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation). Skill in interpreting research to apply evidence-based nutrition practices to improve patient outcomes. Skill in developing patient-centered goals. Skill in analyzing data for performance improvement studies. Skill in collaborating with stakeholders. Ability to comply with various accrediting, regulatory and agency authorities. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-07 to GS-11. Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Education ACEND accredited programs are located on the ACEND website or at ACEND Accredited Programs Directory. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.