"Alerted.org

Job Summary:

The primary purpose of your job position is to assist in planning, organizing, developing, and directing the overall operation of our

facility’s Food Services Department in accordance with current federal, state, and local standards, guidelines, and regulations governing

dietary services in nursing care facilities, and as may be directed by the Administrator, to assure that quality nutritional services are

provided on a daily basis and that the food services department is maintained in a clean, safe, and sanitary manner.

Requirements:

+ Must posses active Dietician license through the State of Massachusetts.

+ Bachelor's Degree in Dietetics from an accredited university.

Job Responsibilities:

+ Assist in planning, developing, organizing, implementing, evaluating, and directing the Food Services Department, its programs and

activities.

+ Coordinate food services and departmental activities with other related departments (i.e., Nursing, Social, Activity, etc.).

+ Develop and maintain written food service policies and procedures.

+ Develop and maintain written job descriptions and performance evaluations for each level of food service personnel as necessary.

+ Interpret the department’s policies and procedures to employees, residents, visitors, government agencies, etc.

+ Assist the food services staff in the development and use of departmental policies, procedures, equipment, supplies, etc.

+ Perform administrative duties such as completing necessary forms, reports, evaluations, studies, etc., to assure control of equipment and

supplies.

+ Review the department’s policies, procedure manuals, job descriptions, etc., at least annually for revisions and make recommendations to

the Administrator and Food Services Director.

+ Keep abreast of economic conditions/situations and recommend to the Administrator adjustments in food services that assure the facility’s

continued ability to provide daily food services needs.

+ Make written oral reports/recommendations to the Administrator as necessary/required concerning the operation of the food services

department.

+ Be sure that departmental accident/incident reports are submitted to the Business Office within twenty-four (24) hours after the occurrence

of the accident/incident.

+ Assume the authority, responsibility, and accountability of consulting the food service department.

Inspect food storage rooms, utility/janitorial closets, etc., for upkeep and supply control. Make recommendations as appropriate.

+ Review and develop a plan of correction for food services deficiencies noted during survey inspections and provide a written copy of such

to the Administrator for his/her approval.

+ Schedule visits to assure that the professional food service needs of the facility are met. Allow adequate time to observe the preparation and serving of food at meal times.

+ Assist the Infection Control Coordinator in identifying, evaluating, and classifying routine and job-related food service functions to ensure

that tasks involving potential exposure to blood/body fluids are properly identified and recorded

+ Review departmental complaints and grievances from personnel and make written reports to the Administrator of action(s) taken. Follow

facility’s established complaint/grievance procedures.

+ Develop and implement a food service organization structure.

+ Assist the Quality Assessment and Assurance Committee in developing and implementing appropriate plans of action to correct food

service deficiencies. Develop, implement, and maintain an ongoing quality assurance program for the food services department

+ Assist the Discharge Planning Coordinator in planning the food services portion of the resident’s discharge plan

Participate in facility surveys (inspections) made by authorized government agencies as requested.

+ Interview residents or family members, as necessary, to obtain diet history.

+ Participate in maintaining records of the resident’s food likes and dislikes.

+ Assist in developing methods for determining quality and quantity of food served.

+ Ensure that charted dietary progress notes are informative and descriptive of the services provided and of the resident’s response to the service.

+ Ensure that menus are maintained and filed in accordance with established policies and procedures.

+ Maintain an adequate liaison with families and residents as necessary.

+ Maintain a reference library of written material, laws, diet manuals, etc., necessary for complying with current standards and regulations and that will provide assistance in maintaining quality food service.

+ Visit residents periodically to evaluate the quality of meals served, likes and dislikes, etc.

+ Involve the resident/family in planning dietary objectives and goals for the resident.

+ Assist in planning regular and special diet menus as prescribed by the attending physician.

+ Assist in developing diet plans for individual residents.

+ Assist the Food Services Director in planning menus, work schedules, etc., as requested or as may be required.

+ Review therapeutic and regular diet plans and menus to assure they are in compliance with the physician’s orders.

+ Review the dietary requirements of each resident admitted to the facility, as may be required, and assist the attending physician in planning for the resident’s prescribed diet plan.

+ Meet with administration, medical and nursing staff, as well as other related departments in planning food service programs and activities.

+ Agree not to disclose assigned user ID code and password for accessing resident/facility information and promptly report suspected or known violations of such disclosure to the Administrator.

+ Agree not to disclose resident’s protected health information and promptly report suspected or known violations of such disclosure to the Administrator.

+ Report any known or suspected unauthorized attempt to access facility’s information system.

+ Provide the facility with a signed and dated business associate agreement in accordance with current HIPAA rules, regulations, and guidelines.

+ Review resident assessment data relative to food services, quality indicators, quality measures, survey results, etc., and make recommendations to correct identified problem areas. Develop and participate in the planning, conducting, and scheduling of timely in-service training classes that provide instructions on “how to do the job,” and ensure a well-educated food services department.

+ Develop, implement, and maintain an effective orientation program that orients the new employee to the department, its policies and procedures, and to his/her job position and duties.

+ Provide leadership training that includes the administrative and supervisory principles essential for the Food Services Department.

+ Encourage the food services supervisory staff to attend and participate in outside training programs. Schedule times as appropriate.

+ Assist support services in developing, implementing, and conducting in-service training programs that relate to the Food Services Department.

+ Assist in developing preliminary and comprehensive assessments of the dietary needs of each resident.

+ Assist in developing a written dietary plan of care (preliminary and comprehensive) that identifies the dietary problems/needs of the resident and the goals to be accomplished for each dietary problem/need identified.

+ Encourage the resident/family to participate in the development and review of the resident’s plan of care.

+ Assist in the scheduling of care plans and assessments to be presented and discussed at each committee meeting.

+ Ensure that all dietary personnel are aware of the care plan and that care plans are used in planning daily dietary needs of the resident.

+ Review nurses’ notes to determine if the dietary care plan is being followed. Report problem areas to the director of nursing services or designee.

+ Review and revise care plans and assessments at least quarterly.

+ Review resident food substitutes and snack to ensure they are consistent with the resident’s planned dietary regimen.

+ Develop and maintain a good rapport with all services involved with the care plan to ensure that a team effort is achieved in developing comprehensive plan of care.

+ Other duties as assigned.