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Summary The John Cochran VA in St. Louis Healthcare System is seeking an Advanced Practice Level Dietitian. This position serves as the subject matter expert in advanced clinical nutrition and uses knowledge, expertise, principles, and/or current research to lead dietitians and nutrition specialty care teams to plan, implement, and evaluate organizational initiatives. Experience working in long-term care preferred. The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. Responsibilities Leads dietitians and specialty multidisciplinary teams in developing nutrition related services, policies, procedures, and/or protocols. Provides consultative services regarding advanced therapies, policies, procedures, and research in the provision of quality nutritional care. Plans, implements, and evaluates organizational initiatives. Leads nutrition research studies or performance improvement and communicates findings through reports, abstracts, presentations, and/or peer-reviewed professional publications. Establishes goals, measures outcomes, and reports progress toward meeting goals to medical center committees, health care teams, and/or professional groups. Leads staff, creates, and validates competencies and develops training activities. Leads nutrition research studies or performance improvement and communicates findings through reports, abstracts, presentations and/or peer reviewed professional publications. Presents at seminars, workshops, and lectures to convey current nutrition information on new and changing concepts. May perform other related duties as assigned which are appropriate for this grade and assignment Work Schedule: Mon-Fri, 8a-430p Telework: Ad Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: None Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized The VA St. Louis Health Care System includes two medical centers and seven community based-outpatient clinics offering a wide range of nutrition services, including acute care, long-term care, mental health, psychiatric, primary care, and specialty services. As a clinical dietitian, you may be required to cover any area within the diverse health care system. 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. 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. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. 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. 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). Certification: Must hold an advanced practice certification from a nationally recognized certifying body such as the Commission on Dietetic Registration, the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists or the National Board of Nutrition Certification. The certification must be directly related to the assignment being filled. For example, where the assignment requires diabetes management, a Board Certified-Advanced Diabetes Management or Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialists certification is qualifying. Commonly held certifications include Board Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition; Board Certified Specialist in Gerontological Nutrition; Registered Dietitian Nutritionist-Advanced Practitioner; Certified Nutrition Support Clinician. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: In addition to the experience and certification above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Skill in leading a team in the implementation of nutrition-related activities. Skill in utilizing evidence- based practice guidelines to establish or modify goals and improve patient outcomes. Ability to communicate in writing to develop policies and standard operating procedures. Ability to serve as a nutrition expert, providing technical guidance, direction and staff development. Ability to lead research or performance improvement studies. Ability to present complex nutrition information to a large group of health care providers to persuade and influence provision of care. Assignment: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty)and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Employees in this assignment serve as an Advanced-Level Dietitian. They conduct comprehensive nutrition assessments for Veterans using the NCP assuring high-quality nutrition care under an advanced and expanded scope of practice. Advanced-Level Dietitians lead a multi- disciplinary team developing nutrition-related services, policies, procedures and/or protocols. They provide consultative services regarding advanced therapies and research in providing quality nutritional care. Advanced-Level Dietitians develop, monitor and direct practice-specific benchmarks based on standards of care or national initiatives. They utilize knowledge, expertise, principles and/or current research to plan, implement and evaluate organizational initiatives. Advanced-Level Dietitians lead the implementation of new nutrition initiatives or a change in practice to achieve strategic goals. They establish goals, measure outcomes and report progress toward meeting goals to medical center committees, healthcare teams and/or professional groups. Advanced-Level Dietitians lead staff, create and validate competencies and develop training activities. They lead nutrition research studies or performance improvement and communicate findings through reports, abstracts, presentations and/or peer-reviewed professional publications. Advanced-Level Dietitians present at seminars, workshops and lectures to convey current nutrition information on new and changing concepts. This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation. Grade Determinations: GS-12 Dietician (Advanced Level Practice)In addition to meeting the basic requirements, you must also possess: An Advanced Practice Certification from a nationally recognized certifying body such as the Commission on Dietetic Registration, the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists or National Board of Nutrition Certification. The certification must be directly related to the assignment being filled. For example, where the assignment requires diabetes management a Board Certified-Advanced Diabetes Management (BC-ADM) or Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (CDCES) certification are qualifying. Commonly held certifications include Board Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition (CSR); Board Certified Specialist in Gerontological Nutrition (CSG); Registered Dietitian Nutritionist-Advanced Practitioner (RDN-AP); Certified Nutrition Support Clinician (CNSC). At least 1 year of experience as an RDN/RD equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) which demonstrates the following: Preferred Experience: CDCES required, preferred 3 years of CDCES experience Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. 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 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. 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.