Patient Dietary Assistant

Position Summary / Career Interest:

The Patient Dietary Assistant supports the dietary and nutritional care of patients on the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit. The position is responsible for nutrition screening, assisting patients with menu selections, providing meal service, and monitoring patient food intake. The position acts as the liaison between the patient, the dietitian, and the patient food service department.


Responsibilities and Essential Job Functions

• Performs appropriate nutrition screening to identify patients at nutrition risk based upon criteria from the dietician.
• Communicates with patients and their families about the food service process including menu choices and hours of service. Assists patients with appropriate food selections based on the diet order. Serves meals and snacks to patients, observing and documenting food intake, monitoring for appropriate food and beverage consistencies and textures, and monitoring the patient’s response to care. Deliver and evaluate patient consumption of oral supplements as per diet order.
• Maintains appropriate Rehab unit floor stock of food and supplies. Records temperatures of refrigerators and freezers.
• Transports patient food carts from the kitchen to nursing unit. Retrieves soiled trays from patient rooms, and transports food carts and soiled trays from nursing units to the kitchen.
• Serves as liaison between the patient, the Rehab dietitian, and patient food service staff and works collaboratively to provide nutritional care to patients.
• Performs service recovery as needed with a positive outcome for the patient.
• Participates in departmental or Rehab unit activities to facilitate optimal patient care and operations, including participation in quality focus teams, committees, recipe tasting, and revisions/updates to department policies and procedures.
• Relays concerns about nutritional needs or safety of patients to the Supervisor or other appropriate leader.
• Must be able to perform the professional, clinical and or technical competencies of the assigned unit or department.
• These statements are intended to describe the essential functions of the job and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities. Skills and duties may vary dependent upon your department or unit. Other duties may be assigned as required.

Required Education and Experience

• High School Graduate or GED.

Preferred Education and Experience

• 3 or more years of food service experience particularly in a hospital or long-term care setting.
• 2 or more years of data entry experience.

Knowledge Requirements

• Ability to read and write English.
• Ability to speak and understand English.

We are an equal employment opportunity employer without regard to a person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and sexual orientation), national origin, ancestry, age (40 or older), disability, veteran status or genetic information.