Registered Dietitian

Roles and responsibilities

Nutrition Assessment
• Conducts a nutrition assessment when warranted by a patient’s needs or conditions.
• Performs relevant anthropometric and body composition measurements may include and not limited to height, length, weight, head circumference, knee height and mid-upper arm circumference.
• Reviews dietary intake for factors that affect health conditions and nutritional risk.
• Supervises dietetic technician’s data collection activities.
• Evaluates health and disease condition for nutrition-related consequences.
• Evaluates psychosocial, functional, and behavioral factors related to food access, selection, and preparation; physical activity; and understanding of health condition.
• Evaluates patient/client/group’s knowledge, readiness to learn, and potential for changing behaviors.
• Calculates estimated nutritional requirements based on approved best practice guidelines by which intake will be compared.
• Identifies possible problem areas for making nutrition diagnoses.
• Observes client/patient for nonverbal and verbal cues that can guide and prompt effective interviewing methods.
• Determines appropriate data to collect.
• Selects assessment tools and procedures (matching the assessment method to the situation) and applies assessment tools in valid and reliable ways.
• Distinguishes relevant from irrelevant data and important from unimportant data, and validates the data.
• Organizes and categorizes the data in a meaningful framework that relates to nutrition problems.
• Determines when a problem requires consultation with or referral to another provider.

Nutrition Diagnosis
• Finds patterns and relationships among the data and possible causes for the nutrition problem.
• Prioritizes the relative importance of problems for patient/client/group safety.
• Documents the nutrition diagnostic statement in PES (problem, etiology, and signs/symptom) or PE format.
Nutrition Intervention
• Formulates and determines a plan of action that is focused on the etiology of the problem and known to be effective based on best current knowledge and evidence from Evidence-Based Nutrition Practice Guidelines.
• Assesses educational needs and provides nutrition counseling based on individual needs, including nutrient requirements, knowledge and abilities, and medical, economic, and social situation.
• Evaluates achievement of learning objectives by the patient and/or family. Provides appropriate follow-up in accordance with the patient’s treatment goals, referring patients for community or home health services as appropriate.
• As needed, delegates or coordinates nutrition plan of care with other healthcare professionals.
• Confers with patient/client/group, other caregivers or policies, and program standards in developing the intervention(s).
• Defines the intervention plan by writing the nutrition prescription and defining the time and frequency of care including intensity, duration, and follow-up.
• Identifies resources and/or referrals needed.
• Implements the nutrition intervention, including communicating the plan of nutrition care.
• Provides appropriate follow-up in accordance with the patient’s treatment goals, referring patients for outpatient counseling and community or home health services as appropriate.
• Collects data and modifies the plan of care as needed.

Desired candidate profile

Bachelor’s Degree in Dietetics or
• Bachelor’s Degree in Science with a postgraduate diploma in Dietetics or
• Bachelor’s Degree in Science and a Masters or postgraduate Degree in Dietetics

Experience: 5+ years of relevant experience inclusive of 2 years Pediatric experience

Certification and Licensure:

• Current Dietetic License from country of origin
• Eligibility to be licensed by QCHP

Job Specific Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrated ability to apply and integrate knowledge and skills into practice.
• Demonstrated ability to use risk analysis tools to anticipate safety risks.
• Demonstrated ability to access, critique, and analyze information sources.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize data, information and knowledge on patient outcomes and modify interventions to improve health care outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to teach, assess and develop educational materials for staff and patients.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Experience in organizing data and generating thorough, accurate, timely reports.
• Demonstrated experience with Clinical Information Systems (CIS).
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite
• Fluency in written and spoken English