Dietitian
Class Specifications – C.10
Senior Dietitian – 5424
Dietitian II – 5426
Dietitian I – 5428, 7886 or 7887
February, 1986
Series Concept
Dietitians provide nutrition care and education to inpatients and outpatients; plan and coordinate the preparation, distribution, and evaluation of patient and staff meals; plan, organize, direct, and evaluate the patient, staff, and public food service operations in a medical center hospital or other health care unit; and perform other related duties as required.
Dietitians assess the nutrition status of individual patients via medical record review, patient interviews, and diet histories; construct, implement, evaluate, and document nutrition care plans; provide nutrition education to patients and their families and provide for follow-up as appropriate; actively consult with physicians and other health team members to coordinate nutrition care of patients; may participate in interdisciplinary research and committees; may develop and implement grant proposals; may write articles for professional journals; provide nutrition education for physicians, other health professionals, students, and the community; may develop, implement, and evaluate a dietetic internship program.
As management Dietitians develop and direct the implementation of menus; select, train, supervise, and evaluate the performance of food service personnel; develop, implement, and evaluate food service policies, procedures, and standards; supervise the maintenance of sanitary standards; develop, coordinate, and present training classes for food service employees; monitor food production and service to insure conformance to nutritional needs, quality standards, cost, and patient and customer acceptance; develop, implement, and evaluate catering services; analyze and project needs for staffing, equipment, and physical plant.
Class Concepts
Principal Dietitian
Under general direction, the Principal Dietitian is assigned full professional and administrative responsibility for a large dietary program or professional food service operation within a medical center/hospital, or has full responsibility for a small dietary program and food service operation. Positions with responsibility for food service and distribution programs require the application of professional knowledge in scientific nutrition. The Principal Dietitian may also act as first assistant to a Chief Dietitian or department director or have operational responsibility for patient meal service and provide overall staff support to the Chief Dietitian or director in such areas as clinical nutrition, food production, departmental personnel administration, staffing, purchasing, and budgets; or they may function in an academic setting, doing teaching and research to enhance clinical nutrition services.
Principal Dietitians serve as a members of the management team for dietetics and food services; interview, select, and evaluate the performance of subordinate staff; recommend and administer the budget for the assigned service including the selection and purchase of equipment; control staffing levels and determine stock levels; may confer with physicians, other health professionals and administrative staff to resolve difficult operational, management, or clinical problems, and monitor adherence to laws, regulations and codes.
Senior Dietitian
Under general direction, in addition to performing the full range of operational level duties, Senior Dietitians supervise subordinate professional Dietitians and paraprofessional dietetic technicians in a department of a large dietary program or food service operation; or are assigned full professional and administrative responsibility for a small dietary program or food service operation.
Senior Dietitians have responsibility for the development and evaluation of departmental-wide operating policy and the direction of major administrative assignments such as patient care audits, diet manual revision, and cost reimbursement studies.
Individuals at this level may also have responsibility for a highly complex specialized area requiring advanced education and experience, such as dietitian internship director, food systems analyst, formula development technologist, or another specialized program characterized by written protocols and separate budgets.
Senior Dietitians with a major management component in the position supervise the duties of Dietitians or Food Service Managers who manage two or more units in a large medical center/hospital unit or may have total responsibility for a food service function or dietetics department in a small facility. Incumbents may be assigned the full range of duties described in the series concept pertaining to management.
Dietitian II
Under general supervision, Dietitian II’s typically perform the full range of Dietitian I duties in a more specialized area; prepare and conduct formal teaching of physicians, students, other health professionals, and the community; or participate in complex nutrition-related research projects.
Dietitian II’s are assigned significant administrative, research or resource responsibilities; they may administer with considerable independence a specialized program such as a metabolic unit, renal unit, burn unit, ICU unit, neonatal unit, or total hyperalimentation nutrition support program; conduct grant research or formal teaching; or are the designated specialists in a major area of the nutrition profession achieved by additional formal education or experience.
Under general supervision, Dietitian II’s with a major management component in the position manage a unit in a large medical center/hospital or may manage several units in a small facility. Duties may involve the responsibility for complex administrative areas such as personnel, fiscal, and material management. Incumbents may be assigned the full range of duties described in the series concept pertaining to management.
Dietitian I
Under supervision, Dietitian I’s perform the full range of nutritional care duties in one or more units in a medical center/hospital (e.g., general surgery, cardiac, hemodialysis, or general outpatient clinics), and participate as a member of an interdisciplinary health care team.
Dietitian I’s typically conduct nutritional assessments which include taking diet histories, instructing and consulting with patients, physicians, and other health professionals; chart on medical records; participate as a member of the interdisciplinary health care team to develop the total patient care plan; assist in completion of major administrative assignments such as patient care audits, diet manual revisions, and cost reimbursement studies; and assign, direct, and evaluate the work of dietitian interns and dietetic technicians.
Dietitian I’s with a management component in the position assist in the management of a unit in a large medical center/hospital or may manage a unit in a small facility such as patient trays, cafeteria, sanitation, purchasing or food production. Incumbents at this level may perform the full range of duties described in the series concept pertaining to management.
Minimum Qualifications
Dietitians must possess the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree in Foods and Nutrition/Dietetics and have completed an American Dietetic Association internship; and be a registered Dietitian.
Applicants for positions in the Dietitian series are expected to possess the experience, skills, knowledge, and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.
NOTE: Specific qualification requirements are approved for positions by the Personnel Manager in accordance with the provisions of Staff Personnel Policies 210.8 and 210.9.
Definition of Terms – Dietitian Series
Large Nutrition Services Facility – A dietary program in a medical center/hospital supporting a minimum of 350 acute hospital beds and/or serving an average of 5,000 meals or more daily.
Small Nutrition Services Facility – A dietary program in a medical center/hospital supporting less than 350 acute hospital beds and/or serving an average of less than 5,000 meals daily.