Pediatric Registry Dietitian-Advocate Christ Hospital & Medical Center PRN

Department: 11903 Advocate Christ Medical Center - Food and Nutrition

Status: Part timeBenefits Eligible: NoHours Per Week: 0Schedule Details/Additional Information: Days and weekends as needed Pay Range: $30.70 - $46.05

Major Responsibilities:

Daily, provides ongoing Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) care for entire hospital inpatient census, through screening, prioritizing, assessing, and recommending interventions. Adapts daily workflow to accommodate fluctuations in patient load due to daily census variations, consults, acuity, staffing challenges.

Develops and implements a plan of care for patients based on an expert assessment of life cycle- and diagnosis-specific nutritional needs. Assessment includes reviews of medical history and laboratory data, patient interviews, and physical examinations to determine the current nutritional status of inpatients and/or outpatients.

Based on the assessment, the Clinical Dietitian develops and implements individualized nutrition plan of care interventions. Documents medical nutrition therapy plan of care in the electronic medical record supporting system clinical documentation and coding standards to maximize reimbursement rates.

Prescribes Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition Support Orders:

Prescribes enteral and parenteral nutrition support orders by assessing the patient and calculating macronutrients and/or micronutrients, fluid, and electrolytes. Evaluates patient tolerance and effectiveness of formulas and manages initiation or modifications to enteral/parenteral regimen orders.

Collaboration and Communication:

Demonstrates extensive knowledge of specialized nutrition support (parenteral and enteral) and triages issues and concerns through collaboration with physicians and pharmacy. Constant, secure communication with system level Pharmacy Integrated Clinical Services (PICS) team to manage and order Total Parental Nutrition (TPN) infusions for critically ill patients in the hospital.

Clinical Responsibilities:

Prescribes orders for therapeutic diets, oral nutrition supplements, and nutrition support regimens, including vitamins/minerals, fluid management, and lab work as indicated within the scope of the Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) protocol. Utilizes order-writing privileges to implement nutrition related orders.

Collaborates with Food and Nutrition patient services team to ensure patient intake aligns with nutrition prescription and interdisciplinary plan of care. Partners with site patient services team to identify and recommend appropriate clinical nutrition formula and supplement substitutions during supply chain disruptions to reduce and eliminate significant disruptions to patient care.

Patient Education and Support:

Provides medical nutrition therapy education to patients on prescribed diet, per established priority system, to improve patient knowledge/understanding of nutrition, diet therapy and compliance on prescribed diet. Education is provided to inpatients, outpatients and family members through individual counseling and classes.

Quality Improvement and Leadership:

Leads efforts to identify, treat and prevent malnutrition. Performs Nutrition Focused Physical Examinations of high-risk patients to evaluate the loss of specific muscles and subcutaneous body fat to determine the presence of and degree of malnutrition.

Communicates findings to the medical team through medical record documentation to ensure maximized reimbursement. Provides medical nutrition therapy education to patients identified with moderate or severe malnutrition to improve patient outcomes and to positively impact inpatient readmission rates.

Documentation and Reporting:

Routinely documents elements of the Global Malnutrition Composite Score (GMCS) for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) Nutrition Electronic Quality Indicators. Participates in Quality Assessment Performance Improvement (QAPI) efforts to ensure nutrition care is safe and effective for patients.

Regulatory Compliance:

Maintains regulatory readiness. Supports department clinical initiatives to ensure compliance with safety initiatives, policies, and procedures, DNV regulations, and department standards.

Additional Responsibilities:

Identifies and documents billable nutrition diagnosis with supporting documentation. May provide clinical support to various hospital-based outpatient medical destination programs (e.g., cancer center, transplant clinic, digestive health programs, bariatric, cardiac rehab, heart failure, etc.)

Education and Certification:

• Dietitian certification issued by the Commission of Dietetic Registration (CDR)
• Dietitian (RD) registration with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
• Licensure by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IL only)
• Certification by the Department of Safety and Professional Services (WI only)

Experience and Knowledge:

• Didactic experience in clinical nutrition from an ACEND approved program
• Advanced knowledge in clinical nutrition and Nutrition Focused Physical Exams
• Ability to respond to the needs of a diverse patient population
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Excellent organization, decision-making, time management, and problem-solving skills

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions:

• Must be able to sit, stand, walk, lift, squat, bend, reach above shoulders and twist frequently during the work shift
• Will occasionally be required to lift 25 pounds
• Must have functional vision, hearing, speech, and touch
• May need to travel between work sites; therefore, may have exposure to weather-related hazards
• May need to work remotely and assist other sites as needed
• Operates all equipment necessary to perform the job
• Exposed to a normal office environment

Our Commitment to You:

Advocate Health offers a comprehensive suite of Total Rewards: benefits and well-being programs, competitive compensation, generous retirement offerings, programs that invest in your career development and so much more - so you can live fully at and away from work, including:

• Compensation
• Benefits and more
• Paid Time Off programs
• Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and
• Short- and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses
• Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave
• Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs
• Educational Assistance Program

About Advocate Health:

Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care.

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise.

It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation's largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs.

Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.