Registered Dietician

Role: Registered DieticianOrganization: Edenbridge PACE at Skyland Location: Washington, DC SEStatus: Full-timeMission: To allow frail elderly people to age in the location of their choosing and continue to lead connected, meaningful livesThe Registered Dietician role offers a unique opportunity to help build the first PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) program in the District of Columbia within the framework of a supportive, innovative, and expert leadership team and company. Together with our coalition of strong partners within the community, the Registered Dietician will help our team to have a transformative impact on a particularly under-served community in Wards 7 and 8.Seven core principles drive our approach to care. These include: Create and Sustain Meaningful Lives: Our model aims to help elders create and sustain meaningful lives - from social relationships, spirituality, cultural life, work, or service. We support elders with cognitive and physical disability to sustain meaning in their daily lives. We form close community partnerships to help elders engage outside our centers.Respect the Right to Independence: Edenbridge aims always to follow our participants' wishes. Wherever possible, participants maintain control over all decisions - from medical procedures to what to eat for dinner.Pay Attention to What Is Working Well: Our goal is to multiply the days each participant is glad to be alive. We encourage participants' positive experiences of daily life, supporting the things that matter most to them.Provide the Right Amount of Medical Care: Elders often have many diagnoses, medications and specialists, involving complex care decisions. We help our participants understand their choices. We deliver thoughtful, appropriate and personalized care, doing what our participants want - nothing more and nothing less.Guide All the Care Provided: We always follow and guide our participants' care - in their homes, at our center, in the hospital, and everywhere.Live with Our Communities, Not Just in Them: We work in communities where aging in place is valued and integrated care is a shared mission. We build deep relationships with community organizations (see video) beginning long before we open our doors. We aim to reach beyond the walls of the center to bring community members in and participants out for person-to-person connection.Employ Technology Thoughtfully, Not Aggressively: We use technology because it can enrich the lives of participants, improving care and connecting family members with their loved ones and their care providers. But we use technology only to complement - never replace - direct human interaction.To help us achieve this mission, we are looking for an experienced Registered Dietician who will assess the nutritional status and needs of participants of the program. Main Responsibilities: Develops and implements nutritional care plans for participants.Completes initial and annual assessments for all participants and semiannual reassessments for each participant with an open dietary problem.Provides nutrition education and counseling to participants, family and/or caregivers based on individual plans of care in accordance with Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics standards.Maintains required certifications/registrations.Determines and monitors therapeutic diets, special dietary modifications and communicates concerns with interdisciplinary teams.Coordinates with the Interdisciplinary Team to develop a comprehensive plan of care for each participant.Assists participants with community food resources including, congregate meal sites and commodity foods. Functions as a liaison to Kitchen services, oversees dining service needs, monitors meal service, special diet adherence, and addresses nutritional concerns with serving staff.Assist in implementing nutrition policies and procedures and conducts sanitation/food safety checks in the dining service environment.Assists with the compliance and administration of the food program, including staff training, menu review, and monitoring of meal service.Develop and maintain relationships with contractors and staff in contracted facilities to foster communication around nutrition care and interventions. Provide nutrition education to staff and community as requested.Monitors weights, medical diagnosis, changes in chewing, swallowing, hydration, mood changes, intake, other health and environment changes and reports changes to interdisciplinary team members.Participate in care team meetings, participant care conferences and family meetings.Manage nutrition supplement products provided by PACE: Assess need for supplements, write orders, monitor effectiveness, manage inventory and coordinate delivery of products to participants.Assists in training of new staff.Participates in work area development, in-service training, and department meetings.Demonstrates dependability, punctuality, good communication skills, and work area readiness.Interacts in a courteous, pleasant and friendly manner with co-workers, participants, families, Edenbridge PACE staff and staff at contracted facilities.Communicates regularly with vendors.Monitors expenditures with commitment to good stewardship of the organization's resources.Communicates clearly and concisely with sensitivity to the needs of others.Considers the impact of decisions on other departments and the company as a whole, while demonstrating effective partnership management skills.Handles potentially infectious specimens with appropriate biohazard precautions, and practices Universal Precautions.Maintains courteous, helpful, and professional behavior on the job. Displays a willingness and ability to be responsive in a warm and caring manner to all customer groups. Consistently cooperates and supports organization in problem solving issues. Other duties as requested/assigned.Qualifications:Edenbridge Health is committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization. For our Registered Dietician role, we are looking for the following qualifications: Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition or related. Must be legally authorized to practice in Washington DCCompletion of a dietetic internship or equivalent practicum, plus registration as a Dietician by the American Dietetic Association is requiredOne+ year(s) of experience with a frail or elderly population preferredMust submit to and pass a criminal background checkUp-to-date vaccinations, including COVID vaccine, requiredLearn more at: edenbridgehealth.org