Dietitian - Advanced Level Practice

The Dietitian at the Advanced Level Practice conducts comprehensive nutrition assessments for Veterans using the Nutrition Care Process assuring high-quality nutrition care under an advanced and expanded scope of practice, using knowledge, expertise, principles and/or current research to lead dietitians and nutrition specialty care teams to plan, implement, and evaluate organizational initiatives.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) or Registered Dietitian (RD) - Must be registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing branch of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics formerly known as the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Note: Applicants who hold the RDN credential have met the education requirement (e.g. bachelor's degree or higher) of CDR. Physical Requirements. See physical requirements listed below. English Language Proficiency. Dietitian candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). Current VHA Dietitians that qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision may not be promoted to a higher grade if they do not meet the current RDN/RD requirements. Dietitian (Advanced Level Practice), GS-12 Grade Determination: Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11). Specialized experience includes: Skill in delivering patient care using the NCP (e.g., assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation); Skill in interpreting research to apply evidence-based nutrition practices to improve patient outcomes; Skill in developing patient-centered goals; Skill in analyzing data for performance improvement studies; Skill in collaborating with stakeholders; Ability to comply with various accrediting, regulatory and agency authorities; Interpret research and utilize whole health principles to develop patient- centered goals and improve outcomes; Utilize virtual care technology to improve access to care; Independent and accurate record keeping, autonomous coverage of daily clinical activities and efficiently completing patient encounters using approved systems; Collect and analyze data related to performance improvement activities within NFS, lead activities in the implementation of new initiatives and collaborate with stakeholders. Certification: Must hold an advanced practice certification from a nationally recognized certifying body such as the Commission on Dietetic Registration, the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists or the National Board of Nutrition Certification. The certification must be directly related to the assignment being filled. For example, where the assignment requires diabetes management, a Board Certified-Advanced Diabetes Management or Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialists certification is qualifying. Commonly held certifications include Board Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition; Board Certified Specialist in Gerontological Nutrition; Registered Dietitian Nutritionist-Advanced Practitioner; Certified Nutrition Support Clinician. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: In addition to the experience and certification above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Skill in leading a team in the implementation of nutrition-related activities. (b) Skill in utilizing evidence- based practice guidelines to establish or modify goals and improve patient outcomes. (c) Ability to communicate in writing to develop policies and standard operating procedures. (d) Ability to serve as a nutrition expert, providing technical guidance, direction and staff development. (e) Ability to lead research or performance improvement studies. (f) Ability to present complex nutrition information to a large group of health care providers to persuade and influence provision of care. Assignment: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Employees in this assignment serve as an Advanced-Level Dietitian. They conduct comprehensive nutrition assessments for Veterans using the NCP assuring high-quality nutrition care under an advanced and expanded scope of practice. Advanced-Level Dietitians lead a multi-disciplinary team developing nutrition-related services, policies, procedures and/or protocols. They provide consultative services regarding advanced therapies and research in providing quality nutritional care. Advanced-Level Dietitians develop, monitor and direct practice-specific benchmarks based on standards of care or national initiatives. They utilize knowledge, expertise, principles and/or current research to plan, implement and evaluate organizational initiatives. Advanced-Level Dietitians lead the implementation of new nutrition initiatives or a change in practice to achieve strategic goals. They establish goals, measure outcomes and report progress toward meeting goals to medical center committees, health care teams and/or professional groups. Advanced-Level Dietitians lead staff, create and validate competencies and develop training activities. They lead nutrition research studies or performance improvement and communicate findings through reports, abstracts, presentations and/or peer-reviewed professional publications. Advanced-Level Dietitians present at seminars, workshops and lectures to convey current nutrition information on new and changing concepts. This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation. Preferred Experience: Certification for a CDCES (Certified Diabetes Care andEducation Specialist) or BC-ADM. Experienced in nutrition and diabetes, overseeing the medical nutrition therapy of inpatient and outpatient and diabetes care plans for the most complex and high-risk patients. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Refer to VA Handbook 5019