Registered Dietitian

About Us

As a faith-based and patient-focused organization, Bon Secours exists to enhance the health and well-being of all people in mind, body and spirit through exceptional patient care. Success in this goal requires a culture of compassion, collaboration, excellence and respect. Bon Secours seeks people that are committed to our values of compassion, human dignity, integrity, service and stewardship to create an environment where associates want to work and help communities thrive

Registered Dietitian (RD) - Richmond Diabetes & Endocrinology

Primary Function/General Purpose of Position

The outpatient Registered Dietitian (RD) performs each step of the Nutrition Care Process (NCP), including patient assessment, nutrition diagnosis, nutrition intervention, monitoring and evaluation. The RD applies, participates in, or generates research to enhance clinical practice, and utilizes information technology to manage knowledge, problem solve and support decision making.  The RD develops nutrition care plans and educates diverse patient populations through the application of knowledge and principles of disease management, prevention, and behavioral change.  The outpatient RD provides nutrition education to the community through group classes and hospital-affiliated health fairs, wellness activities and promotions. The RD is a specialist in nutrition who is responsible for the nutritional care of patients identified as either having moderate to high risk for diabetes, or who are living with pre-diabetes or diabetes. Working in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team, the RD will share expertise and knowledge of nutrient care with patients, their families, and other health care professionals. Level of performance is guided by The American Dietetic Association Standards of Practice (SOP) and Standards of Professional Performance (SOPP).  All job functions are performed under minimal supervision.

Essential Job Functions

Assessment Screens, prioritizes, and processes patient referrals. Coordinates the assessment of the patient’s nutritional status using anthropometric, biomedical, and nutrition-focused physical findings. Determines the risk for diabetes or management of pre-diabetes or diabetes. Reviews patient’s clinical information obtained through physician referral, laboratory reports and health records. Conducts consultations with patients to obtain relevant information and assess their nutritional learning needs. Planning Assists in development of program calendars, identifying priorities, target dates and implementation strategies. Reviews current literature/resources to support preparation of education materials and tools. Develops and discusses appropriate individualized nutritional care plan with the patient based on best practices and guidelines. Manages, reviews, and makes recommendations regarding protocols for the nutrition education of patients. Implementation Works in close collaboration with the physician and the full interdisciplinary team to safely and effectively provide appropriate care to patients. Provides nutritional education to meet patients’ learning needs. Recommends and adapts teaching to the patient’s identified nutritional needs, revising treatment protocols as required. Facilitates group educational sessions using the principles of adult learning. Documents medical nutrition therapy treatments in patient’s health record using standardized nutrition diagnosis PES (problem, etiology, signs/symptoms) statements Refers to other resources and arranges follow-up as necessary. Communication Communicates effectively with the physician and other health care team members to create a cohesive team and seamless services for the community. Communicates effectively with all patients, families, peers, other health care professionals and community partners. Participates in interdisciplinary meetings as required. Evaluation Evaluates patient comprehension and compliance to the nutritional plan by reviewing clinical and learning outcomes. Identifies key performance indicators for dietitian services, participates in the measurement of these indicators. Participates in workload measurement, evaluates results to identify trends in patient needs. Team Development Works effectively within an interdisciplinary team, in varied practice settings, to improve access to primary care for the BSMG patients. The “patient” may be an individual, a family, a target group or a community. Provides case study nutritional consultation, conducts in-services and workshops for team members, other health professionals and community partners. Promotes awareness of the Bon Secours Health System, Inc. services and programs Actively participates in staff, team and committee meetings as appropriate. Provides consultation as requested to community groups, partners and team members. Provides leadership and mentorship to dietitian students/interns as needed. Participates in the education of other health professional students as needed. Participates in the development, planning, and evaluation of treatment, education, counseling, and health promotion activities for BSMG. Professional Development Maintains and develops professional competence through ongoing continuing education and professional development. Stays current and aware of opportunities to implement new, evidenced-based methods of patient assessment and treatment. Participates in self-directed learning to ensure that nutritional practice remains relevant by attending professional conferences, e-learning and journal reviews. Participates on interdisciplinary committees to promote professional/ interpersonal development. Participates in clinical projects/studies as required. Related Duties Models the values and philosophy of Bon Secours Health System, Inc. Exhibits a commitment to life-long learning. Maintains confidentiality of team, personnel and patient information. Facilitates appropriate in-house and external education sessions. Assists with planning and attends special events.

Employment Qualifications

Education/Experience: Baccalaureate of Science in Nutrition from a university offering an ACEND accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics granting a bachelor's degree. Successful completion of an ACEND-accredited Dietetic Internship Program, providing at least 900 hours of supervised practical experience. Current Virginia Drivers’ License. Experience in Community, Primary Care settings and/or experience working with diabetes patients Certified Diabetes Care and Educator Specialist- CDCES Skills/Abilities: Knowledge and proficiency in current, evidence-based methods and practices of primary care delivery, with an emphasis on health promotion and risk reduction. Superior leadership, organization, research, evaluation, time management, communication, and interpersonal skills. Proficiency in the use of computers, particularly in MS Word, Excel, Outlook. Desire and ability to update knowledge and skills through various means including technology-based opportunities, courses, workshops, and conferences. Multi-tasking skills related to the delivery of efficient primary care including the ability to share information and teach while treating a patient. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to be open-minded and non-judgmental. Knowledge of the goals and structure of Bon Secours Mercy Health, including its policies and procedures and the programs. Equipment Used: Computer, printer, scanner, fax, photocopier, telephone, AV equipment including video projection unit, and a variety of teaching aids including various glucose meters, insulin pens, keto-sticks, and insulin syringes.

Other Job Functions

Maintain required records, reports, charges, and statistics. Performs other duties as required. This is not necessarily an extensive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, or working conditions associated with the job.  While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or require that other or different tasks to be performed when circumstances change (i.e. emergencies, changes in personnel, workload, rush jobs or technical developments).

Bon Secours Mission, Values, Customer Orientation and Continuous Quality Improvement Focus

It is the responsibility of all employees to learn and utilize continuous quality improvement principles in their daily work.

All employees are responsible for extending the mission and values Bon Secours Mercy Health by understanding each customer, treating each patient, staff member, and community in a dignified manner with respect, kindness, and understanding and subscribing to the organization's commitment to quality and service.