Clinical Dietitian
Moses Lake, Washington
Samaritan Hospital

Job Opportunity: Clinical Dietitian (Contract)

Location: Moses Lake, Washington
Specialty: Health Sciences
Employment Type: Contract
Contract Length: 13 weeks

Position Summary

Responsible for planning, organizing, and conducting all aspects of in-patient nutritional screening and assessment. Provides dietary instruction to inpatients and outpatients, teaches nutrition classes and diet in-services to staff, and manages nutritional care for patients identified at nutritional risk. Requires sound judgment and understanding of Nutrition Services operations.

Essential Functions

• Support patients with food preferences and assist with proper menu selections.
• Provide educational materials and support for special diets.
• Utilize Nutrition Care Practice Guidelines for inpatient assessments.
• Conduct nutrition assessments within established timeframes.
• Modify patient menus as needed and clarify diet-related questions for Nutrition Services staff.
• Update or create diet handouts.
• Conduct diet in-services for Nutrition Services staff as requested.
• Document nutritional information in medical charts (calorie counts, assessments, teaching summaries).
• Train and orient new Diet Technicians and Dietitians.
• Serve as a resource for community nutrition talks and public nutrition inquiries.
• Maintain professional growth through seminars, workshops, and affiliations.
• Follow safe work practices including infection control, equipment safety, and emergency procedures.
• Comply with organizational policies, labor agreements, and maintain professional conduct and appearance.
• Collaborate courteously and efficiently with team members and support groups.

Work Environment

• Reports to Nutrition Services Director.
• Works closely with physicians and Nutrition Services staff to meet patient nutritional needs.

Education & Experience

• Education: Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition and Foods.
• Experience:

  • Preferred: One year clinical dietitian experience.
  • Preferred: One year experience with EPIC EMR.
• Licenses & Certifications:

  • Current Certified Dietitian status for Washington State.
  • Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics registration or RD eligible.
  • Current Washington State Food Handlers permit.
  • Basic Life Support Heartsaver (HS) certification to be completed within 3 months of hire.

Skills & Competencies

• Knowledge of foods, nutrition, food preparation, production, and supervisory/instructional techniques.
• Critical thinking and independent problem-solving skills.
• Accountability and safe judgment in decision-making within legal and ethical guidelines.
• Competency in caring for patients across the age continuum.
• Demonstrated competency on department-specific equipment.

Physical Requirements

• Occasional standing, walking, lifting, reaching, kneeling, bending, stooping, pushing, and pulling.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills for interaction with healthcare professionals, patients, families, and the public.

Additional Information

• Up to 24 hours of on-call availability may be required during the assignment.