Dietitian (Advanced Level Practice)

This assignment serves as an Advanced Practice Dietitian within the Associate Director, Patient Care Service. The incumbent conducts comprehensive nutrition assessments for Veterans using the Nutrition Care Process assuring high-quality nutrition care under an advanced scope of practice. The incumbent is the subject matter experts and uses knowledge, expertise, principles and/or current research to lead dietitians/nutrition specialty care teams to plan, implement, and evaluate initiatives.

Qualifications:

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).

Non-credentialed Dietitians must have fulfilled each of the following:

Earned a bachelor's or higher degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university or foreign equivalent. Foreign Education: To be creditable, college and/or university degrees earned outside the U.S and its territories must be evaluated by ACEND and meet ACEND's International Dietitian Education standards which are designed to provide graduates with the knowledge and competencies to sit for the CDR credentialing exam. ~ AND~

Completed an ACEND accredited experiential or supervised practice program and provide a verification statement from the program director that conveys eligibility to take the CDR registration exam as a prospective RDN. A list of ACEND accredited programs are located on the ACEND website or at ACEND Accredited Programs Directory .

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.

Grade Determinations : GS-12 Dietitian (Advanced Level Practice): In addition to meeting the basic requirements, you must also possess:

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.

At least 1 year of experience as an RDN/RD equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) which demonstrates the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Skill in leading a team in the implementation of nutrition related activities.

Skill in utilizing evidenced based practice guidelines to establish or modify goals and improve patient outcomes.

Ability to communicate in writing to develop policies and standard operating procedures.

Ability to serve as a nutrition expert, providing technical guidance, direction, and staff development.

Ability to lead research or performance improvement studies.

Ability to present complex nutrition information to a large group of health care providers to persuade and influence provision of care.

References: VA Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G20

Preferred Experience: Preference will be given to applicants who hold the Board Certified Specialist in Gerontological Nutrition (CSG) credential. The CSG demonstrates advanced expertise in gerontological nutrition and is highly relevant to providing specialized nutrition care within the Community Living Center (CLC) setting.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit .

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.