Fairview Health Services is looking for a Nutrition Services Associate on the Riverside Campus (West Bank) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Assists in providing and maintaining a high level of patient satisfaction through diet explanations, and correction and adjustment of patient menus. Complete calorie counts, diet profile updates and other diet office responsibilities as needed. Serves as a liaison between diet office staff, kitchen supervisors and clinical dietitians to enhance communication and improve patient satisfaction. Nutrition Services staff directly influences the patient, guest, and staff experience by preparing and serving the food that sustains everyone through their healing or their work. There is great opportunity to engage directly with patients and/or staff, and an opportunity to work together on a team of engaged employees. There are day, evening and night shifts available where there are casual positions with no guaranteed hours all the way up to full time hours.

About This Position:

• The position reports to one department managers. (May also report to other department supervisors, as well as operations manager and general manager)
• Approximately 36 employees in the Department
• Benefits included for positions with 48 hours per pay period or above.

• Visits patients with diabetes, modified diets, food allergies, multiple food intolerances or preferences as well as those with appetite and intake problems as assigned.
• Adjusts menus to ensure that the diet order is accurately followed, offers alternate food choices or textures based on cultural and age specific needs and communicates all changes with the patient and/or family
• Visits patients who have been deemed Appropriate with Assist for room service.
• Educate patients on their special diets based on specialized diet comprehension competency.
• Collaborates with patient and family members.
• Monitors tolerance, intake, and appetite of all assigned patients, including those receiving nutritional supplements or daily
• Snacks, Communicates to the dietitian
• Accurately posts and calculates calorie counts
• Assures all actions are based on ethical principles; relevant policies/procedures; proven effectiveness; past experience; patient/family requests and values; and legal parameters
• Serve as a liaison between the diet office staff, patient services team and clinical dietitians to enhance communication and improve patient satisfaction
• Identify problems suitable for root cause analysis and develop appropriate action plans to improve quality of services and products.
• Regular meetings with management team to discuss progress and plans.
• Develop projects (e.g. menu changes, communication tools) to enhance patient satisfaction
• Communicates and receives verbal and written information in a clear, concise, accurate and timely manner.
• Verbal conferences with dietitians and patient services team to discuss patient care needs.
• Uses appropriate communication strategies to indentify patient/family needs and for dissemination of information, education and support.
• Completes telephone etiquette assessment
• Communicates appropriately to all necessary departments (nursing, ES, nutrition).
• Supports department operations

Required Qualifications:

• Graduated from a 2 year Vocational/Technical program/degree in Dietetic Technician or enrolled in a third year of a four year nutrition education program/degree.
• One year of customer service related experience

Preferred qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in Nutrition and/or dietetics: hospitality or related field
• More than one year of customer service related activities

Desired Skills (optional):

Some examples include:

• Excellent customer service
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Ability to communicate clearly, both verbally and in writing, in English
• Proficient in the English language
• Attention to detail
• Demonstrates critical thinking and problem solving skills.
• Critical thinking
• Negotiation/persuasion skills
• Basic math skills