Job Listing: Dietitian

Required Skills

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL GRADES

a. Citizenship.  Citizen of the United States.  (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.)

b.  Education.  The individual must have earned a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university, and fulfilled each of the following criteria:

    (1)  Completed a didactic program in dietetics accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE).

    (2)  Completed a CADE accredited supervised practice program.

    (3)  Passed a national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), the credentialing branch of the American Dietetic Association (ADA).

c.  Registration

     (1)  All applicants must be registered with the CDR.

    (2)  Non-registered applicants who otherwise meet the minimum requirements in the basic qualification standard may be appointed as a graduate dietitian under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405 (a) (1) (D).  Failure to obtain CDR registration during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment.  This may result in termination of employment.

     (3)  Loss of Credential.  An employee in this occupation who fails to obtain licensure/certification/registration within the required time frame, or who fails to maintain the required licensure/certification/registration must be removed from the occupation, which may also result in termination of employment. 

For occupations which require an active credential (licensure/certification/registration) at all grade levels, at the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation for which he/she qualifies if a placement opportunity exists.  For occupations which require an active credential (licensure/certification/registration) in assignments above the full-performance level only, at the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may remain at an appropriate lower grade level in the occupation when both of the following apply:  the credential is not a requirement and a placement opportunity exists.”

      e.  Physical Requirements.  See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

      f.  English Language Proficiency.  Dietitians must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.

3.  GRADE REQUIREMENTS

      a.  Definitions

      (1)  Creditable Experience

      (a)  Knowledge of Current Professional Dietitian Practices.  To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics associated with current professional dietetics practice.  This may be evidenced by one or more of the following:

      1.  The equivalent of 1 year of active professional practice.  Active professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a registered dietitian.

      2.  Academic course work leading to an advanced graduate degree in nutrition or a related health care field.

      (b)  Quality of Experience.  Experience is only creditable if it is post-registration experience as a registered dietitian directly related to the position to be filled, i.e., the clinical dietitian must have relevant clinical nutrition healthcare experience; the food service system dietitian must have relevant food service system management experience.  Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to dietetic experience at the next lower level.

      (c)  Part-Time Experience.  Part-time experience as a registered dietitian is credited according to its relationship to the full-time workweek.  For example, a registered dietitian employed 20 hours per week, or on a half-time basis, would receive 1 full-time work week of credit for each 2 weeks of service.

      (2)  Dietetic Internship Program (Supervised Practice Program).  Dietetic internship programs are post-baccalaureate degree programs that provide supervised practice experiences which meet the eligibility requirements and accreditation standards of the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association.  Completion of a coordinated program in dietetics fulfills the requirements of a supervised practice program.  Time spent in a dietetic internship or supervised practice program does not qualify as creditable experience.   

      (3)  Fellowship.  Fellowship programs are typically advanced training programs of varying length in a specialized area of clinical practice.  Applicants for these programs usually possess a master’s degree.

      (4)  Residency.  The dietetic residency is an 18-month combined academic and professional program.  The resident, assigned to a VA medical center, performs dietetic duties including activities relating to the area in which graduate study is being taken.  In addition, the resident attends graduate classes to satisfy the requirements for a master’s degree in dietetics or an allied field.

      b.  Grade Determinations.  In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

For GS-11:

(a)  Experience or Education.  At least 1 year of experience at the next lower level that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level, or education equivalent to 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education, or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited university or college in the field of dietetics or closely related field.  In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

      (b)  Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

      1.  Knowledge of basic investigative processes and techniques in order to participate in the design of studies, collect data, interpret findings, and translate results into written and oral communication.

       (c)  For Clinical Dietitian Positions, the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities must be demonstrated:

      KSA 1.  Knowledge of the principles and practices of clinical dietetics and medical nutrition therapy for patients with complex medical conditions in order to plan, develop, and coordinate medical nutrition therapy intervention, interdisciplinary care plans, and nutrition education activities.

      KSA 2.  Knowledge of complex areas of clinical nutrition including management of critically ill and malnourished patients, and ability to apply medical nutrition therapy to patients with multiple co-morbidities.

      KSA 3. Ability to act as a mentor/consultant for health care providers including registered dietitians, dietetic interns, nurses, physicians, medical students, and allied health professionals.

For GS-12

      (a)  Experience.  Completion of 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level directly related to the position being filled, and must fully meet the KSAs at that level.  In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs and demonstrate the potential to acquire the assignment specific KSAs designed by an asterisk (*):

      (b)  Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

KSA 1.  Knowledge of more complex investigative processes and techniques in order to direct or participate in the design of studies, collect data, conduct statistical analysis, interpret findings, and translate results into written and oral communication.

KSA 2.  Knowledge of, and ability to, apply quality standards as specified by regulatory and accrediting organizations.

KSA 3.  Knowledge of the principles of program management and oversight required to develop program goals and objectives, administer and monitor program, coordinate associated activities, evaluate program outcomes/accomplishments, redefine priorities, modify goals/objectives and implement changes in processes/systems as needed.

KSA 4.  Ability to assess competence, evaluates, and monitors the continuing education needs of professional staff.

KSA 5.  Ability to set priorities, delegate tasks, meets multiple deadlines, analyze organizational problems, and develop and implement effective solutions.

KSA 6.  Knowledge of human resources administration, including such functions as the ability to interview and select qualified applicants, monitor and evaluate performance, and maintain effective labor management relations within scope of responsibility.

KSA 7.  Ability to manage/supervise, i.e., plan, organize, delegate, direct, control, review activities of groups of professional subordinates. 

APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE:  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.)  Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.  Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website:  http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html  All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly.

 Probation:  Subject to Probationary Period of one (1) year.

 Citizenship:  Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs.  Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.

 Selective Service:  As a condition of employment, male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must certify that they have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt for having to do so under the Selective Service Law.

 Subject to Security Clearance: A background security investigation will be required for all new hires.  Appointment will be subject to the applicant’s successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication.  Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.

  Vet-Pro (VA’s electronic credentialing system): Upon selection, you will be provided with information on how to use Vet-Pro.  Vet-Pro was implemented on July 1, 2005.  As part of the VA’s pre-appointment process, it is necessary for you to submit complete information concerning your professional education, training, experience, licensure, certification or registration using Vet-Pro.  Vet-Pro credentialing must be successfully completed prior to entering on duty.

 Pre-employment Physical. Applicants for this position must pass a pre-employment medical examination.

 Drug Test. In accordance with Executive Order 12464, applicants selected for this position are required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment.  In addition, this position is a drug-testing designated position subject to random testing for illegal drug use.

Salary and Benefits

Salary Range:  54,494.00 - 84,913.00 USD per year

Benefits

The VA Salt Lake City Health Care System offers excellent benefit programs some of which may include:

·        Comprehensive health and life insurance

·        Competitive Salaries

·        Generous retirement programs

·        Paid holidays, sick leave, and vacation time

·        Flexible work environment and alternate work schedules

·        Paid employment related training and education

·        Possible student loan repayment

·        Payment of licenses, certification and academic degrees as applicable

·        Bonuses, incentives, and awards as appropriate for the job

·        Transit subsidies

·        Childcare subsidies

·        Tuition Reimbursement

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