Registered Dietician Nutritionist

Summary:
The Registered Dietician Nutritionist will provide access to food and nutrition education services to people living with HIV through the provision of nutrition education and counseling, and the distribution of food and personal hygiene items.
 
Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develop, plan, implement, and oversee a comprehensive Dietetic Internship and/or nutrition student volunteer program designed to connect with each client a minimum of once annually.  The program will serve to:

  • Educate upcoming professionals on the nutrition related needs of people living with HIV.

  • Train dietetic interns or nutrition student volunteers to provide nutrition education to  clients to support personal goal setting and achievement, via written materials, 1:1 consultation, food demonstrations, and nutrition class presentations.

• Gather and disseminate information about the role of food and nutrition in supporting the overall well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS. 

• Provide one on one nutrition education and counseling to assist clients in the development of an overall nutrition strategy, assess nutritional needs (NQS), establishing goals and documenting findings accordingly.

• Provide nutrition information to any individual upon request, via phone, one-on-one consultations, nutrition classes and/or fact sheets.

• Use communication models (motivational interviewing) to actively engage clients to identify, strategize and determine solutions to achieve their nutrition related goals.

• Using internal data management systems (Casewatch, Sales Force) to document all encounters with clients following department guidelines.

• Offer a variety of presentations for clients that address the nutritional needs of people living with HIV. Examine public health months to develop curricula that reflect Healthy People initiative and priorities.

• Develop and distribute fact sheets that address the nutritional needs of people living with HIV. Update fact sheets regularly to reflect the current research findings.

• Work with the Food Pantry Coordinator to develop the monthly Nutrition Education calendar and disseminate to agencies that serve people living with HIV.

• Assist Program Manager with the training and overseeing Partnering Food Pantry Coordinator - Nutrition and Warehouse Assistant staff, to ensure compliance with contract goals and objectives.

• Develop and implement ongoing training programs for food pantry staff that seeks to increase knowledge on food safety and nutrition.

• Assist with program reporting, document outcome results, and present findings.

• Communicate regularly with Los Angeles County nutrition providers, sharing program eligibility criteria and encouraging compliance.

• Provide assistance to program staff to develop monthly food lists.

• Provide assistance with the monthly analysis of the Program food list to ensure compliance with program goals and objectives.

• Conduct quarterly in-services for Program staff that keep staff current on nutrition for people living with HIV as well as food safety guidelines.

• Assist in the design and implementation of evaluation tools for workshops, symposia, and planning of other educational efforts.

• Advocate for the inclusion of early and ongoing medical nutrition therapy in the primary care setting.

• Maintain up-to-date information about the latest science related to achieving optimal health outcomes among people living with HIV/AIDS and the relationship to nutrition.

• Network with nutrition professionals to share information, materials, and coordinate advocacy efforts.

• Participate in planning meetings and discussions focusing on the expansion of food and nutrition services to all Patients.

• Attend unit, division, and other agency meetings as assigned.

• Prepare quantitative and qualitative reports that evaluate effectiveness of nutrition education events and practices.

• Strictly adhere to HIPAA guidelines and regulations to protect patient rights and confidentiality of protected health information (PHI), including, but not limited to, personal and financial information.

• Perform other delegated duties assigned by Program Manager to meet the business needs. 

Skills and Qualifications Required

Training and Experience:
Bachelor's degree in Nutrition or Master’s degree in Nutrition required; credentialed Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) by successful completion of a national registration examination and mandatory continuing education; experience in health education; knowledge of HIV-related treatments and experience in running bibliographic searches on various medical databases and retrieval of scientific articles from biomedical laboratories.
 
Knowledge of:
HIV evidence-based nutrition recommendations, nutrition science, HIV pathogenesis, HIV symptomology, HIV treatment-related information; scientific methodology (experimental design, data collection, statistics); HIV-related research procedures and structures; epidemiology of HIV transmission and general epidemiological tools; HIV risk-reduction techniques.
 
Ability to:
Develop workshop curricula, factsheets and health education materials. Conduct nutrition science research to inform the development of nutrition education materials. Communicate effectively with a diverse population; identify and update community resources; Proficiency in: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); 
 
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
Must possess a valid California driver’s license; proof of auto liability insurance; and have the use of a personal vehicle for work related purposes. COVID-19 Vaccination or Medical/ Religious Exemption required.