Clinical Dietitian

at  Womens College Hospital

Women’s College Hospital (WCH) is an academic, ambulatory care hospital in Ontario with a focus on health for women, health equity and health system solutions. If you’re ready to be part of a team that is revolutionizing the future of healthcare, then you will want to join an institution where the possibilities for innovation, new discovery and system thinking are limitless. Women’s College Hospital is committed to equity, quality and patient safety as key professional values and essential components of daily practice.
Healthcare Revolutionized 2030 is our roadmap to the future. Our strategy is built on the pledge that the founders of our hospital made 140 years ago and reaffirms our commitment to providing equitable, accessible, best-in-class healthcare for everyone – meeting people where they are on their healthcare journey and partnering with them to reach their goals of living their healthiest lives possible. The stage has been set for Women’s to accelerate our priorities and capture the momentum to catapult our system forward to revolutionize healthcare for everyone.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Summary of Duties, but not limited to:

• Provides consultation and independently initiates nutrition screening of patient population to assess nutritional risk profile and prioritize workload
• Triages referrals for acuity of nutrition concerns and level of nutritional risk, and prioritizes bookings accordingly
• Responsible for providing Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT), including assessment, nutrition diagnosis, and intervention to manage patient care
• Collects and interprets patient nutritional status through in-depth assessment medical and nutrition history, patient interview and physical examination
• Actively seeks and values the patient’s goals, needs and feedback in care planning to guide coordination of services as partners in care planning and quality improvement
• Through patient-centred approaches, establishes priorities, strategies and interventions to contribute to an individualized treatment program that allows the patient to achieve optimal health outcomes in collaboration with patient, family and the health care team.
• Provides nutrition education to patients
• Determines individual education needs and develops, selects and plans appropriate teaching method and resources
• Selects and individualizes nutrition education plan appropriate to patients’ needs. Provides nutrition counseling to patients:
• Utilizes best practices in counseling for behavior change to support patients in adopting nutrition interventions (i.e. motivational interviewing or other emerging best practices)
• Consistently uses clear communication and communication strategies respectfully and clearly to other members of the healthcare team, to enhance care coordination, collaboration and common understanding of patient care
• Supervision/training/mentoring of dietetic learners (including orientation, establishing learning goals, supervising, providing feedback, evaluation and remediation when required)
• Communicates progress and facilitates support of learners in difficulty with Practicum Coordinator
• Records, submits and reviews workload measurement data (as required by program/department)
• Determines needs, develops, implements and evaluates innovative clinical nutrition programs in alignment with WCH vision, mission and values
• Adheres to the code of ethics and practice standards for the profession
• Engages in self-reflection, continuing education and professional development for ongoing competence and skills to promote lifelong learning

As a role model and champion, you will work to identify and integrate safe, best practices into daily activities to foster the delivery of safe and exemplary care.
The responsibilities described above are representative and are not to be construed as all-inclusive.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Current registration in good standing with the College of Dietitians of Ontario required
• Undergraduate degree in a Dietitians of Canada (DC) accredited university program in Human Nutrition/Nutritional Sciences/Dietetics
• Successful completion of one of the following is required:
  o Post-Graduate Dietetic Studentship Program (Dietitians of Canada accredited comprehensive program, such as the Professional Masters Diploma in Dietetics), OR
  o Combined Masters’ Degree/Internship Practicum Program, OR
  o Integrated/Coordinated Undergraduate Program OR

o Ryerson Internationally Educated Dietitians Pre-Registration Program

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in an academic, outpatient environment, preferred
• Experience working in interprofessional teams, working closely with health disciplines, medical and nursing staff
• Ability to learn and perform advanced nutrition assessment (i.e., Subjective Global Assessment, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis) as required. Experience in related specialties, an asset
• Broad-based knowledge and versatility in clinical dietetics, required
• Familiarity with evidence-based guidelines and tools, required
• Ability to negotiate and advocate for patients and the Dietetic profession, as required.
• Demonstrated teaching ability, and leadership skills to facilitate meetings, volunteers and students, required
• Experience as a preceptor, an asset
• Ability to adapt to a wide variety of patient populations and knowledge of cultural foods and diversity, required
• Ability to extract very detailed information to make informed decisions, required
• Ability to conduct quality improvement/evaluation/practice-based research, required
• Flexibility and ability to prioritize and to deal with changes in tasks with short notice and, multiple deadlines and required
• Up-to-date knowledge on core competencies of professional standards ethics and reflective practice
• Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills
• Excellent organizational and time management skills, required
• Excellent problem solving, critical thinking, decision-making and conflict resolution skills, required
• Proficiency in computer skills, specifically in Microsoft Office applications and Electronic Medical Records, required
• Good work and attendance record required
• Demonstrated WCH vision mission and values
• Proven attendance and punctuality.
• Professional behaviour and communication that meets the standards of the professional regulatory college or association, as applicable, and the standards of Women’s College Hospital
• This position plays a critical role in acting as an advocate for safety and will demonstrate principles, practices and processes that will optimize a safe environment for all

• Provides consultation and independently initiates nutrition screening of patient population to assess nutritional risk profile and prioritize workload
• Triages referrals for acuity of nutrition concerns and level of nutritional risk, and prioritizes bookings accordingly
• Responsible for providing Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT), including assessment, nutrition diagnosis, and intervention to manage patient care
• Collects and interprets patient nutritional status through in-depth assessment medical and nutrition history, patient interview and physical examination
• Actively seeks and values the patient’s goals, needs and feedback in care planning to guide coordination of services as partners in care planning and quality improvement
• Through patient-centred approaches, establishes priorities, strategies and interventions to contribute to an individualized treatment program that allows the patient to achieve optimal health outcomes in collaboration with patient, family and the health care team.
• Provides nutrition education to patients
• Determines individual education needs and develops, selects and plans appropriate teaching method and resources
• Selects and individualizes nutrition education plan appropriate to patients’ needs. Provides nutrition counseling to patients:
• Utilizes best practices in counseling for behavior change to support patients in adopting nutrition interventions (i.e. motivational interviewing or other emerging best practices)
• Consistently uses clear communication and communication strategies respectfully and clearly to other members of the healthcare team, to enhance care coordination, collaboration and common understanding of patient care
• Supervision/training/mentoring of dietetic learners (including orientation, establishing learning goals, supervising, providing feedback, evaluation and remediation when required)
• Communicates progress and facilitates support of learners in difficulty with Practicum Coordinator
• Records, submits and reviews workload measurement data (as required by program/department)
• Determines needs, develops, implements and evaluates innovative clinical nutrition programs in alignment with WCH vision, mission and values
• Adheres to the code of ethics and practice standards for the profession
• Engages in self-reflection, continuing education and professional development for ongoing competence and skills to promote lifelong learnin