Dietary Aide

Title: Dietary Aide 

Job Code: Diet Aide

Department: Care Center  

Status: Non-exempt 

Job Summary: Dietary Aide – Assists in meal preparation, food service and maintaining a clean and sanitary kitchen. Contributes to patient care and ensures accurately prepared meals are served to patients.

Duties and Responsibilities:

•  Demonstrates the skills needed to be a food service dietary aide.
• Knowledgeable of purchasing and receiving practices in the food service industry.
•  Assists dietary manager in monitoring dietary budget to ensure all purchases are necessary and fall within acceptable guidelines. Practices portion control.
• Demonstrates the nutritional needs throughout the life cycle as related to menu planning and food preparation.
• Assists dietary manager in following the practices of quality standards and regulations governing food products including receiving and storing food and non-food items correctly.
•  Willingness to be a readily available resource to co-workers on dietary related matters.
• Assists dietary department in the development and education of self and dietary staff as evidenced by:
• Understands and interprets dietary policies and procedures to dietary aides and other staff.
• Exhibits professional demeanor and appropriate decision-making in stressful situations.
• Approaches interpersonal relationships in a manner which avoids antagonism, reduces conflict and prevents undue anxiety.
• Serves as role model to reinforce dietary policies and procedures.
• Implements and monitors compliance with agency standards.
• Assists dietary department in monitoring compliance with food service regulations, certification standards, legal and ethical standards.
• Assists dietary department in ensuring compliance with Joint Commission, Local Health Department and Food Service Code regulatory standards.

 Required Skills and Abilities:

• Assists the dietary manager in the preparation and service of food in the in-patient Care Center.
• Prepares meals in quantities according to the menu and patient census.
• Follows food service health codes, ensures food temperatures are maintained at appropriate temperatures and properly recorded as per health code regulations.
• Serves meals to patients and informs them of additional food items available. Understands and follows food substitution guidelines.
• Communicates nutritional and food service concerns to the dietary manager.
• Checks with nursing staff each morning and periodically throughout the day to update patient census and dietary changes.
• Follows proper procedures for dietary slips and provides special diets (IE. puree, thickened) as required.
• Ensures kitchen and entire dietary department is cleaned daily. Washes all utensils and dishes used in food preparation after each meal.
• Assists in buying groceries and ensuring at least a three-day supply of food is available at all times.
• Assists dietary manager in ensuring appropriate storage, inventory, and restocking of all food and non-food supplies.
• Assists dietary manager in ensuring proper rotation of all food stock.
• Performs daily checks of all refrigerator/freezers throughout the facility. Records refrigerator/freezer temperatures, restocks nourishment room
• Demonstrates various dining room functions using a variety of settings and formats including hospice special functions and holidays.
• Demonstrates the importance of proper use and handling of kitchen hand tools and equipment.
• Demonstrates modern and classical preparations of foods, including the ability to follow and adjust food recipes and diets.
• Demonstrates food presentation techniques for a variety of service styles and dietary requirements.
• Assists in the education and training of staff in safe handling of food and kitchen equipment.
• Refrigerators. Routinely checks labels, dates etc. and properly dispose of outdated food items. 
• Adheres to all policies, procedures and regulations regarding food handling, patient care, conduct, safety, fire, security and risk management, and patient privacy rules.
• Any other duties as assigned.

Schedule 

Job Type: Full-time 

Expected Hours: 40 per week

12-hour shifts working Sunday - Wednesday. Wednesday will be a half working day. 

 Benefits Offered:

• Excellent paid time off benefit
• Eligibility to join local credit union
• Tuition reimbursement program
• 401(k) through Fidelity
• 401(k) matching
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Employee assistance program
• Life and AD&D insurance provided
• Supplemental Life
• Workers' compensation coverage
• Additional voluntary benefits through American Fidelity
  • Disability
  • Life insurance
  • Accident only insurance
  • Cancer insurance
  • Critical illness insurance
  • Hospital Indemnity
  • Flexible spending account

  Qualifications and Experience:

• High school Diploma or GED is required. 
• Prior experience in healthcare (skilled nursing facilities is a plus).
• Must be able to pass a driving records check (upon hire and annually), criminal background check, and drug screens (pre-employment and randoms).
• Must maintain automobile liability insurance.

Physical Requirements:

• Must observe universal precautions.
• Must meet physical requirements for position.
• Must pass in-house physical with good results.
• Must be able to walk, lift, push/pull, stand, sit, stoop, read, write, drive, type on keyboard, and potentially have an irregular schedule.
• Must be able to work in an environment with potential for noisy, dusty, dirty, poor ventilation and exposure to disease