Conducts nutritional assessments, provides nutrition counseling to community residents, prepares nutrition care plans, counsels clients, and serves as a nutrition resource person for departmental staff. Teaches group education sessions related to nutrition and makes nutrition related presentations to interested groups in the County.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
1. Conducts nutritional assessments and provides nutritional education services to participants of WIC, Maternal Infant Support Services (MIHP) Child Health, Women’s Health, and nursing programs.

2. Educates and counsels high-risk clients on an individual basis taking into consideration medical and nutritional needs, laboratory results, cultural and personal preferences, finances, and client’s goals.

3. Prepares nutrition care plans specific to client’s needs to provide solutions to nutrition problems.

4. Interprets laboratory results and prepares nutrition care plans accordingly.

5. May enroll and recertify WIC clients based on eligibility and anthropometric measurements as mandated by the Michigan Department of Community Health Educates clients in medical and nutritional results of enrollment and recertification.

6. May conduct home and hospital visits, providing nutrition counseling to County residents as needed for pregnant and postpartum women and mothers of infants and children.

7. Contacts physicians’ offices to coordinate care between the physician and Nutritionist or request prescriptions for specific formulas.

8. Discusses clients’ nutritional care plan and instruction with other staff involved in client care. Serves as nutrition resource person for all staff members compiling information including pamphlets, booklets, articles, and other resources for use in nutrition programs.

9. Refers clients to other units within the Health Department and to outside agencies as necessary.

10. Teaches group education sessions related to nutrition or oversees such training presented by other staff.

11. Develops nutrition lesson plans, nutrition education handouts, pamphlets and visual aids. Reviews and updates nutrition education materials for use by the department.

12. May serve as part of an interdisciplinary team as the nutritionist to prepare and manage team
care plans for clients in other divisions of the health department, for instance, SHACC (Sault High Adolescent Care Center,) and home health/hospice.

13. Represents the department before interest groups to present nutrition education materials.

14. Maintains records and files regarding services and activities and documents services by preparing requested reports.

15. Ensures that clinical documentation regarding clients is kept secure and confidential and maintained consistent with Health Department policies and procedures.

16. Participates in workshops, conferences, and other continuing education opportunities to maintain professional status as a Registered Dietician status.

17. May perform the duties of a Nutrition Educator.

18. All other duties as assigned.

Other Functions:
19. During a public health emergency, the employee may be required to perform duties similar to but not limited to those in his/her job description.

20. Recognizes that positive employee relations are a necessary precedent for positive client relations. Provides assistance when seeing another in need. Contributes to the team effort of providing superior customer service to enhance the image of the Health Department. Refrains from holding negative conversations about duties, assignments, co-workers and clients. Adheres to Health Department telephone courtesy standards for answering, placing and transferring calls, as well as general telephone use. Does not allow personal telephone calls or visitors to interfere with telephone responsibilities, public encounters or customer courtesy to others. Demonstrates an effort to assure that customers/clients wait in definite expectations of when and how they will be served. Professionally addresses others (smile, handshake, eye contact, voice, posture, grammar, grooming and dress). Responsible for promoting and securing potential clients and referrals.

An employee in this position may be called upon to do any or all of the above tasks. (These examples do not include all of the tasks which the employees may be expected to perform.)

EMPLOYMENT QUALIFICATIONS
Education: Possession of a Bachelor’s degree in Dietetics.

Experience: Two years of professional experience as a Registered Dietitian (RD), preferably in
a hospital or public health setting.

Other Requirements: Registration as a Dietitian by the American Dietetics Association. Possession of a valid Michigan driver’s license.

The qualifications listed above are intended to represent the minimum skills and experience levels associated with performing the duties and responsibilities contained in this job description. The qualifications should not be viewed as expressing absolute employment or promotional standards, but as general guidelines that should be considered along with other job-related selection or promotional criteria.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS [This job requires the ability to perform the essential functions contained in this description. These include, but are not limited to, the following requirements. Reasonable accommodations will be made for otherwise qualified applicants unable to fulfill one or more of these requirements]:
• Prolonged standing while teaching.
• Bending and stooping to access files, materials and equipment.
• Lifting children in order to weigh and measure them.
• Ability to carry and use equipment such as computers weighing up to 40 lbs.
• Ability to access meeting sites
• Ability to enter and retrieve information from a computer system

WORKING CONDITIONS
• Works in office conditions
• Irregular work hours
• Exposure to communicable diseases and blood and other bodily fluids