Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) or Registered Dietitian (RD) - Must be registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing branch of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics formerly known as the American Dietetic Association (ADA)
• English Language Proficiency: Dietitians must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d)
• Current VHA Dietitians that qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision may not be promoted to a higher grade if they do not meet the current RDN/RD requirements
• Grade Determinations: Supervisory Dietitian (Clinical Nutrition), GS-12 Preferred Experience: At least two years of experience in an outpatient setting
• Experience: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-12 you must possess at least 1 year of experience as an RDN/RD equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) which demonstrates the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Knowledge of accrediting requirements in clinical nutrition to assess staff compliance and implement performance improvements
• Skill as a nutrition expert to provide technical guidance, direction and staff development
• Skill in Evidence-Based Nutrition Practice Guidelines to develop, implement and coordinate best practices
• Skill in establishing goals and objectives to coordinate activities, evaluate accomplishments and solve problems
• Ability to supervise subordinate staff (i.e., plan, organize, delegate, direct, control and review activities and performance)
• Ability to analyze data in order to recommend allocation of resources
• Assignments
• For all supervisory assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity, difficulty, variety and be performed by the incumbent as a major duty at least 25% of the time
• The incumbent must spend 25% or more of their time providing administrative and technical supervision over staff at the full performance level or below and may supervise advanced practice and/or program coordinator Dietitian(s)
• Supervisory Dietitians Clinical Nutrition in this assignment oversees the Clinical Nutrition Section and serve as the professional and technical advisors to staff and other health care professionals
• They represent the Clinical Nutrition Section on projects, committees and/or workgroups
• Supervisory Dietitians provide Clinical Nutrition Section-specific leadership and exercise a full range of supervisory and personnel management authorities and responsibilities in planning, directing and assessing the work and competence of subordinate staff
• They provide administrative management and direction of the clinical nutrition section
• Supervisory Dietitians develop procedures and guidelines for clinical operations and monitor compliance with regulatory standards and policies and procedures
• They lead the action planning process to attain goals and resolve deficiencies
• Supervisory Dietitians build and implement contingency plans within the section, ensuring continuity of clinical operations in all internal and external emergencies
• They execute the training plan for the clinical section and ensure staff remain updated on advances and changes in medical nutrition therapy
• Supervisory Dietitians analyze data (i.e., event capture, clinic utilization) to recommend the allocation of clinical nutrition resources
• They ensure evidence-based guidelines are integrated into clinical practice
• Supervisory Dietitians collaborate closely with the food service section to enhance the Veteran dining experience and support the strategic goals of the food service section
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment
• A pre-placement physical examination is not required.