Milk Tech Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Formulates and implements optimal nutrition therapy and evaluates outcomes for assigned patients at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. Coordinates nutritional care with other disciplines. Models appropriate behavior as exemplified in MLH Mission, Vision and Values.

• Provides the Nutrition Care Process.
• Formulates and implements pediatric specialty medical nutrition therapy plan of care.
• Documents in accordance with policy, procedure, and clinical practice guidelines.
• Understands and documents face‑to‑face and telehealth charging practices with input into the electronic charging system.
• Screens, triages, and prioritizes medical nutrition therapy consults for all age groups (neonates, infants, pediatrics, adolescent, and adult).
• Completes nutrition assessments and identifies nutrition diagnosis/problem(s).
• Identifies and documents differing malnutrition indicators in the following groups: neonates, pediatrics, and adults.
• Monitors formula orders and calculates special recipes with or without additives for milk tech staff.
• Identifies and integrates trends in anthropometric indices and biochemical data, implications of diagnostic tests and therapeutic procedures.
• Performs pediatric nutrition focused physical findings to evaluate nutritional status throughout the lifecycle.
• Performs and ensures proper athropometric data and proper measuring techniques, including pediatric specific head circumference, segmental length, and recumbent length, and applies values to appropriate growth charts.
• Serves as resource for multidisciplinary team on proper anthropometric measuring techniques and equipment.
• Performs increased frequency of monitoring and adjusts pediatric plan of care, as pediatric patients can become malnourished quickly.
• Implements nutrition plan of care and works collaboratively with food service staff and milk techs to ensure conformance and continuation of said plan.
• Functions as an integral member of the clinical interdisciplinary team and the Nutrition Therapy team.
• Navigates wide network of pediatric formulas and additives and the corresponding companies to ensure tolerance and availability and patients financial resources.
• Works with case management and social work to identify available resources for formula supplies between WIC, insurance, and community programs.
• Documents need for each resource, how much will come from each resource, and assists with document completion for insurance, DME and community resource formula coverages.
• Identifies goals and provides age‑specific, culturally appropriate nutrition counseling and education to patients and their families/caregivers throughout the lifecycle.
• Uses evidence‑based nutrition practice guidelines and appropriate instructional methods and tools based on appropriate age groups.
• Documents in medical record patient's and/or caregiver comprehension and anticipated compliance with nutrition guidelines in measurable terms.
• Completes Ad Hoc charting for in‑patient.
• Calculates special formula recipes for home and modifies as needed.
• Completes education with patient/caregivers, and documents formula education in the EMR.
• Monitors, troubleshoots, and communicates outpatient issues and nutrition plan of care in EMR messaging when patients are between outpatient appointments and/or inpatient admissions.
• Demonstrates professional development and leadership.
• Demonstrates performance measurement and quality improvement.
• Performs other job functions as assigned or requested.

Education/Formal Training Requirements

• Required – Bachelor's Degree Dietetics
• Preferred – Master's Degree Dietetics

Work Experience

• Preferred – Dialysis 0-1 years

Licenses and Certifications

• Required – Dietitian‑Nutritionist Tennessee (Tennessee Board of Dietitians/Nutritionist Examiners)
• Required – Registered Dietitian‑Nutritionist (Commission on Dietetic Registration)
• Preferred – Dietitian‑Nutritionist Mississippi (Mississippi State Department of Health)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of the Nutrition Care Process and ability to apply all steps of the process.
• Comprehensive knowledge of nutrition services and medical nutrition therapy, specifically related to pediatrics.
• Comprehensive knowledge, application, and advancement of formularies for preterm, infant, preschool, school age, adolescent, adult, and metabolic and other disease specialty formulas.
• Complex understanding and application of growth velocity and estimated needs for multiple age groups (premature, toddler, preschool, school age, adolescent, and adult) with differing growth rates to maximize medical nutrition therapy plan of care.
• Critical thinking to integrate facts, informed opinions, active listening, and observations.
• Decision making, problem solving, and collaboration skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively in both written and verbal form to patients, public, hospital and medical staff, and physicians.
• Ability to function independently on assigned patient care units.
• Ability to counsel and educate others.
• General knowledge of nutrient analysis, word processing, and spreadsheet software.

Supervision Provided by This Position – There are no supervisory responsibilities assigned to this position.

Physical Demands – The physical activities of this position may include climbing, pushing, standing, hearing, walking, reaching, grasping, kneeling, stooping, and repetitive motion. Must have good balance and coordination. The physical requirements of this position are: light work—exerting up to 25 lbs. of force occasionally and/or up to 10 lbs. of force frequently. The Associate is required to have close visual acuity to perform activities such as preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcribing, viewing a computer terminal, and extensive reading. The conditions to which the Associate will be subject are typical office or administrative work conditions.