Dietetic Tech

Job Description

Description

Our Nutrition and Food Services team are true culinary professionals within an award-winning, nationally recognized healthcare system. As a valued member of the UNC Health family, our Nutrition and Food team helps to provide top quality Carolina Care, fueling our patients, their families, and our own employees. Our recipe for career success is reflected within our organizational values and what we can offer our team members. Offering a full comprehensive benefits package with up to 5 weeks of paid time off accrued annually, tuition assistance, and highly competitive starting wages. We offer higher hourly wage incentives for those that work night shifts and for prior relevant experience. See yourself at UNC Health and join our One great team!

Become part of an inclusive organization with over 40,000 diverse employees, whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of the unique communities we serve.

Summary:

The purpose of this position is to prepare infant feedings in the Neonatal Intensive Care Milk Room using the specialized formula, fortifiers, donor, and maternal human milk. This position serves as an extension to the NCCC nurses in the health care to neonates at UNC Hospitals' critical care nursery. The expertise in this position is the translation of physician feeding orders to recipes to the preparation of the final feeding product. It is also critical to the quality of care for the utmost precision in calculation, accuracy, and sanitation in the handling and distribution of formula/ human milk to neonates. This position serves the pediatric and infant population, which are the most vulnerable and high risk. The Nutrition Room operates 24 hours per day (12-hour shifts). Flexibility a must. 

Responsibilities:

1. Translates physician feeding orders in EPIC to established recipes. Troubleshoots and clarifies unclear orders. 
2. Fortifies infant formula and human milk with precision using sanitation and established procedures to prevent body fluid or pathogen contamination across maternal/donor human milk bottles. 
3. Uses mathematical calculations to adjust ordered recipe volumes and fortification ingredients. 
4. Ability to scan feedings and inventory. 
5. Participates in maintaining par levels for Prolacta and donor milk. 
6. Maintains accurate inventory of frozen and thawed maternal human milk and donor milk with detailed labeled bottles and milk bins. Reviews inventory daily for missed filed bottles or feeding syringes. 
7. Monitors milk storage, refrigerator, and freezers for temperature standards 
8. Maintains patient orders and recipe records
9. Reports errors and participates in root cause analysis 
10. Participates in continuing efforts to improve the efficiency, safety, and quality of work in the NCCC Milk Room. These efforts consist of identifying problems and making recommendations for improving daily operations. 
11. Works with nursing staff in the admission, discharge, and transfer of infants feeding products 
12. Works with Lactation Services in inventorying and procuring donor breast milk from the human milk bank 
13. Works with Genetics Service in the development of metabolic formulas for Children’s Hospital 
14. Works with NCCC dietitians in recipe development and feeding progressions 
15. Trains new personnel 
16. Ensures all policy and regulatory standards are met including health regulations and TJC standards. 
17. Demonstrates flexibility and professionalism at all times. 
18. Able to handle multiple and often rapidly shifting priorities.

Work Characteristics: 

1. All preparation, labeling, and storage of human milk and formula are strictly controlled by a meticulous procedure to guarantee an accurate calorie per ounce and protein content of the correctly identified human milk. Attention to detail is critical in this position. The ability to accurately weigh on a gram scale, calculate, measure, and mix human milk and infant formula with fortifiers is essential. 
2. Errors in feeding order translation, preparation, mixing, distribution, or failure to properly maintain sanitation may result in a sentinel event such as wrong milk to the wrong baby resulting in the transmission of HIV, Hepatitis, or other deleterious organisms/substances that travel in body fluid. Renal failure, dehydration, and NEC (necrotizing enterocolitis) can also result from erroneously concentrated feeding. 
3. This position requires extensive standing and use of fingers, hands, and arms to mix and syringe products. The criticality of preparation of feeding times with frequent interruptions may result in stress to the employee. 
4. The ability to handle multiple priorities is important in this position. Nutrition Room Technicians handle numerous infant feeding orders, communicate with medical personnel, and maintain par levels of supplies and other duties on a daily basis. 

Other Information

Other information:
Education Requirements:
● Associate's degree from a program approved by the American Dietetics Association for Dietetic Technicians (or equivalent combination of education, training and experience).
Licensure/Certification Requirements:
● No licensure or certification required.
Professional Experience Requirements:
● If an Associate's degree: No prior experience is required.
● If a High School diploma or GED: Four (4) years of dietetic experience.
Knowledge/Skills/and Abilities Requirements:

Job Details

Legal Employer: STATE

Entity: UNC Medical Center

Organization Unit: Nutrition Room 

Work Type: Full Time

Standard Hours Per Week: 40.00

Work Schedule: Day Job

Location of Job: US:NC:Chapel Hill

Exempt From Overtime: Exempt: No