Patient Dining Assistant

Overview

Patients feel comfortable seeking your advice on meals and snacks. You have a keen understanding of their dietary restrictions and how to choose the best food options. Your caring and competent nature fits well with the Legacy mission of making life better for others.

As a natural “people person,” the Patient Dining Assistant communicates with patients in-person or via phone to help them place their meal orders based on dietary restrictions. As a valuable member of the food and nutrition team, the Patient Dining Assistant accurately inputs menu selections, responds to requests from nursing units and makes sure that patients’ meals are consistent with their diet orders.

Provides excellent customer service, acting as the Nutrition Services "greeter" who directly communicates with patients by telephone or in person. Serves meals to patients in a professional, efficient manner; instructs patients on meal ordering system; assists patients in placing meal orders; assesses the patients capabilities to utilize the meal order system; completes calorie counts – recording patient intake; clearly communicates diet order restrictions to patient; participates as part of the food and nutrition team – with nurses, dietitians, and other staff. Takes patients' orders, menu choices for their meals or snacks. Accurately inputs menu selections, prints, meal tickets, responds to printed requests from nursing units, assuring patient choices are consistent with their diet orders.

Responsibilities

• Answers telephone calls from patients, nursing staff, and others.
• Enters patient menu selections and other patient information into computer system accurately and in a timely manner demonstrating computer literacy.
• Responds to telephone and printer generated meal choices and inquiries utilizing established scripts as applicable.
• Verifies diet orders and confirms that patient requests are appropriate for the specified diet order; delivers appropriate menu for diet order.
• Assures all call center processes are performed smoothly and on schedule – including generating/distributing reports from Computrition/Electronic Health Record, meeting benchmark standards for length of calls, etc.
• Serves meals and between meal nourishments to patients in a professional and efficient manner.                                    
• Assists patients and/or family members in placing meal orders utilizing established scripts; assesses patient’s ability to utilize the meal order system and follows up with the appropriate staff member if unable to participate.
• Processes diet requisitions retrieved from nursing stations and coordinates additional call center processes between nursing units and production.      
• Orders and replenishes floor stock items on nursing units.
• Retrieves completed meals from patients’ rooms in a timely manner and records nutrient intake from meals
• Communicates with members of other Food and Nutrition Department and other departments effectively and concisely regarding patient support concerns/issues, requests, and other special circumstances; acts as a Food and Nutrition Department liaison.
• Portions food items in proper containers utilizing proper portion sizes.
• Anticipates patient/team member needs and services them; when conflicts/concerns arise, he/she takes ownership of the problem and ensures a positive resolution. Participates in departmental quality improvement activities.
• Serves as a quality assurance control point for every aspect of the room service program.
• Performs other duties as requested/assigned.

Qualifications

Education:

• High school diploma or equivalent preferred.
• Experience in customer service environment, and computer operations required.
• Experience in high volume call center, and food service operations with knowledge of therapeutic diets are preferred.
• Registered Diet Technician preferred.

Skills:

• Knowledge of specialized diets, hospital processes, medical terminology, along with emergency codes and responses are essential for this position.
• Experienced in use of computers, with focus on data input, production reports/tallies.
• Ability to work efficiently without direct supervision; time management skills are essential.
• Ability to manage high call volumes – to courteously receive patient phone calls, process the information and accurately enter into computer system.
• Demonstrates the ability to speak clearly and be easily understood in a positive and professional manner.
• Ability to complete all conversations in a positive and helpful manner while meeting time management expectations.
• Ability to understand and determine patient requests when language or communication style may be difficult to understand, or other patient complications exist.
• Ability to triage and manage requests to ensure that customer service and essential job functions are always maintained.
• Ability to understand, operate and problem solve office equipment issues.
• Ability to interact effectively with hospital and department computer software programs.
• Ability to understand and utilize patient nutrition related information.
• Ability to successfully negotiate patient meal choices during phone interactions.

LEGACY’S VALUES IN ACTION:

Follows guidelines set forth in Legacy’s Values in Action.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Vet/Disabled

Licensure

Current Food Handler’s Certificate/Card for applicable County/State.