Dietitian (Advanced Level Practice)-Diabetes Educator

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.
• Registration. All applicants must hold the RDN credential from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing agency of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Note: Applicants who hold the RDN credential have met the education requirement (e.g. bachelor's degree or higher) of CDR, as such this occupation is considered professional and scientific with a positive education requirement and the procedures in Part I, Chapter 4 of this Handbook will be followed when applying Veteran's preference.
• English Language Proficiency. Dietitian candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations:GS-12
Advanced Level Practice
Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11), which is defined as: Delivering patient care using the NCP (e.g., assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation); Interpreting research to apply evidence-based nutrition practices to improve patient outcomes; Developing patient-centered goals; Analyzing data for performance improvement studies; Collaborating with stakeholders; Complying with various accrediting, regulatory and agency authorities.

Certification. Must hold an advanced practice certification from a nationally recognized certifying body such as the Commission on Dietetic Registration, the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists or the National Board of Nutrition Certification. The certification must be directly related to the assignment being filled. For example, where the assignment requires diabetes management, a Board Certified-Advanced Diabetes Management or Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialists certification is qualifying.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience and certification above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(a) Skill in leading a team in the implementation of nutrition-related activities.
(b) Skill in utilizing evidence- based practice guidelines to establish or modify goals and improve patient outcomes.
(c) Ability to communicate in writing to develop policies and standard operating procedures.
(d) Ability to serve as a nutrition expert, providing technical guidance, direction and staff development.
(e) Ability to lead research or performance improvement studies.
(f) Ability to present complex nutrition information to a large group of health care providers to persuade and influence provision of care.

All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience in your resume may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA in your application package.

Assignment. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Employees in this assignment serve as an Advanced-Level Dietitian. They conduct comprehensive nutrition assessments for Veterans using the NCP assuring high-quality nutrition care under an advanced and expanded scope of practice. Advanced-Level Dietitians lead a multi disciplinary team developing nutrition-related services, policies, procedures and/or protocols. They provide consultative services regarding advanced therapies and research in providing quality nutritional care. Advanced Level Dietitians develop, monitor and direct practice-specific benchmarks based on standards of care or national initiatives. They utilize knowledge, expertise, principles and/or current research to plan, implement and evaluate organizational initiatives. Advanced-Level Dietitians lead the implementation of new nutrition initiatives or a change in practice to achieve strategic goals. They establish goals, measure outcomes and report progress toward meeting goals to medical center committees, health care teams and/or professional groups. Advanced-Level Dietitians lead staff, create and validate competencies and develop training activities. They lead nutrition research studies or performance improvement and communicate findings through reports, abstracts, presentations and/or peer-reviewed professional publications. Advanced-Level Dietitians present at seminars, workshops and lectures to convey current nutrition information on new and changing concepts. This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation.

Preferred Experience: Required to be a Certified Diabetes Educator. Preference for certified trainer in Continuous glucose monitors (Dexcom, Libre & Medtronic). Preference for certified trainer in insulin pumps (Medtronic, Tandem & Omnipod)

References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/154 PART II APPENDIX G20 October 14, 2022

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.