Provides nutrition services to patients/clients in clinics, healthcare institutions or homes within designated program or units.
Positions in this class include community and public health Nutritionist Supervisors and Nutrition and Dietetic Technician Registered (NDTR) practitioners.
Assists in planning, delivering, managing and evaluating nutrition services in designated programs or units for a specific target population, e. g., prenatal, infants, home health services or chronic diseases. Assesses nutritional status of low-risk individuals and families by performing or evaluating anthropometric measurements, biochemical tests and clinical, dietary, economic and social data. Develops nutrition care plans for low-risk patients, their families and health care team members. Develop education lesson plans and visual aids. Assists in developing educational materials for the health care teams, nutrition staff and other professionals in the community. Assists in developing nutrition and therapeutic diet educational materials for use in counseling patients/clients. Some staff supervise, including scheduling work assignments of nutrition personnel to ensure adequate coverage and use of available staff.
Knowledge of the science and practice of human nutrition and public health nutrition as related to the promotion of health. Knowledge of food composition and major sources of nutrients. Knowledge of principles of supervision, personnel management and consultation. Knowledge of social, cultural and economic factors related to the nutritional status and dietary habits of individuals and families. Working knowledge of human behavior and techniques for the modification of eating habits. Ability to communicate effectively. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff members of other human service agencies.
Some positions may require registration with the Commission on Dietetic Registration and licensure with the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.
A bachelor’s degree in nutrition, dietetics, public health, family and consumer sciences, health education or related degree with emphasis on nutrition.