The Health Technician (Dietetic) (NFS Ambassador) serves within Nutrition and Food Services (NFS) at a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center. The position provides essential customer service, administrative, and food service support to ensure Veterans receive accurate, timely, and appropriate meals and nourishments in accordance with prescribed therapeutic diets.
DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.
Major duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Provides professional and courteous customer service to Veterans, family members, nursing staff, and other healthcare personnel. Receives and processes patient meal orders using computerized dietetics software and established procedures. Conducts patient meal rounds to assess satisfaction, resolve meal service concerns, and coordinate necessary corrections.
Serves as a liaison between Veterans, registered dietitians, nursing personnel, and food service staff regarding meal service needs. Responds to inquiries concerning meal orders, late trays, missed meals, nourishments, and available menu selections. Provides basic information regarding therapeutic diets and refers complex dietary questions to appropriate clinical nutrition personnel.
Enters, retrieves, and verifies patient meal orders, diet modifications, food preferences, and nourishment requests using computerized dietetics software. Reviews diet orders and menu selections to ensure accuracy and compliance with prescribed dietary restrictions. Prepares, prints, and reviews meal tickets, menus, nourishment labels, and related food service documentation.
Identifies and communicates discrepancies involving diet orders, nutritional supplements, and special meal requirements to appropriate personnel. Coordinates menu changes, meal substitutions, and special dietary requests with food service supervisors and clinical staff. Maintains accurate records and assists with implementing established contingency procedures during computerized system interruptions.
Supports daily Nutrition Communication Center operations and assists with training other staff as needed. Assists with meal tray preparation, distribution, delivery, and retrieval in accordance with established procedures. Prepares and distributes patient nourishments and supplemental feedings according to prescribed orders. Verifies patient identification using two patient identifiers before delivering meals.
Maintains cleanliness, organization, and proper storage of food and nourishment supplies. Monitors food storage areas, rotates inventory, and removes outdated food and beverages. Supports quality improvement activities to promote meal accuracy, food safety, and patient satisfaction. Performs other related duties as assigned.
Work Schedule: Part-Time, Monday, Thursday, Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm; Saturday 9:00am - 5:30pm Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician (Dietetic)/PD99855S Physical Requirements: The work requires walking, standing, bending, lifting and carrying of light items, such as food trays, instruction materials, books, and manuals.
NCC Associate functions require long periods of sitting and moving about in an office environment, including repetitive motion activities of the hands and fingers for extensive keyboard and computer mouse use, and office tasks such as answering and holding a telephone phone, and writing. The work may require walking indoors, outdoors or to and from other areas of the medical center. It may be necessary to lift and/or push equipment.
Incumbent is subject to periods continuous standing, sitting, walking and frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending. Frequently lifts or moves objects weighing up to 20 pounds and pushing loaded carts of trays and/or nourishments
A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.
If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information your application.
Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.
This position is with Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.
The posted pay range is $40736 – $52957/yr.
This position requires a Other security clearance.
Applications close on 2026-11-04.
This is a 32 Hours position.
This position is open under the 'Fed Transition' hiring path.
Source: USAJOBS.gov — U.S. Federal Government · Retrieved 2026-10-27 · Not affiliated with or endorsed by OPM or USAJOBS.gov
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