Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. Open to all US citizens. Current permanent VA, Federal employees and HPTs should apply to the internal announcement. Veterans Preference applies to this JOA.

• Leads dietitians and specialty, multidisciplinary teams in developing nutrition related services, policies, procedures and/or protocols.
• Provides comprehensive medical nutritional care applying the NCP in a specialty program, and/or a variety of patient care settings. Bases individualized nutrition interventions on the best available research and/or evidence-based guidelines and best practices.
• Provides nutrition education to individuals, small and large groups, peers, licensed practitioner(s), medical students, interns, and residents as applicable.
• Provides consultative services regarding advanced therapies, policies, procedures, and research in the provision of quality nutritional care.
• Develops, monitors, and directs practice-specific benchmarks based on standards of care or national initiatives.
• Utilizes knowledge, expertise, principles and/or current research to plan, implement and evaluate organizational initiatives.
• Leads the implementation of new nutrition initiatives or a change in practice to achieve strategic goals.
• Establishes goals, measures outcomes and reports progress toward meeting goals to medical center committees, health care teams and/or professional groups.
• Leads staff, creates, and validates competencies and develops training activities

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 8-430pm
Telework: Ad Hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: PD000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

The VA St. Louis Health Care System includes two medical centers and seven community based-outpatient clinics offering a wide range of nutrition services, including acute care, long-term care, mental health, psychiatric, primary care, and specialty services. As a clinical dietitian, you may be required to cover any area within the diverse health care system.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

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.
• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) or Registered Dietitian (RD) - Must be registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing branch of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics formerly known as the American Dietetic Association (ADA).

Current VHA Dietitians that qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision may not be promoted to a higher grade if they do not meet the current RDN/RD requirements.

Grade Determinations: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.

Education: Master's degree or higher from an accredited university or college.

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. Commonly held certifications include Board Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition; Board Certified Specialist in Gerontological Nutrition; Registered Dietitian Nutritionist-Advanced Practitioner; Certified Nutrition Support Clinician.

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.

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.

SUPERVISORY CONTROL:

• The full performance works under the general supervision of the Supervisory Dietitian, GS-12 or above, who establishes objectives and department priorities.
• The incumbent functions independently for all professional and technical aspects of clinical nutrition. They are responsible for planning and organizing their own work, coordinating with staff and management personnel as appropriate.
• Work is reviewed for technical adequacy and conformance with VHA procedures and practices.

Preferred Experience: CDCES preferred, consideration for individuals who plan to obtain CDCES within 1 year of employment.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: The population of male and female veterans served ranges from the adult, age 18, to the elderly adult, age 65 and over. VASTLHCS is a major interdisciplinary teaching facility, serving medical, surgical, and neurological inpatients and outpatients. There is a large outpatient psychiatric population, with visits to the Emergency Department and admissions for medical comorbidities. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary. to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. Then incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on organizational needs. The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A preplacement physical examination is not required.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Transcript

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

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