Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. Open to current, permanent employees of the Sioux Falls VA Health Care System to include its CBOCS, and, Veterans of the Canteen Service.

This opening is for a Dietitian (Advanced Practice Level) who will work with Chronic Kidney Disease patients.

Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• 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.
• Leads nutrition research studies or performance improvement and communicates findings through reports, abstracts, presentations and/or peer reviewed professional publications.
• Presents at seminars, workshops, and lectures to convey current nutrition information on new and changing concepts.
• May perform other related duties as assigned which are appropriate for this grade and assignment.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am to 4:00pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: PD99523S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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).
• Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
• English Language Proficiency. Dietitian candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

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: All individuals assigned to this occupation must meet all the basic qualification requirements in paragraph 3 a-f and all the requirements defined in the specific assignment.

Dietitian (Advanced Level Practice), GS-12

• Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11).
• 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.
  • Please Note: This position requires an Advanced certification as a Board Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience and certification above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • Skill in leading a team in the implementation of nutrition-related activities.
  • Skill in utilizing evidence- based practice guidelines to establish or modify goals and improve patient outcomes.
  • Ability to communicate in writing to develop policies and standard operating procedures.
  • Ability to serve as a nutrition expert, providing technical guidance, direction and staff development.
  • Ability to lead research or performance improvement studies.
  • Ability to present complex nutrition information to a large group of health care providers to persuade and influence provision of care.

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

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.

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:

• Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation
• Board Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition - Advanced Certification
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

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
• Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation
• RECOMMENDED: Responses to Knowledge, Skills and Abilities - Can Be Found Under the Qualification Section of the Job Opportunity Announcement
• Board Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition - Advanced Certification
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Next steps