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
• Registration
• (1) 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
• (2) Exception for Dietitians who do not possess the RDN credential
• (a) Non-credentialed Dietitians who meet the basic qualification requirements and have fulfilled the requirements below, but do not possess the RDN credential, may be given a temporary full-time appointment not to exceed one year under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405(c)(2)
• i Non-credentialed Dietitians must have fulfilled each of the following A Earned a bachelor's or higher degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college, university or foreign equivalent (refer to ii below)
• B Completed an ACEND accredited experiential or supervised practice program and provide a verification statement from the program director that conveys eligibility to take the CDR registration exam as a prospective RDN
• A list of ACEND accredited programs is located on the ACEND website or at ACEND Accredited Programs Directory
• ii Foreign Education
• To be creditable, college and/or university degrees earned outside the U.S and its territories must be evaluated by ACEND and meet ACEND's International Dietitian Education standards which are designed to provide graduates with the knowledge and competencies to sit for the CDR credentialing exam
• (b) Non-credentialed Dietitians may only be appointed at the GS-07 or GS-09 grade level and may not be promoted/converted until they obtain their RDN credential
• 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).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:Dietitian (Facility Program Coordinator), GS-12 Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level Dietitian (Clinical), GS-11
• (a) Skill in delivering patient care using the NCP (e.g., assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation)
• (b) Skill in interpreting research to apply evidence-based nutrition practices to improve patient outcomes
• (c) Skill in developing patient-centered goals
• (d) Skill in analyzing data for performance improvement studies
• (e) Skill in collaborating with stakeholders
• (f) Ability to comply with various accrediting, regulatory and agency authorities
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of program administration establishes program goals and objectives, coordinates activities, evaluates accomplishments and solves problems
• (b) Skill in developing quality improvement or research activities
• (c) Skill in developing training and reference materials
• (d) Ability to develop policies and procedures
• (e) Ability to provide program-specific coordination to include leadership, technical advice and staff development Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• 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.