Health Technician (Dietetic)

Full Job Description

This position is located in the VA Butler Healthcare System, New Castle Road Campus.

The primary purpose of the position is to provide administrative and customer service support for the VA hospital food service program.

The incumbent performs routine duties that require exceptional customer service, computer skills, proper phone etiquette, proficiency in special food service and therapeutic diet procedures, a broad knowledge of routine modified diets.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/09/2026.You may qualify based on your experience and/or education s described below: For GS-05 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Managing patient meal requirements including but not limited to: missed patient meals, late tray requests, patient meal ordering, and adherence to prescribed therapeutic diet.

Monitoring to ensure food items/menu selections for regular and therapeutic diets are prepared and served appropriately (i.e. accuracy, timeliness, appearance, and temperature, dysphagia food testing).

Triaging calls from inpatient/outpatient clinics and procedure areas related to patient meal/nourishments.

OR, For GS-5: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Communication Computer Skills Customer Service Flexibility Food Service Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Reading Comprehension Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week.

Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities.

Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

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.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Major Duties:

Major duties include but are not limited to: The incumbent will practice excellent customer service skills in all forms of communication, either via telephone, e-mail or in-person.

The incumbent must also practice proper business telephone etiquette while answering the phone. When communicating with customers, incumbent will be pleasant, friendly, personable, and professional.

Incumbent will welcome callers courteously and identify themselves/ the service/ the organization. Communicates effectively via telephone and in-person and uses strong listening and speaking skills.

Properly operates telephone equipment in order to transfer or place calls on hold. The incumbent will consider both verbal and nonverbal aspects of communication.

The Incumbent will maintain the vital connection between Nutrition Communication Center (NCC) Associates, Registered Dietitian, higher graded dietetic technicians, food service staff, Nursing, patients and guests.

NCC Associate will follow local-facility policies and standard procedures for patient feeding, including but not limited to missed patient meals, late tray requests, patient meal ordering, and adherence to prescribed therapeutic diet.

NCC Associate will take whatever action necessary, within their authority, to maximize patient satisfaction with meal service.

NCC Associate prints, prepares and reviews meal tickets according to local facility procedures. NCC Associate completes select and nonselect menus as required.

Triages calls from inpatient units or outpatient clinics and procedure areas relating to patient meal trays or nourishments at the lowest level and will refer issues that cannot be resolved to Food Service Supervisor or other as determined by local policy.

The incumbent will retrieve computerized information/printouts to assist with tray and/or nourishment assembly such as standing orders, nourishment labels, tabulated recipe lists, and other simple information to assist in meal delivery.

Organizes work to complete assignments.

Has thorough knowledge of basic and routine modified diets and is able to provide basic level education and information on local facility therapeutic diets to patients, guests, and nursing staff.

Makes referrals to dietetic technician and/or dietitian as needed for more thorough diet education.

May complete quality monitors to ensure food items and menu selections for regular and therapeutic diets are prepared and served appropriately (i.e.

accuracy, timeliness, appearance, and temperature, dysphagia food testing). Assists patients in selection of the proper foods according to their individual diet.

Uses communication skills to converse with veteran's to accurately take menu orders via COTS Dietetic software System.

Must possess multitasking skills when entering menu orders and improving quality of life of veterans through social interaction.

Uses computer skills to precisely and swiftly move between functions in software systems and effectively log on and off the computer system.

Work Schedule: 5:00am-1:30pm, with rotating days off, working some weekends and holidays. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Health Technician (Dietetic)/PD99796S Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized