Clarification from the agency

Current, permanent, Department of Veterans' Affairs employee NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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- Serves as a professional and technical advisor to staff and other health care professionals
- Represents the Clinical Nutrition Section on projects, committees and/or workgroups within the department and facility.
- Assumes full responsibility for planning, directing, and assessing the work and competence of subordinate staff.
- Collaborates with other managers in the medical center to negotiate and/or make decisions on NFS related matters affecting clinical operations.
- Provides Clinical Nutrition Section specific leadership and exercises a full range of supervisory and personnel management authorities and responsibilities
- Develops procedures and guidelines for clinical operations and monitors compliance with regulatory standards and policies and procedures.
- Participates in performance improvement efforts within Clinical Nutrition section, acting on quality improvement data and plans.
- Leads the action planning process to attain goals and resolve deficiencies.
- Identifies and prioritized problems, sets long and short-term goals, identifies action plans for the clinical section and nutrition programs.
- Builds and implements contingency plans within the section, ensuring continuity of clinical operations in all internal and external emergency situations.
- Executes the training plan for the clinical section and ensures staff remain up to date on advances and changes in medical nutrition therapy. Orients and trains employees related to clinical nutrition and appropriate policies and procedures. Assists with new employee onboarding.
- Ensures that materials utilized in Veteran education are evidence-based, using current literature and research.
- Analyses data (i.e., event capture, clinic utilization) to recommend allocation of clinical nutrition resources.
- Ensures evidence-based guidelines are integrated into clinical practice.
- Ensures Veteran education materials are written with based on evidence based guidelines, current literature, practice, and research.
- May perform other related duties as assigned which are appropriate for this grade and assignment.


Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00 pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: Supervisory Dietitian (Clinical) - 000000
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 identification 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 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

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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. 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.
      • 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.
      • (c) Non-credentialed Dietitians must provide care under the supervision of a RDN at or above the full performance level.
      • (d) Temporary appointments of non-credentialed Dietitian will not be extended beyond one year or converted to a new temporary appointment. 3
      • (e) Failure to Obtain Registration. In all cases, Dietitians must actively pursue meeting registration requirements starting from their appointment date. At the time of appointment, servicing Human Resources (HR) staff in collaboration with the supervisor, will provide non-registered Dietitians the written requirement to obtain registration, the date by which they must acquire it and the consequences for not doing so by the deadline. Failure to obtain registration within one year from the date of appointment will result in removal from the Dietitian, GS-0630 occupation and may result in termination of employment.
  • c. Loss of Credential. In collaboration with HR Office staff, management officials must immediately relieve employees who fail to maintain the required registration/certification of duties and responsibilities associated with the occupation and/or assignment, which may also result in separation from employment.
  • d. Grandfathering Provision. Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and registration/certification, where applicable. Employees appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, either on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. The following provisions apply to employees who do not meet all the qualification requirements:
    • (1) Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to a lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or be newly placed in a supervisory or managerial position.
    • (2) Employees must meet the assignment-specific certification/education requirements to be placed in Dietitian (Advanced Level Practice) or Dietitian (Dietetic Internship Director) assignments.
    • (3) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or registration/certification that meet all the qualification standard's basic or assignment-specific requirements must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation/assignment.
    • (4) Employees retained in this occupation under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re- entry in the occupation
  • f. 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: GS-12 Supervisory Dietitian (Clinical Nutrition) Experience Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-12 do you possess at least 1 year of experience as an RDN/RD equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) which demonstrates the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities? - Knowledge of accrediting requirements in clinical nutrition in order to assess staff compliance and implement performance improvements. - Skill in serving as a nutrition expert to provide technical guidance, direction and staff development. - Skill in Evidence-Based Nutrition Practice Guidelines in order to develop, implement and coordinate best practices. - Skill in establishing goals and objectives in order to coordinate activities, evaluate accomplishments and solve problems. - Ability to supervise subordinate staff (i.e., plan, organize, delegate, direct, control and review activities and performance). - Ability to analyze data in order to recommend allocation of resources.

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-13.

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.