Diabetes Educator Dietitian - CommonSpirit Health

In 2020, united in a fierce commitment to deliver the highest quality care and exceptional patient experience, Virginia Mason and CHI Franciscan Health came together as natural partners to build a new health system centered around the patient: Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. Our combined system builds upon the scale and expertise of our nearly 300 sites of care, including 11 hospitals and nearly 5,000 physicians and providers. Together, we are empowered to make an even greater impact on the health and well-being of our communities.

CHI Franciscan and Virginia Mason are now united to build the future of patient-centered care across the Pacific Northwest. That means a seamlessly connected system offering quality care close to home. From basic health needs to the most complex, highly specialized care, our patients can count on us to meet their needs with convenient access to the region’s most prestigious experts and innovative treatments and technologies. 

While you’re busy impacting the healthcare industry, we’ll take care of you with benefits that may include health/dental/vision, FSA, matching retirement plans, paid vacation, adoption assistance, annual bonus eligibility, and more!

Job Summary:
This job is responsible for providing group and/or individual diabetes self-management education/training (DSMT) to patients (and family members) so as to enable them to learn techniques to bring their disease under control, avoid potential complications and bring about lasting improvements in quality of life. Educational topics may include blood glucose monitoring, , behavior modification, nutritional/exercise concepts, dietary modification/meal planning, insulin self-management oral medicine self-management, diabetes care during illness/pregnancy, and/or insulin pump management. Education goal is to help the patient learn the tools to prevent short and long term complications related to uncontrolled diabetes. An incumbent assesses patient needs and develops an individualized education plan of care to facilitate the development and application of needed skills to positively impact diabetes management.
Since education has been recognized as key to the management of diabetes, work requires professional expertise in not only in the disease state, but also in education, motivation techniques for behavior change, and translating the science of nutrition and medicine into practice to help people with diabetes to manage the disease themselves.
Work requires either current licensure as a registered nurse (RN) or current certification as a Dietitian, with commensurate advanced education in the specialty area. Certification as a CDE (Certified Diabetes Educator) is strongly preferred.

Essential Job Duties:

• Assesses and evaluates individuals with diagnosed diabetes (e.g. Type 1, Type 2, gestational diabetes) to identify knowledge deficits and assess education needs; reviews physician’s referral information relating to patient’s diagnosis and related medical conditions/medications; identifies the patient’s specific diabetes self-management and medical nutrition therapy goals, and develops unique educational care plan to best meet individual needs and lifestyle; confers with referring provider or provider’s office staff regarding patient’s individual care plan and progress; establishes and records baseline data for use in monitoring and evaluating ongoing progress.
• Conducts group training and behavioral intervention to educate patients/families in diabetes, identify self-management objectives and modify behavior and lifestyle; topics include overall diabetes management, coping with the disease and managing risk factors; motivational techniques, healthy eating and physical activity; how their medications work, and monitor their blood glucose; explains the risk of complications; documents diabetes education activities and interventions in accordance with established procedures. Must be knowledgeable about insulin delivery systems including insulin pumps, as well as continuous glucose monitoring systems.
• Monitors and documents ongoing patient progress to ensure lifestyle and behavior have been adapted to facilitate effective diabetes self-management skills; Conducts individual training sessions for patients who need to work on specific diabetes self-care skills in order to reduce existing risk factors (e.g. elevated cholesterol/triglyceride levels, etc) or for other medically-necessary reason; Follows up where progress is less than expected and initiates intervention in accordance with established procedures.
• Makes assessments relating to the need for insulin adjustment to control blood sugar within scope of practice as authorized by physician’s (or qualified non-physician practitioner) order; test blood sugar and/or give insulin injections; consults and interprets existing protocols to determine appropriate adjustment; notifies physician of change.
• Maintains and applies current knowledge of diabetes disease processes and continuous advances in diabetes understanding/treatment and self-management principles, standards, practices and tools; keeps abreast of the latest clinical advances and related methodologies/protocols. Obtains 15 continuing education credits every calendar year, in the area of diabetes education and diabetes self management training.
• Receives questions from patients and families and provides timely responses within scope of practice; consults with and refers patients to other healthcare providers as required to triage and address emergency, specific and/or changing needs
• Monitors and evaluates effectiveness of training activities, and reviews evaluation data to recommend changes in instructional objectives, methods and programs; participates in the development, revision and evaluation of diabetes educational materials and programs for individuals with diabetes.
• Serves as a liaison/consultant to FMG personnel, students and other professional organizations regarding diabetes education/management; establishes and maintains relationships with other community agencies for referral and networking purposes.
• Exhibits and adheres to CHI Franciscan Health’s Core Values of Reverence, Integrity, Compassion and Excellence.

Education/ Work Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in foods and nutrition (including completion of internship, traineeship, or coordinated undergraduate program)
  Minimum one year of recent work experience teaching hospital inpatient and out-patients with diabetes

OR

• Graduation from an accredited school of nursing (BSN preferred)
  Three years of recent work experience involving the technical aspects of providing nursing care, including a minimum of one year recent work experience involving inpatient diabetes education in a hospital setting.

Licensure/Certifications:

• Either: 1) Certified by the state of Washington as a Dietitian, and registration as a dietitian by the American Dietetic Association; OR 2) current licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN) by the Washington State Board of Nursing.
• Current certification in Diabetes Education (CDE) by the National Certification Board for Diabetic Educators (NCBDE) is strongly preferred.
• Must have a current AHA BLS certification or must be certified within 30 days of hire date.
• Current driver’s license valid in the state of Washington or other evidence of equivalent mobility.