The Patient Dining Assistant will provide meal assistance, including meal selection, service and retrieval, to patients on a daily basis based on physician’s diet orders.  Assistant will accurately serve food and beverages to patients in accordance with the patient’s diet prescription and verbally communicate patient concerns with the clinical dietitian i.e. education needs, inadequate meal consumption. 

The Patient Dining Assistant will consistently demonstrate support of the Shirley Ryan Abilitylab statement of Vision, Mission and Core Values by striving for excellence, contributing to the team efforts and showing respect and compassion for patients and their families, fellow employees, and all others with whom there is contact at or in the interest of the institute.

The Patient Dining Assistant will demonstrate Shirley Ryan Abilitylab Core Attributes: Communication, Accountability, Flexibility/Adaptability, Judgment/Problem Solving, Customer Service and Shirley Ryan Abilitylab Values (Hope, Compassion, Discovery, Collaboration, & Commitment to Excellence) while fulfilling job duties.

Principal Responsibilities

The Patient Dining Assistant will:

1. Assist patients with making appropriate daily menu selections. 
2. Prepare, assemble and deliver patient meal trays and snacks in accordance to physician diet orders. 
3. Calculate modified diets/fluid restrictions, calories, etc. for meals only. 
4. Stock the pantries on the nursing units with patient food. 
5. Perform assorted kitchen duties including sanitation, set-up and completion of temperature logs. 
6. Utilize computer to generate patient diet orders and process snacks and tube feedings.
7. Perform all other duties that may be assigned in the best interest of Shirley Ryan Abilitylab.

Required Skills Required Experience

1. Communication and Influence:  Verbal and written communication skills to convey information that may be somewhat complex, and/or to others who may have limited knowledge of the subject in question. 
2. Technical Knowledge:  Full use and application of basic diet information.  Ability to successfully complete training and achieve passing score on all competency tests.
3.  Interpersonal Relations:  Ability to develop and maintain professional, trusting, positive working relationships with patients, supervisors, nursing and ancillary staff, and managers.  
4. Diversity Awareness:  Ability and willingness to be aware of, understand, respect, and value the diverse cultural, ethnic, gender, age, educational, professional, etc. backgrounds and styles of others and to adapt one‘s own behavior based on that understanding.  
5. Customer Focus:  Ability and willingness to provide excellent service to patients and clients (the customers).  This includes seeking to meet customer needs, expectations, and demands quickly and effectively; remaining calm and professional when dealing with difficult customers; receiving complaints from customers and taking action to remedy the complaint; and treating the customer as valuable. 
6. Drive and Dependability:  Ability and willingness to demonstrate optimism, and passion when working.  These include demonstrating commitment, persistence, and heightened personal effort in the face of obstacles and adversity; pursuing excellence for self and organization; having a sense of urgency; and possessing ambition.  
7. Stress Tolerance and Flexibility:  Ability to work productively and effectively in a fast-paced, stressful, demanding, and/or ambiguous work environment.   
8. Communication:  Clear and Professional communication is required.
9. Physical Demands: The job requires physical activity that includes near constant standing, bending, walking and balancing; occasional kneeling, climbing, stooping/crouching.  The individual must have the ability to frequently lift and/or carry items weighing up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift/carry items weighing up to 50 pounds. Work also requires frequently pushing carts and racks requiring push forces ranging from 10 lbs to 50 lbs.

Reporting Relationships

Reports directly to Patient Services Manager

About Shirley Ryan AbilityLab

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is the first-ever "translational" research hospital where clinicians, scientists, innovators and technologists work together to advance Human Ability.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified.

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

REQUIRED OF AN INTERN: Must be able to travel throughout the term of the internship Must be able to work independently and in a team based environment Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills Excellent problem solving and analytical skills Effective time management skills Proficient in Excel, PowerPoint and Word

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Student currently enrolled and pursuing a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution Student with a minimum overall cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher Ability to work at least 40 hours per week during the internship period starting May 2021 Possess and maintain a valid and unrestricted driver's license Ability to provide own transportation to/from the job site Legally authorized to work in the United States without company sponsorship

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Student currently enrolled and pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in accounting, finance, or business (with a focus in accounting or finance) from an accredited institution Student with a minimum overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher Student with SAP experience