A clinical nutrition manager’s take on a nutrition staffing company

Acute and long term care consultant dietitians fill gaps

Raise your (virtual) hand if you work in health care and have been asked to do more, with less. We see this every day in the world of clinical nutrition staffing. With the ever-increasing focus on health, nutrition and overall wellness, registered dietitians and clinical nutrition managers in hospitals, long term care facilities and other sites nationwide are maxed out.

“Our time is constantly stretched,” said former clinical nutrition manager, Sarah Bourque, MS, RDN, CD-N. “As a clinical nutrition manager, my role often shifted beyond managing dietitians and into the unknown world of Human Resources.” Hiring a new employee isn’t part of the didactic program or dietetic internship, so how can a RD or CNM be sure they’re going through the right steps to hire the best dietitian for the job, in the most efficient way possible?

“When it came time to hire a new dietitian, my food service director and I were responsible for handling the many tasks involved — from posting the position, to reviewing resumes, conducting interviews, and negotiating salary and benefits,” Sarah said. “After the hiring process was complete, we were still responsible for managing and paying for that employee’s benefits, which is very very time consuming.”

Time is money, especially in the fast-paced world of health care. This is exactly where a clinical nutrition staffing company like Dietitians On Demand fits in.

“I see there being multiple benefits to working with a contract dietitian company like Dietitians On Demand,” Sarah said. “Not only can you select from a large pool of vetted, competent dietitians, but DOD will manage the HR piece for you.” This not only saves time and money, but leaves the Registered Dietitian and/or Clinical Nutrition Manager free to do what they were trained do – improve patient care outcomes and keep the facility’s nutrition department in compliance.

So, why use a nutrition staffing company?

1. More time

Utilizing a staffing company keeps the focus on patient care and managing employees.

2.Less searching

You don’t have to worry about creating a job description or figuring out where and how to post a job to a job board.

3. Quality matters

With a contract dietitian staffing company, you’re guaranteed a vetted, qualified dietitian whose skills have been assessed prior to placement. And with Dietitians On Demand, if the dietitian we sent isn’t a great fit, we’ll find someone else at no additional cost.

4. Cost savings

You’re safe from IRS and Department of Labor worker misclassification penalties. Utilizing a staffing company means the company assumes the employee risk first.

“With their W-2 employees, Dietitians On Demand covers the employer tax, workers’ compensation, liability insurance, screening, and the many other hiring costs,” Sarah said. “The employer can gain back valuable time and have a sense of confidence knowing that the facility is in compliance and the dietitian is being taken care of. That is a huge added value!”

As you know, a registered dietitian has a specialized skill set, and often there aren’t many of them onsite. Instead of utilizing a dietitian for recruiting and hiring – tasks for which they weren’t necessarily trained – partner with an expert nutrition staffing company like Dietitians On Demand to help you find a high-quality dietitian next time you need coverage.