Dietetic Apprentice

Summary

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a the leading cancer centre within the world. Are you interested in nutrition, keen to work in an oncology setting and want to complete an apprenticeship in dietetics? Combine academic and work-based learning to develop the skills, knowledge, and behaviours to practice as a registered dietitian in the UK.

Annual wage

£28,622 a year

Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Includes Outer London HCAS

Training course

Dietitian (level 6)

Hours

Monday - Friday, 8.30am - 4.30pm with some flexibility.

37 hours a week

Possible start date

Thursday 2 January

Duration

4 years

Positions available

1

Work

As an apprentice, you’ll work at a company and get hands-on experience. You’ll gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.

What you’ll do at work

Work with the dietitians and under their guidance and support to provide dietetic advice to patients
Be involved in the initial and follow up nutritional assessments of patients identified by the dietitian, taking diet histories, assessing weight, monitoring nutritional screening tools and food record charts
Assist the dietitians in planning, organising and monitoring patients going home on nutritional support
Assist in reviewing patients nutritional intake as an inpatient, on the day units or as an outpatient
Assist in the planning and co-ordination for patients being discharged on Home Enteral Feeding, including organising training of patients and liaising with relevant health professionals in the community
Facilitate and run group education sessions in liaison with the dietitian e.g. to support groups or patients attending the day units
Using culturally appropriate methods teach/patients/carers about nutrition so that they are equipped, as far as possible, with the knowledge and skills to introduce positive dietary and lifestyle changes
Assist patients to choose from the hospital menu framework, in line with nutritional care plan designed by the dietitian
Monitor and evaluate the completion of food record charts in those patients identified at risk of nutritional deficiency
Regularly liaise with the dietitian regarding patients’ progress
Monitor and order stock levels of stationary and nutritional products, including stock rotation both within the store room and ward level
Document blood biochemistry for individual patients under the guidance of the dietitian
Assist the dietitian in co-coordinating health promotion and promoting the work of the dietitians i.e. open days, information stands for staff
Keep monthly statistics of all patients seen to fulfil the department’s information requirements
Work with the consultant dietitian and catering department with meal tasting, auditing meal services, analysing menus and training housekeepers
Provide some secretarial and administrative support to the Dietitians
Typing minutes, agendas, letters, reports and other documents and filing
Dealing with general telephone enquiries, and receiving and relaying messages appropriately
Photocopying
Communicate information as required to staff
Develop and maintain patient databases, including processing of outpatient referrals and waiting lists
Responsible for booking and organising outpatient dietetic clinics

Where you’ll work

Downs Road

Sutton

SM2 5PT

Training

An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.

College or training organisation

SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITY

Your training course

Dietitian (level 6)

Equal to degree

Course contents

Identify the limits of own practice and when to seek advice or refer to another professional or service.

Recognise the need to manage own workload and resources safely and effectively, including managing the emotional burden that comes with working in a pressured environment.

Keep own skills and knowledge up to date.

Maintain high standards of personal and professional conduct.

Engage in safeguarding processes where necessary.

Promote and protect the service user’s interests at all times.

Respect and uphold the rights, dignity, values, and autonomy of service users, including own role in the assessment, diagnostic, treatment and/or therapeutic process.

Recognise that relationships with service users, carers and others should be based on mutual respect and trust, and maintain high standards of care in all circumstances.

Obtain valid consent, which is voluntary and informed, has due regard to capacity, is proportionate to the circumstances and is appropriately documented.

Apply legislation, policies and guidance relevant to own profession and scope of practice.

Recognise the power imbalance which comes with being a health care professional, and ensure it is not for personal gain.

Identify own anxiety and stress and recognise the potential impact on own practice.

Develop and adopt clear strategies for physical and mental self-care and self-awareness, to maintain a high standard of professional effectiveness and a safe working environment.

Recognise that they are personally responsible for, and must be able to, justify their decisions and actions.

Use own skills, knowledge and experience, and the information available, to make informed decisions and / or take action where necessary.

Make reasoned decisions to initiate, continue, modify or cease treatment or the use of techniques or procedures, and record the decisions and reasoning appropriately.

Make and receive appropriate referrals, where necessary.

Exercise personal initiative.

Demonstrate a logical and systematic approach to problem solving.

Use research, reasoning and problem-solving skills when determining appropriate actions.

Make reasoned decisions to accept or decline requests for intervention.

Respond appropriately to the needs of all different groups and individuals in practice, recognising this can be affected by difference of any kind including, but not limited to, protected characteristics, intersectional experiences and cultural differences.

Recognise the potential impact of own values, beliefs and personal biases, which may be unconscious, on practice and take personal action to ensure all service users and carers are treated appropriately with respect and dignity.

Make and support reasonable adjustments in owns and others’ practice.

Actively challenge barriers to inclusion, supporting the implementation of change wherever possible.

Demonstrate sensitivity to factors that affect diet, lifestyle and health and that may affect the interaction between service user and dietitian.

Adhere to the professional duty of confidentiality.

Respond in a timely manner to situations where it is necessary to share information to safeguard service users, carers and/or the wider public and recognise situations where it is necessary to share information to safeguard service users, carers and/or the wider public.

Use effective and appropriate verbal and non-verbal skills to communicate with service users, carers, colleagues and others.

Communicate in English to the required standard for their profession.

Work with service users and/or own carers to facilitate the service user’s preferred role in decision-making, and provide service users and carers with the information they may need where appropriate.

Modify own means of communication to address the individual communication needs and preferences of service users and carers, and remove any barriers to communication where possible.

Use information, communication and digital technologies appropriate to own practice.

Keep full, clear and accurate records in accordance with applicable legislation, protocols and guidelines.

Manage records and all other information in accordance with applicable legislation, protocols and guidelines.

Use digital record keeping tools, where required.

Work in partnership with service users, carers, colleagues and others.

Contribute effectively to work undertaken as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

Identify anxiety and stress in service users, carers and colleagues, adapting own practice and providing support where appropriate.

Identify own leadership qualities, behaviours and approaches, taking into account the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion.

Demonstrate leadership behaviours appropriate to own practice.

Act as a role model for others.

Promote and engage in the learning of others.

Empower individuals, groups and communities to make informed choices including diet, physical activity and other lifestyle adjustments.

Work with service users to implement changes in interventions in line with new developments, evidenced-based practice and their outcomes.

Engage in evidence-based practice.

Gather and use feedback and information, including qualitative and quantitative data, to evaluate the responses of service users to own care.

Monitor and systematically evaluate the quality of practice, and maintain an effective quality management and quality assurance process working towards continual improvement.

Participate in quality management, including quality control, quality assurance, clinical governance and the use of appropriate outcome measures.

Evaluate care plans or intervention plans using recognised and appropriate outcome measures, in conjunction with the service user where possible, and revise the plans as necessary.

Demonstrate awareness of the principles and applications of scientific enquiry, including the evaluation of treatment efficacy and the research process.

Critically evaluate research papers.

Change own practice as needed to take account of new developments, technologies and changing contexts.

Gather appropriate information.

Analyse and critically evaluate the information collected.

Select and use appropriate assessment techniques and equipment.

Undertake and record a thorough, sensitive, and detailed assessment.

Undertake or arrange investigations as appropriate.

Conduct appropriate assessment or monitoring procedures, treatment, therapy or other actions safely and effectively.

Critically evaluate research and other evidence to inform own practice.

Engage service users in research as appropriate.

Accurately assess nutritional needs of individuals, groups and populations, in a sensitive and detailed way using appropriate techniques and resources.

Analyse and critically evaluate assessment information to identify nutritional needs, develop a diagnosis and develop intervention plans including the setting of timescales, goals and outcomes.

Critically evaluate the information gained in monitoring to review and revise the intervention.

Monitor the progress of nutrition and dietetic interventions using appropriate information, techniques and measures.

Use nutritional analysis programs to analyse food intake, records and recipes and interpret the results.

Use statistical, epidemiological, and research skills to gather and interpret evidence to make reasoned conclusions and judgements to enhance dietetic practice.

Choose the most appropriate strategy to influence nutritional behaviour and choice.

Undertake and explain dietetic interventions, having regard to current knowledge and evidence-based practice.

Advise on safe procedures for food preparation and handling and any effect on nutritional quality.

Advise on the effect of food processing on nutritional quality.

Advise on menu planning, taking account of food preparation and processing, nutritional standards and requirements of service users.

Interpret nutritional information including food labels which may have nutritional or clinical implications.

Demonstrate awareness of relevant health and safety legislation and comply with all local operational procedures and policies.

Work safely, including being able to select appropriate hazard control and risk management, reduction or elimination techniques in a safe manner and in accordance with health and safety legislation.

Select appropriate personal protective equipment and use it correctly.

Establish safe environments for practice, which appropriately manages risk.

Empower and enable individuals, including service users and colleagues, to play a part in managing their own health.

Engage in occupational health, including being aware of immunisation requirements.

Your training plan

Dietitian Level 6 Apprenticeship Standard:

An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation
At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

English (grade grades 4 to 9 or C to A*)
Maths (grade grades 4 to 9 or C to A*)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
IT skills
Attention to detail
Organisation skills
Customer care skills
Problem solving skills
Administrative skills
Number skills
Team working
Initiative
Non judgemental
Patience
Physical fitness
Patient Confidentiality Aware

Other requirements

The candidate will have the ability to recognise difficulties and problem solve and to work with unwell patients. An understanding of equal opportunities and awareness of Cultural Diversity. The ability to lift and handle objects eg nutritional feeds up to 5kg in weight.

About this company

The Royal Marsden NHS Trust is the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe with a national and international reputation for high quality patient care, research & development and education. It is situated on 3 sites; two in Central London and one at Sutton in Surrey.

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship the post holder will be eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Dietitian

Ask a question

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