Sea Mar Community Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) founded in 1978, is a community-based organization committed to providing quality, comprehensive health, human, housing, educational and cultural services to diverse communities, specializing in service to Latinos in Washington State. Sea Mar proudly serves all persons without regard to race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, or sexual orientation, and regardless of ability to pay for services. Sea Mar's network of services includes more than 90 medical, dental, and behavioral health clinics and a wide variety of nutritional, social, and educational services. We are recruiting for the following position:
Position Summary
The Nutrition Assistant Certifier I is responsible for WIC participant enrollment, termination,
orientation, benefit delivery and maintaining client files. He or she also performs preliminary participant
risk assessment and some basic nutrition education, identifies and makes nutrition and other health or
community service referrals. She/he also assists with the Nutrition Program clerical support including,
but not limited to; completing participant reports, maintaining records and monthly statistics.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following listed below. The
Nutrition Assistant Certifier I may be required to perform other duties as assigned.
ADMINISTRATIVE
- Maintains complete up-to-date WIC charts (documenting counseling session as specified by
program guidelines in legible form), and statistical program records including but not limitedto;
documentation flow sheet, WIC diet records, certification sheets, weight/height grids, child
evaluation sheets, infant birth outcomes, and appointment scheduling.
- Establishes and maintains professional working relationships with WIC team members and other
Sea Mar staff. Serves as liaison between Nutrition/WIC and other clinic and community services
and makes referrals as appropriate.
- Assists with the clerical and statistical program work as needed.
- Attends selected clinic, MSS, Preventative Health Services division and WIC meetings and
participates in continuing education.
- Assists with breastfeeding promotion and community nutrition education, including travel as
needed.
- Works efficiently with self-direction.
CLINICAL
- Demonstrates knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the
patients served.
- Demonstrates knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span.
- Able to identify and categorize each patient’s age-specific grouping needs, such as those for
infant, adolescent, or geriatric patients.
- Interviews clients from diverse populations, reviews and documents client history,
anthropometric and laboratory data, and reviews current eating habits.
- Uses standard assessment tools and follows department policies and practices to perform
screening procedures such as weighing and measuring, taking hematocrits hemoglobin, plotting
growth grids, and reviewing dietary evaluations.
- Compares information collected to program criteria to accurately determine WIC eligibility and
nutrition risk factors.
- Refers clients to appropriate health or community service resources. Identifies when high-risk
clients need immediate attention of Dietitian and makes appropriate referrals and facilitates the
appointment.
- Provides individual and group nutrition education according to program guidelines, utilizing
client appropriate methods and materials.
- Provides program orientation, nutrition requirements and assists in scheduling client
appointment, considering all programmatic and client needs.
- Determine appropriate food package, explains nutrient content of WIC foods, identifies
contracted food vendor, issues manual or computerized food benefits, and documents benefit
issued.
- Maintains patient rights and confidentiality; documents vendor and participant complaints and
infractions.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
- This person must sign an oath of permanent confidentiality covering all patient-related
information.
- This person must receive a background check from the Washington State Patrol.
- Must have and maintain Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR certification bi-annually and TB test annually.
- The Nutrition Assistant shall sign and date the job description to affirm the validity of the
information herein and to signify compliance with the conditions of employment, minimum
qualifications and an understanding of the job responsibilities.
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential
functions.
- Abilities and aptitudes for developing effective community and personnel relationships are
important.
- Also important is the ability to work comfortably and effectively with individuals and groups
from diverse cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Able to deal patiently and empathetically with multicultural clientele, even under stressful
conditions.
- Able to work cooperatively as a member of the health care team.
- Works efficiently with self-direction.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
- Possess writing skills sufficient to be understood by a dietitian, receptionist, WIC coordinator,
and the WIC participant.
- Bilingual, bicultural - English/Spanish preferred.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS
- Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers,
common fractions, and decimals.
REASONING ABILITY
- Ability to understand a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule
form.
Education, Certificates, Licenses, Registrations, and Medical Screening
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE
- High School or GED diploma.
- One year previous experience as WIC Clerk and/or in WIC program desired.
- Interest and experience in basic nutrition and childhood development desirable.
- Completion of the Minimum Paraprofessional Competencies (a set of standards defined by
Washington State WIC Program) within guidelines set in WIC/Nutrition Policies and
Procedures.
- Must have and maintain a TB test annually.
- This position must obtain Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR within 90 days of hire date and is
required to maintain current BLS CPR throughout employment.
Additional Requirements
- Pre-hire and annual employee health screening required
- Annual influenza vaccine required. Only exception is for employees with a medical or religious
exemption approved by Administration. Employees with an approved medical or religious
exemption must wear a mask at all time during the flu season.
Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee
encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be
made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Ability to travel in
Western Washington in a timely manner performing the work described above.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to moderately high.
Physical Requirements
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to
successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to
enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to walk; use hands to finger,
handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to
stand and sit. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or
crawl. Incumbent must be able to lift 35 pounds above 4 feet without assistance. Specific vision abilities
required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth
perception, and ability to adjust focus. Able to sit at computer terminal or desk for extended periods of
time.
Sea Mar offers talented and motivated people the opportunity to work in a dynamic and growing community health organization. Working at Sea Mar Community Health Centers is more than just a job, it’s a fulfilling career with opportunity for advancement. The fringe benefits surpass most companies. For example, Full-time employees working 30 hours or more, receive an excellent benefit package of:
Sea Mar is an equal opportunity employer.
Please visit our website to learn more about us at www.seamar.org. You may also apply thru our Career page at this link.
