Residence Requirements:

CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT. There is one vacancy at the Erie County Department of Senior Services. 

Examples of Duties:

A Dietitian Consultant is a professional position involving responsibility and accountability for expertise in the field of nutrition and dietetics;

Interprets, monitors, and corrects the conduct of nutritional services relating to the preparation, handling and serving of regular and special diet meals at program commissaries, satellites and dining sites in accordance with regulations, policies, procedures and techniques established for the program;

Performs individual nutritional counseling and group nutritional education;

Instructs and directs performance of contract and sponsor personnel concerning policies, procedures and techniques for preparing and serving of program meals;

Discusses and encourages good nutrition practices among program participants;

Evaluates and offers recommendations and technical assistance for maintenance and improvement of good food service and sanitation practices by commissary and site personnel and volunteers;

Prepares reports of own activities on a regular basis for transmittal to Chief Dietitian and Program Director;

Makes recommendations relative to improvement of dietary policies, procedures and practices.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet one of the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

A) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Bachelor’s degree in Dietetics or Nutrition and three (3) years of experience in dietitian work in a hospital, nursing home or other institutional environment, one (1) year of which must have been in a supervisory* capacity; or:

B) Graduation from an Internship Program in Dietetics (a minimum of 20 hours of post-graduate study) and two (2) years of experience in dietitian work in a hospital, nursing home, or other institutional environment; or:

C) An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A) and (B).

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

Candidates must be an active member of the American Dietetic Association and be a Registered Dietitian or registration eligible.

Candidates must possess and maintain a valid New York State motor vehicle driver’s license and have automotive transportation available for use.

Notes:

1. *Supervision – Responsible direction and control of subordinate employees.  This involves the assignment of work, approval of work, training, evaluation and discipline of employees.  The supervisory aspects must be an integral part of the job, not incidental or occasional.     

2. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full-time experience requirements.

3. Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. A grade of "D" or better is necessary for a course to be credited as successfully completed. If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.

Notice to Candidates: Transcripts will now be accepted by the Department of Personnel ONLY at time of application.
All subsequent transcripts must be submitted at time of interview.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However, candidates may find information in the publication 'General Guide to Written Tests' helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at:https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm.

Subjects of Examination:

Scopes / Subjects of examination: A test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas.

Educating and interacting with the public
These questions test for knowledge of techniques used to interact effectively with individuals and/or community groups, to educate or inform them about topics of concern, to publicize or clarify agency programs or policies, to negotiate conflicts or resolve complaints, and to represent one's agency or program in a manner in keeping with good public relations practices. Questions may also cover interacting with others in cooperative efforts of public outreach or service.

Preparing written material
These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.

Basic nutrition and dietetics
These questions test for knowledge of basic nutrition and dietetics, including such areas as the nutritional value of foods, nutritional needs of client populations, balanced diets, foods and their relationship to health, and food purchasing and preparation.

Patient/client dietary care
These questions test for knowledge of the relationship of nutrient intake to health and to restorative and rehabilitative medical treatment. Topics may include the selection of foods in accordance with a person's preferences, history, and medical condition; foods included/excluded in commonly used special diets; and providing counseling and education about nutritional needs.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES: Unless otherwise noted, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculators. Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited. You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.