Cook - Hospice Inpatient Unit

The Cook is responsible for:

• Stores, prepares and serves food to patients as outlined in established policies and procedures.
• Responsible to complete dietary logs and tracking forms, as assigned.
• Serves food to the patients by preparing food trays or serving to dining table.
• Arranges for snacks to be served to the patients 24 hours/day, 7 days per week.
• Stocks snacks in the refrigerator in the dining room, as needed.
• Serves food to patients and/or families, as requested.
• Prepares and serves food for special inpatient events and meetings, as approved and assigned by the inpatient DON.
• Operates all equipment in the dietary department in a safe manner.
• Maintains sanitary conditions in the dietary department by cleaning work areas and equipment after each meal preparation following policies and procedures.
• Monitor and record the temperature of the refrigerator and freezer areas in the kitchen and dining room. Record temperatures of the refrigerator and freezer daily.
• Cleans all dietary related equipment according to the cleaning schedule as assigned by the Dietitian and Inpatient DON.
• Picks up food trays. Clears and clean dining table. Strips trays and loads dishwasher.
• Responsible for cleaning of entire kitchen area (including floors) according to the kitchen cleaning schedule.
• Maintains regular communication with the DON to review caseload and help with managing needs (this may include unusual or potentially problematic patient/family issues).
• Initiates communications with hospice staff members and other facilities as needed to coordinate optimal care and use of resources for patient/family members.
• Maintains regular communication regarding the patients needs and reports changes in the patients condition.
• Attends patient conferences and facilitate discussions to their staff as needed.
• Works in cooperation with the family/caregiver and nursing staff to coordinate patients dietary needs.

* Ability to work with others as an effective team builder and team player.

* Skilled as establishing/maintaining working relationships with key staff.

* Ability to work autonomously, take initiative, set priorities, organize work, and make independent decisions.

* Excellent communication skills.