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Chapter 9.
Culinary Careers in Healthcare
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Learning Objectives1. List four types of healthcare institutions where a
chef might work. 2. Discuss three ways in which patients may order
meals in a hospital.3. List three foodservices, other than patient meals,
that are often offered in hospitals. 4. Explain the following terms: trayline, Registered
Dietitian, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations,
continuing care retirement community, assisted living, and nursing facility (home).
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Learning Objectives5. Discuss potential
advantages and challenges of working in a hospital and in a continuing care retirement community.
6. Compare the earnings of a restaurant chef/head cook to those of a hospital chef/head cook.
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Learning Objectives7. Describe the job outlook for chefs in hospitals and continuing care retirement communities. 8. Explain why a chef would belong to these
professional organizations. 9. Read an interview and identify the interviewee’s
career path and current job functions.10. Describe a typical organizational design for a
hospital food and nutrition department.
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Types of Healthcare Institutions Hospitals Continuing care
retirement communities
Assisted-living facilities
Nursing facilities Community service
programs such as Meals-on-Wheels
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How Patients May Order Meals
In a Hospital Paper menu
Spoken menu
Room service menu
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In addition to feeding patients, hospital foodservices also are responsible for: Café Catering Additional retail services (varies):
Convenience store Kiosks or cart service Home meal replacement Bakeries Branded fast-food restaurants Vended foods and beverages
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Trayline A conveyor belt that
carries patient trays along as employees put certain foods and beverages on each tray. The last employee checks that the tray contains the right items and loads it into a cart to go up to the hospital floors.
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Registered Dietitian (RD) An individual with extensive nutrition
background who has completed: at least a bachelor’s degree from an
accredited college or university a program of college level dietetics courses
accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education
a supervised practice experience a qualifying examination
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Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations: A regulatory agency that evaluates and accredits
thousands of healthcare facilities and programs in the U.S.
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Long-Term Care Facilities Continuing Care
Retirement Communities
Assisted Living Facilities
Nursing Facilities (commonly called nursing homes)
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Potential Advantages & Challenges:Hospitals
Potential advantages: Satisfaction of helping
others. Good pay and benefits. More nights and
weekends off than in restaurants.
Catering and café offer many culinary opportunities.
Potential challenges: Patients can be very
demanding. Making tasty food
despite dietary restrictions.
Multiple dining areas. Café customers need
value and variety. Finding good
employees. Facility is open 24/7.
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Potential Advantages & Challenges:Continuing Care Retirement
Communities
Potential advantages: Satisfaction of helping
others. Good pay and benefits. More nights and
weekends off than in restaurants.
Catering offers opportunities for creativity.
Potential challenges: Customers can be
demanding, looking for value and variety.
Modified diets. Multiple dining areas. Finding good
employees.
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Pay Comparisons Average Hourly Average Annual
Pay Salary Restaurant Chef/Head Cook $14.80 $30,780 Hospital
Chef/Head Cook $18.43 $34,740
Source: 2003 OES National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2003.
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Job Outlook for Healthcare Chefs The population over 65 years old will
continue to increase. Projected rates of employment growth
range from 12.8% for hospitals to 34.3% for residential care facilities and nursing facilities.
Excellent job outlook for chefs in CCRCs.
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American Society for Healthcare Food Service
Administrators Affiliate of the American Hospital
Association. Members include food and nutrition
service management professionals in hospitals, CCRCs, nursing homes, and other healthcare facilities.
Excellent for seminars, publications, and networking.
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Dietary Managers Association
Members work in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities as well as hospitals and other settings.
Offers Certified Dietary Manager and Certified Food Protection Professional certifications.
Offers publications, networking, seminars and conferences.
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National Society for Healthcare Food Service
Management Offers advocacy for independent
healthcare foodservices. Offers management tools to decrease
costs, increase patient and staff satisfaction, and define successful operational performance.
Offers publications, meetings, and networking.
Open only to independent operators.
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More Professional Organizations
American Association for Homes and Services for the Aging Members include not-for-profit nursing homes,
CCRCs, assisted living, and other facilities/providers.
American Healthcare Association: Provides information, education, and
administrative tools to its members including assisted living, nursing facility, and other providers.
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Brent Ruggles, CEC, Corporate Executive Chef, St. Paul and Zale Lipshy University Hospitals
Career path: Restaurant prep cook Restaurant lead dinner
cook Restaurant sous chef College and hotel chef Executive chef at the
Dallas Market Center Executive chef for
Dallas Cowboys and Texas Stadium
Restaurant executive chef
Current job functions: Provide foodservice for
patients, employees, and visitors
Do catering for several hospitals
Provide a number of retail services such as a café, convenience store, gourmet meals for two (to go)
Write menus and develop recipes.
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Organizational Chart - Hospital
Fig 9-1
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Career Paths
Figure PO 2-1
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Education Path Advice
Figure PO 2-4