Karina Almanza, CSUN 2017-2018 Dietetic Intern

R.D., Deborah Lomax, Pacifica Hospital of the Valley

Selective Menu: Interview Summary

Table 1. The table below demonstrates the number of items that will be offered for each component of a
non-Selective Menu Regular (black), along side of the number of additional items that will be changed
when implementing the Selective Menu Regular (Green for addition and Red for subtraction).

Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Juices/ Fruits 2 2 Appetizers 1 ------ 2 ------

Entrees 3 1 Entrees 1 1 1 1

Bread 1 2 Bread 1 4 1 5

Beverages 6 4 Beverages 6 4 6 4

Accompaniments 2 2 1 2
Cereal 1 5
Desserts 6 1 2 1

Table 2. The table below demonstrates the number of items that will be offered for each component of a
daily Selective Menu. The shades colors represent as follows when compared to a Regular Non-Selective
Menu: Red = Decrease of item, Green = Increase in item, Gray = No change in number of item.
Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Juices/ Fruits 4
Appetizers 1 2
Cereal 6

Entrees 2 2
Entrees 4
Accompaniments 2 2

Breads 3 Breads 5 6

Beverages 10 10
Beverages 10
Desserts 2 2

Questions:
1. What position are you? What do you do/ what do your duties entail?
2. What food does your job focus on?
 3. Are you full-time or part-time?
4. Do you feel you need more help/ more staff to achieve your current workload?
5. If implementing the selective menu, do you feel there should be an increase in staff for your
position?
a. If so, how many additional individuals should be hired?

Individuals Interviewed:
Position Name

AM Cook Victor

PM Cook Danilo

Sandra

Salad Room Lourdes

AM Trayline Reymundo

Diet Clerk Norma

Carlito

Alicia

Abigail

Norma
1. Works in the morning, starts at 9:30 am but comes in earlier to get spoons, forks, and napkins
ready; prepares about a total of 220 per morning (BHU ~100 and 3M ~120). Takes snacks to
PHU.
- 10:00 am, snacks are prepared for the 2:30 pm delivery and the 8:00 pm delivery
- 11:00 am- checks and logs room temperature of every floor (3M), and refrigerator temperature
(estimated 9 different refrigerators)
- 4:00 pm takes 8:00 pm snacks to each room.
- Goes to ER and checks for water and soda
- Prepares sandwiches, about 45-46 for BHU, 6 for 3M and 4 for CCU.
2. Prepares and delivers food
3. Part-time
4. Doesnt think she needs help at the moment but does mention that for the position she has, the
individual completing it needs to be quick, always rushing. Sometimes she thinks another person can help
with her job right now but she is able to complete the job.
5. When implementing the selective menu, suggests to hire 1-2 more Diet Clerks that complete tasks like
hers.
Victor (AM Cook)
1. AM cook that cooks food for patients; prepares about 90- 100 meals per breakfast and lunch.
2. Job focuses on cooking food for patients, trayline during the weekends.
3. Full-time
4. Depends on the menu but already has been doing the job for so long, that he doesnt feel he needs
too much help outside of the Cook Helper and occasionally the help of the AM Cafeteria Cook.
The Helper comes in at 9:30 am on weekdays but on weekends, Victor comes in and does trayline
by himself. More help would be desired on weekends specifically.
5. More help would be needed, maybe more part-time. More help during the weekend.

Danilo (PM Cook)

1. Cook patient's food for dinner and help AM cook for lunch.
2. Cooks patients food, about 90 meals for dinner are prepared
3. Full-time
4. Does not think he needs any help at the moment
5. Does not think the selective menu would require an additional PM cook; mentions that only the
AM cook needs help for lunch.

Lourdes

1. Food Service Worker

2. Prepares food for Salad bar and Tray line; deals with fresh food preparation. Works every other
weekend, she works on regular menus first and then saves special menus for last. Makes sure to
sanitize everything, finishes at around 10:30 am and starts trayline at 11:00 am. Maria from the
cafeteria helps whenever possible and takes over after 1:30 pm.
3. Full-time
4. Has expressed that she needs an extra person/ additional help on Mondays.
5. After implementation of the Selective Menu recommends 1 more person being hired because of
the salad and fruit preparation.

Reymundo

1. AM Trayline
2. Follows the perforated menu tickets for each patient, nourishments at 10:00 am. Prepares about
40-50 red and white napkin/ utensil bundles and sends it to 3M, ER, along with food and trays. At
12:00 pm to 12:30 pm, prepares late trays,
3. ?
4. Does not think he needs ay additional help at the moment
5. Does not think he needs any additional help after the menu changes

Diet Staff

Carlito
 1. Diet Clerk
2. Evaluates allergies, portion size tally sheet, checks everything is correct on tray line. When he is
in the diet office, he updates the menu as needed, checks the menu for morning to be processed
and make sure that diet matches menu, Makes changes to menus according to patients health
concerns or personal preferences.
3. Full-Time
4. Does not think he needs additional help at the moment
5. Expresses that additional help might be needed depending on how many patients are being
served.

Alicia

1. Diet Technician
2. Does i nitial screening, admission, date of birth, interviews patients about appetite, chewing,
special diet, supplementation (vitamins), usual body weight, any digestive issues (nausea,
diarrhea or vomiting), allergies and preferences. After interviewing patient, goes to diet office and
inputs all of patients information online, waits for dietitians to place labels of condition of
patient, and the creates care plan. Preferences are placed on menus. Types care plan, scans
assessment and care plan.
3. Full-time
4. Right now, the office Is short by one person. There are usually 4 individuals; 1 AM, 1 PM, 1
Assessor and 1 Extra to help technician.
5. Suggests that after implementation of the selective menu, 2 additional diet clerks to help
technicians would be helpful.

Table 3. The table below demonstrates the additional staff desired to compensate the adjustments of
implementation of the Selective Menu, along with hours and payment.

Positi Hours Days Pay Rate Weekly

on

1 Late Tray 11:00 am 7:30 pm 3.5 $11.00/ hr $327.25

line

1 PM Cook 11:00 am 7:30 pm 3.5 $11.00/ hr $327.25

1 Salad Room 9:30 am 6:00 pm 3.5 $11.00/ hr $327.25

Worker

1 Diet Clerk 9:00 am 5:30 pm 3.5 $11.00/ hr $327.25

 2 Dishwasher Various 3.5 $11.00/ hr $327.25
Lunch ~ 11:00 am 7:30 pm
Breakfast ~ 6:00 am 2:30 pm

Rational for additional position and hours of position

Late Tray Line
Late admissions, late tray preparation
PM Cook
To be with the tray line person and prepare food the late tray line person will prepare
Salad Room Worker
Prepare lunch and dinner food items
Diet Clerk
Check with each patient for preference in food served/ selected and tally it, diet list, create tally
accommodating to patients conditions and personal preferences, check diet order.
Dishwashers (2)
Implementation of new dishes instead of Styrofoam