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Lifepoint Health
Escondido, California

Clinical Dietitian

DietitianFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the pay range, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 1mo ago

Job Description

Your Experience Matters

Palomar Health Rehabilitation Institute is part of Lifepoint Health, a diversified healthcare delivery network with facilities coast to coast. We are driven by a profound commitment to prioritize your well-being so you can provide exceptional care to others.

As a Clinical Dietitian, joining our team, you’re embracing a vital mission dedicated to making communities healthier ®. Join us on this meaningful journey where your skills, compassion and dedication will make a remarkable difference in the lives of those we serve.

How you'll contribute

A Clinical Dietitian who excels in this role:

  • Provides clinical nutrition services for hospitalized patients, including assessment, care planning, education, and discharge coordination.
  • Oversees menu management and staff education related to therapeutic diets, allergens, and nutrition standards.
  • Supports regulatory survey readiness and participates in on-site survey activities to ensure compliance.
  • Participates in the survey process by guiding staff on conduct and disclosure, maintaining an on-site presence with surveyors, coordinating timely responses to information requests, and initiating corrective action during surveys as appropriate; collaborates with hospital departments to develop plans of correction.
  • Conducts initial nutrition assessments and reassessments for all admitted patients and prioritizes high-risk referrals in accordance with policy.
  • Ensures complete and timely documentation, including assessments, care plans, education, and discharge planning, in accordance with hospital policy and regulatory standards.
  • Provides oversight of the menu management process to align offerings with therapeutic diet orders and patient needs.
  • Educates managers and staff on therapeutic diets, food allergens, and related topics and serves as a subject-matter resource.
  • Collaborates with physicians, nursing, speech therapy, case management, and Food & Nutrition Services to optimize patient outcomes and experience.
  • Supports performance improvement initiatives, audit readiness, and policy updates related to clinical nutrition and food service operations.
  • Maintains patient safety and privacy and follows infection prevention and allergen-control practices.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.

What we’re looking for

Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree or higher in Dietetics or a nutrition-related field.

Certifications

  • Registered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration; state license/certification if required.

Skills & Experience

  • Prior acute-care experience preferred.
  • Clinical nutrition assessment and care planning; clear documentation; knowledge of therapeutic diets and allergen management; effective teaching/presentation skills; ability to collaborate across disciplines; strong organization and follow-through; survey readiness and compliance awareness.

Why Join Us

We believe that investing in our employees is the first step to providing excellent patient care. In addition to your base compensation, this position

also offers:

  • Comprehensive Benefits: Multiple levels of medical, dental and vision coverage for full-time and part-time employees.
  • Financial Protection & PTO: Life, accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity insurance, short- and long-term disability, paid family leave and paid time off.
  • Financial & Career Growth: Higher education and certification tuition assistance, loan assistance and 401(k) retirement package and company match.
  • Employee Well-being: Mental, physical, and financial wellness programs (free gym memberships, virtual care appointments, mental health services and discount programs).
  • Professional Development: Ongoing learning and career advancement opportunities.

More About Palomar Health Rehabilitation Institute

Palomar Health Rehabilitation Institute is a state-of-the-art, 52-bed inpatient acute rehabilitation hospital dedicated to helping individuals regain their independence and return to the lives they love following an injury or illness.

EEOC Statement

Palomar Health Rehabilitation Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Palomar Health Rehabilitation is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity for all applicants and employees and complies with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination and harassment in employment.

Lifepoint Health is a leader in community-based care and driven by a mission of Making Communities Healthier.

Our diversified healthcare delivery network spans 29 states and includes 63 community hospital campuses, 32 rehabilitation and behavioral health hospitals, and more than 170 additional sites of care across the healthcare continuum, such as acute rehabilitation units, outpatient centers and post-acute care facilities.

We believe that success is achieved through talented people. We want to create places where employees want to work, with opportunities to pursue meaningful and satisfying careers that truly make a difference in communities across the country.

We employ and provide care to people from all walks of life. We are committed to promoting healing, providing hope, preserving dignity and producing value with an inclusive workforce in which diversity is leveraged, respected, and reflective of the patients, family members, customers and team members we serve.

Key Responsibilities

The Clinical Dietitian provides comprehensive nutrition services, including patient assessments, care planning, and education within an acute rehabilitation setting. They also oversee menu management, ensure regulatory compliance, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to optimize patient outcomes.

Requirements

Candidates must hold at least a Bachelor's degree in Dietetics or a nutrition-related field and be registered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Prior acute-care experience is preferred, along with strong knowledge of therapeutic diets and clinical documentation standards.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Patient educationInterdisciplinary collaboration

Dietitian Career Context

Of the 50 active Clinical Nutrition listings this role was benchmarked against, 34% are remote, 28% have no call, 60% require no weekends.

In California, the Clinical Nutrition weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$93k (109 salary observations; 316 listings), vs ~$78k nationally (906 salary observations; 3,973 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-01-01 through 2026-10-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Clinical Nutrition pay on WeekdayDoc is down 2.0% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Clinical Dietitian at Lifepoint Health a 7.2 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as very good. This places the position in the top 25% in Clinical Nutrition (Dietitian) — ranked against 3,187 active Clinical Nutrition (Dietitian) listings on WeekdayDoc.

Top Dietitian Jobs

42 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution39 jobs · 32 employers

9
<$85k
15
$85k-105k
8
$105k-125k
3
$125k-145k
4
$146k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks27 jobs

401k / retirement match
78% this job
CME allowance
41%
Sign-on bonus
22%
Relocation assistance
7%
PSLF eligible
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Registered Dietitian (Remote)Contract

Receptive · Oregon

$55-$70/hr
#2

Registered Dietitian - Connecticut License (Remote)Contract

Receptive · Remote - Nationwide

$55-$70/hr
#3

Midlife Registered Dietitian (RD) - Licensed in Tennessee

$60-$70/hr
#4

Midlife Registered Dietitian (RD) - Licensed in New York State

$60-$70/hr
+ 40 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 7.2
Better work-life than 80% of Clinical Nutrition (Dietitian) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 3,187 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site

Living in Escondido

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$801k
Typical market rent
$2,547/mo
Residents’ average commute
28 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
111.9
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.

Lifepoint Health logo

About Lifepoint Health

Hospitals and Health Care
Gallatin, Tennessee
201-500 employees

Benefits & Perks

Comprehensive Benefits
Financial Protection
PTO
Tuition Assistance
Loan Assistance
401(k) Retirement Package
Company Match
Employee Well-being Programs