Food Services Worker - 1st Shift

Job Title: Food Services Worker – 1st Shift

Job Description

The Food Services Worker assembles, customizes, and delivers patient meal trays in a hospital nutritional services department, ensuring that all meals align with patient diet orders and preferences. This role supports patient satisfaction and safety by accurately preparing trays, documenting intake, and communicating closely with nursing and hospitality staff in a refrigerated and clinical environment.

Responsibilities

• Assemble tray carts of patient lunch and dinner meal trays using patient selections and diet orders, ensuring accuracy prior to re-thermalization in a refrigerated environment.
• Customize patient meal trays with requested drinks, desserts, rolls, and other items before delivering them to patient care units.
• Set up patient food service stations on the tray line for breakfast according to tally sheets or established par levels, and assist in assembling patient breakfast trays.
• Deliver meal trays and snacks to patients on assigned units, replacing missing items and offering alternative selections for patients on regular diets.
• Coordinate with the Hospitality Service Office to verify appropriate options for patients on restricted diets and ensure compliance with diet orders.
• Refill hot beverages and condiments from the hospitality cart during rounds on assigned units.
• Inform unit nursing staff of refused trays, missing trays, or patients who were not in their rooms at delivery time.
• Document food and liquid intake for selected patients according to established procedures.
• Retrieve meal trays from patient rooms and unit kitchens, ensuring no personal items remain on trays.
• Strip food carts and breakfast meal trays, sort and rinse dishes and silverware as preparation for washing.
• Assist in washing breakfast dishes and trays in accordance with department standards.
• Deliver menus to patients on assigned units, explain the menu process, and assist patients in completing their selections.
• Ensure proper condiments are noted for each patient’s menu choices and recommend or offer alternative selections when needed.
• Complete host round sheets to confirm every patient has been contacted and return menus and round sheets to the Hospitality Service Office.
• Check with the Hospitality Service Office for new admissions or diet changes on assigned units and promptly deliver updated menus and diet awareness cards to patients.
• Complete requests for and deliver NOW trays/meals, discharged trays, guest trays, and isolation trays, obtaining appropriate nursing staff sign-off prior to delivery.
• Inventory and stock the hospitality cart and/or hospitality basket to ensure adequate supplies for patient service.
• Deliver bulk nourishments to units as requested, following established procedures.
• Provide clerical support to the Hospitality Service Office, including answering telephones and following up on requests and issues communicated by unit-based hospitality staff.
• Produce standard computer reports such as meal tallies, diet orders, nourishment labels, patient meal tray tickets, and patient menus using the designated computer system.
• Enter patient meal selections and special food preferences, including those for therapeutic diets, accurately into the computer system.
• Attend departmental in-service sessions and, when requested, assist with training or department initiatives.

Essential Skills

• Demonstrated food preparation experience in a high-volume or institutional setting.
• Ability to follow recipes, measure ingredients accurately, and perform basic cutting and portioning tasks.
• Strong customer service skills with the ability to interact courteously and professionally with patients and clinical staff.
• Capability to work in a refrigerated and clinical environment while maintaining food safety and hygiene standards.
• Basic computer literacy to generate reports and enter patient selections, diet orders, and preferences into a computer system.
• Attention to detail to ensure accurate tray assembly according to diet orders and patient selections.
• Effective communication skills to coordinate with nursing staff and the Hospitality Service Office about patient needs and tray status.
• Ability to stand, walk, and perform repetitive tasks throughout a full shift in a fast-paced environment.
• Reliability and punctuality to support a consistent 1st shift schedule, including required weekend availability.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Previous experience in food service within a hospital or healthcare environment is highly beneficial.
• Experience documenting intake or working with patient-facing documentation is an advantage.
• Familiarity with therapeutic diets and basic nutrition concepts is helpful for supporting patient dietary needs.
• Comfort working with dishwashing equipment, tray-line setups, and hospitality carts in a nutritional services department.
• Ability to learn and follow hospital policies, infection control procedures, and safety protocols.
• Strong organizational skills for managing menus, host round sheets, and bulk nourishment deliveries.

Why Work Here?

This role offers a contract-to-hire pathway with the opportunity to transition into a permanent position at a major hospital and gain access to comprehensive hospital benefits. Team members are recognized for strong attendance and performance, with opportunities for raises based on consistent reliability and high-quality work. The environment supports professional growth, stability, and the chance to make a meaningful impact on patients’ daily experience.

Work Environment

The position is based in a hospital nutritional services department, working closely with clinical units and hospitality staff. The role involves frequent movement between the kitchen, tray line, refrigerated areas, and patient care units. Standard equipment includes tray-line stations, hospitality carts and baskets, dishwashing areas, and computer systems used for meal tallies, diet orders, and menu management. The scheduled shift is 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with schedules released every two weeks and required weekend availability. The environment is fast-paced and patient-focused, with an emphasis on cleanliness, food safety, and adherence to hospital procedures and infection control standards.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Washington, DC.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $18.00 - $18.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job

classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be

subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits

available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Washington,DC.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 27, 2026.

About Aerotek

Aerotek® Inc. provides staffing and services solutions in manufacturing, logistics, construction, aviation, facilities and maintenance. We provide the expertise, solutions and people required to rise to the challenges of North American industry. Headquartered in Hanover, Md., Aerotek operates a unified network of over 200 offices across North America, supporting more than 18,000 clients each year. Aerotek is an Allegis Group company, the global leader in workforce and business solutions. To learn more, visit: Aerotek.com | 1-888-AEROTEK.

Aerotek offers weekly pay, employee benefits including medical, dental & vision, life insurance, health advocacy and employee assistance programs, a 401(k) plan, and employee discounts.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regards to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector:

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):

We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.