Dietetic Technician
Field of Study — Public Health & Nutrition
Dietetic technicians help assess, plan, implement and evaluate nutrition services and programs for hospitals, schools, businesses and others. They usually work as members of health care teams and are supervised by a registered dietitian and/or administrator.
Depending on their work setting, dietetic technicians:
- obtain and evaluate patients’ diet histories.
- help patients plan meals within their food budgets and prescribed diets.
- counsel individuals or groups at risk for poor nutrition.
- assist with the food service operations.
- develop and/or test nutritional products.
- arrange for the purchase and storage of food, supplies and equipment.
- supervise food production and service, including quality control, sanitation and safety.
- use computers to calculate payroll, record laboratory data and verify diet orders.
Educational Requirements
Students interested in becoming dietetic technicians should take well-rounded course work in high school, including science, English and business.
Most employers prefer applicants who are graduates of a two-year associate’s degree program approved by the American Dietetic Association. To be registered, graduates also must pass an exam given by the Commission on Dietetic Registration.
Educational Institutions
Virginia Colleges and Universities
Virginia Hospitals and Health Care Facilities
Professional Associations
- American Dietetic Association
Attn: Membership Recruitment
216 W. Jackson Blvd.
Suite 800
Chicago, IL 60606-6995
(312) 899-0040
1-800-877-1600, ext. 4844
http://www.eatright.org - The American Society for Clinical Nutrition
9650 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20814-3998
(301) 530-7110
http://www.faseb.org/ascn - Virginia Dietetic Association
P.O. Box 439
Centreville, VA 20122-0439
(703) 815-8293
http://www.eatright-va.org