MightyRecruiterDietary aides work under the leadership of dieticians in medical and food service facilities. They follow the guidelines of specific nutritional dietary programs. They help prepare food and drinks according to individual dietary requirements.
To write a great dietary aide job description, you should indicate what the must-haves are for the position. Most companies won’t hire someone for this job without a high school diploma or an equivalent. Experience in food service or health care may also be required to be successful in this role.
Excellent dietary aides are able to follow both verbal and written directions accurately. They must be incredibly detail-oriented and dependable in their position. In the dietary aide job description template below, you can get a clear idea of what this kind of job posting should look like.
Dietary Aide Job Summary
Are you looking to take your experience in food service into a new direction? Our hospital organization is looking for enthusiastic and reliable individuals to work in our nutrition services department as dietary aides. You will have the chance to assist and learn from our highly qualified certified dieticians with meal planning and food preparation for hospital patients. You will put your knowledge and attention to detail to good use to put together each patient’s meal depending on their specific dietary requirements. If you are dedicated to improving the patient’s meal experience and providing tasty, nutritional food to those who patronize our hospital, this is the job for you.
Job Responsibilities
- Make meals for patients depending on specific dietary guidelines recommended by nutritionists, dieticians and physicians
- Prepare individual meals for patients in special circumstances or on limited diets, such as gluten-free, liquids only, low-fat, low-calorie, dairy-free or vegetarian
- Review planned menus for the hospital with other nutritional services staff, and create new menus for patients in the future
- Follow all appropriate food safety guidelines by avoiding cross-contamination and making sure all food is stored at the appropriate temperatures
- Wash dishes, trays and utensils after meals are consumed and returned back to the food services kitchen from the patient’s room
- Record information about consumption amounts by each patient on specific dietary instructions, and share the details with the dietary supervisor
- Maintain a clean and orderly workspace by wiping surfaces with cleaners, organizing supplies and keeping all materials separated and tidy
- Wear the appropriate kitchen staff gear to ensure safe food handling, such as gloves, hair nets, aprons and other items essential to the uniform
Job Skills & Qualifications
Reqiured:
- High school diploma or an equivalent certificate
- Experience working in a food service facility
- Ability to obtain a safe food-handling certificate
Preferred:
- Ability to lift at least 50 pounds
- Background working in nutritional services in a hospital or healthcare setting
Dietary Aide Job Responsibilities
When writing your dietary aide job description, it is essential that you clearly and effectively communicate the day-to-day responsibilities of the position. Clarity is an important part of ensuring that the majority of the applications you receive are from qualified candidates with the right skills and that they understand the level of expertise you expect. The job responsibilities section should be your most in-depth area of the job description, but it need not be exhaustive. Focus on the core duties of the position and leave out any secondary ones that won’t play as large of a role.
To add to the tips already shared, be sure to use a bulleted format for this section of your dietary aide job description. It will have a lot of information, so bullets are a great way to streamline the details and avoid overwhelming jobseekers. You should start each point with a strong verb and keep the number of listed duties to eight or less.
Here are a few examples of well-written dietary aide job responsibilities:
- Ensure sanitation and health code compliance
- Record meals served and monitor food temperatures
- Maintain food storage appropriately to avoid spoilage
- Participate in menu planning, dishwashing and preparation of dining areas
Dietary Aide Job Specifications
It’s not hard to assume that writing the job qualifications and skills section of your dietary aide job description would be a simple process. After all, it’s the shortest section of them all and merely lists the position’s minimum requirements, such as education, hard and soft skills and relevant work experience.
Making such an assumption is a mistake. Though the section is short, its importance cannot be overstated. A well-written job qualifications and skills section is sometimes the difference between a steady flow of qualified applicants and an inbox filled with resumes from candidates unfit for the job.
You can prevent such a situation by having an in-depth conversation with your senior leadership regarding their expectations for dietary aides. This interaction will greatly help as you write your dietary aide job description because you will have a strong grasp of the qualifications they require. Once you’ve done that, separate the deal-breaking skills from the preferred ones to give jobseekers a clear picture of their potential for landing the job.
You can use this list of dietary aide job specifications as a reference:
- Strong customer service mentality and ability
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Excellent team player attitude
- At least 2 years’ experience in food service
