A dietetic technician acts as an assistant to a dietitian. A tech may create diet plans for patients and advise them on how to make healthy choices, and they may handle documentation and work long-term with patients. However, the work a technician does is always under the supervision of a dietician.
A dietetic technician job description should outline that a candidate needs to have compassion for patients and an educational background that provides her or him with the knowledge needed to guide people towards healthy eating. Administrative skills are also important for this particular career.
A technician should be able to work independently while following guidelines set by the lead dietitian. As you construct your dietetic technician job description, you can look over the following example for assistance with what to include.
Dietetic Technician Job Summary
We are a residential care facility for the elderly and are looking for a full-time dietetic technician to assist our lead dietician. You will work closely with the kitchen and nursing staff to help ensure our patients are getting the best nutrition possible. You should love working with seniors and enjoy being part of a team. We are a lively environment with residents who are young at heart and love to have fun. To fit in, you need to have an upbeat personality. However, we do take our commitment to the health of our residents seriously. You will be dealing with a range of dietary restrictions and requirements, and accuracy is key. We’ll offer you great hours, a range of benefits and a family-like team of professionals.
Job Responsibilities
- Supervise food production to ensure accuracy at fulfilling resident orders, along with occasionally preparing meals and snacks
- Maintain records for each patient and review records with dietician, specifically going over any new developments or issues observed
- Monitor residents as they eat to ensure they are getting the proper nutrition and eating the foods that have been prepared for them, stepping in to fix any issues observed
- Create referral recommendations for the dietitian for any patient having nutritional or eating issues
- Produce inventory records and monitor food costs to help keep them within the guidelines of the set budget while making recommendations for changes to help cut costs whenever possible
- Test new menus or food items for nutritional analysis and reception by residents
- Design and deliver presentations, lectures and speeches on dietary issues relevant to residents and seniors in general on a constant basis
- Monitor food safety in preparation, handling, storage and service closely
Job Skills & Qualifications
Reqiured:
- Associate’s degree in nutrition or dietetics
- Experience working with a licensed dietitian
- Registered with the American Dietetic Association
- Licensed with the state dietetic association
Preferred:
- Bachelor’s degree in nutrition, dietetics or a related field
- Experience working in a senior living facility
Dietetic Technician Job Responsibilities
As you write out a dietetic technician job description, give a lot of attention to the job responsibilities section. Plan to spend the bulk of your time and energy on this section to provide the type of details that jobseekers need to understand what you’ll expect as an employer. Choose language that presents a clear picture of the position, such as action verbs and carefully chosen nouns. Your efforts in this section should filter out candidates with no interest in performing the duties you require.
Your chances for attracting applicants will be better if you use a bulleted list. Jobseekers can easily scan this layout for the information they want and can quickly determine whether they have the skills and aptitude to complete the chosen daily tasks. Remember to limit this section to no more than eight points so that candidates aren’t overwhelmed with the amount of duties in your dietetic technician job description.
Check out a few examples of possible dietetic technician job responsibilities you could use:
- Plan and produce meals according to established guidelines
- Teach principles of nutrition to groups and individuals
- Assist dieticians in patient instruction regarding special diets
- Train food service employees on dietary policies and procedures, guidelines and food preparation
- Collaborate with dietician, cooks and food service staff to select and prepare appropriate menus
- Supervise distribution of meals and snacks to residents
Dietetic Technician Job Specifications
Do not underestimate the qualifications and skills section of your dietetic technician job description based on its simplified look. Your carefully chosen specifications will be a benefit to jobseekers who will be able to determine whether they have a chance at landing the role before they even apply for it.
However, this section will also be a benefit to you. In combination with the job responsibilities section, your choice of dietetic technician job specifications will help you quickly filter out those professionals who did apply but don’t meet the minimum requirements, as well as those who are grossly overqualified for the position. Without a well-written qualifications section, you may have to wade through an even larger number of applications or spend your time interviewing people who are not right for the position.
You can seek support from those professionals who work closely with dietetic technicians to determine which skills to include in your job description. Be sure to discuss both necessary job specifications and preferred qualifications.
Consider using some of the following examples for your own dietetic technician job description:
- Associate’s degree or equivalent required
- Dietetic technician license preferred
- Previous experience teaching others in tasks and nutrition
- Good critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- Effective communication and listening skills
- Highly organized individual, able to complete reports in timely manner