What are dietetic technicians?

Dietetic technicians help hospitals, nursing homes, and other institutions to make sure that the food they offer is nutritional and safe. They help dietitians to plan menus and they supervise food preparation. They have a variety of duties that depend on where they work and which special topics they have studied. There are four major areas that dietetic technicians can work in. These involve the nutritional care of patients, food service administration, research, and health agency work.

Preparing for the job

To become a dietetic technician, you need a high school diploma. You must also take two years of classes at a community college or technology center that has been approved by the American Dietetic Association. These schools allow you to begin doing some work in dietetics while you are still going to classes. Once your classes are finished, you must also pass a test that proves you have learned the things you need to know to be a good dietetic technician.

Things you will need to learn to prepare for a job in this field include microbiology, menu planning, food preparation, nutrition, sanitation, safety, behavioral science, cost control, and computers. High school students can take courses in family and consumer sciences, chemistry, biology, science, health, and computers.

The future

People will always try to live longer, healthier lives by eating a nutritious diet. In addition, more people are growing older at the same time than ever before and eating right is very important for them. For these reasons, we expect that there will be a need for many dietetic technicians in the future. Most of these jobs will be found in nursing homes and residential care facilities.