Career Summary

Dietetic Technicians in hospitals assist Clinical and hospital staff with patient nutritional care by processing diet orders, screening charts for medical problems, and counseling patients in basic nutritional guidelines. They also assist nutritional staff in technical monitoring of the food service programs to ensure that nutritional standards of quality and therapeutic diet guidelines doctors suggest.

Dietetic Technicians outside the hospital work may provide comprehensive nutritional care, which is customer focused, while maintaining high quality service standards. They provide nutritional screening and assessment for patients in suggesting appropriate nutritional meals. In accordance with physician orders, they develop individualized nutrition plans based on the patient's age, sex, diagnosis, cultural background, pain level, preferences, and religious practices.

Whether a Dietetic Technicians works at a hospital setting or in a similar setting, Technicians ensure patient menus or supplemental feedings meet nutritional requirements and document in the medical records as appropriate. They write assessments, implements nutritional care plans, and follows the care.

A clinical dietitian could work in a variety of settings such as out patient medical clinics, consultant to eating disorders, counselors at mental health centers and assisting with consumer promotional DVD dietetic information.