Health, Nutrition and Wellness Careers | Nutrition / Dietetic Technician

Nutrition / Dietetic Technician

Career Area: Health Care including Nursing

Occupation Group: Healthcare Patient Support

Salary

Percentile wages tell how much a certain percentage of an overall population in a geographic area or within a given industry or field makes. The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.

An example would be the 25th percentile, 25 percent of workers employed in that occupation earn less and 75 percent earn more than the estimated wage value. At the 75th percentile, 75 percent of workers employed in that occupation earn less and 25 percent earn more than the estimated wage value.

A typical Nutrition / Dietetic Technician earns the following wages (national and state):

State

The average salary in North Carolina for those pursuing this career is $27,262

*The salaries depicted here are representative of the range of salaries posted in job listings over the past year. Living wage in North Carolina is $30,000.

National

The average salary in the United States for those pursuing this career is $31,644

*The salaries depicted here are representative of the range of salaries posted in job listings over the past year. Living wage in North Carolina is $30,000.

What Does a Professional in this Career Do?

Assists nutritionists in running food service and nutrition education programs. May help plan meals or educate and counsel clients.

Employment Trends

The job demand and job growth statistics shown here were derived from job posts over the past year. Expected job growth projections are extrapolated from year-over-year job post listing history.

Job demand and job growth is expected at the following rates:

LocationGrowth
North Carolina411+11.5%
Nationwide6687+5.8%

Skills

A professional in this position typically utilizes the following skills in the course of everyday work in this exciting and challenging field:

Baseline Skills

The following are baseline skills every Nutrition / Dietetic Technician is expected to have in order to experience success in this field:

  • Communication Skills: The ability to convey information to another effectively and efficiently.
  • Physical Abilities: Physical Abilities, which refers to the ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with the body, arms, and/or legs. These abilities often require strength, endurance, flexibility, balance and coordination.
  • English: English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now a global lingua franca.
  • Computer Literacy: The ability to use computers and related technology efficiently for work tasks.
  • Teamwork / Collaboration: Experience working in collaborative efforts with a team to achieve a common goal or to complete a task in the most effective and efficient way.

Specialized Skills

These skills are specific to working in this career:

  • Nutrition Services: Nutrition servicesinvolve access to a variety of nutritious and appealing meals that accommodate the health and nutrition needs of all students.
  • Food Service Experience: Foodservice(US English) or catering industry (British English)definesthose businesses, institutions, and companies responsible for any meal prepared outside the home. This industry includes restaurants, school and hospital cafeterias, catering operations, and many other formats
  • Cleaning: Cleaning is the process of removing unwanted substances, such as dirt, infectious agents, and other impurities, from an object or environment.
  • Food Preparation: Food preparation preparing food for eating, generally requires selection, measurement and combination of ingredients in an ordered procedure so as to achieve desired results.
  • Customer Service: Working experience with the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.

Distinguishing Skills

Any Nutrition / Dietetic Technician that possesses the following skills will stand out against the competition:

  • Allergies: Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, are a number of conditions caused by hypersensitivity of the immune system to something in the environment that usually causes little or no problem in most people.
  • Meal Serving:
  • Meal Preparation: Meal preparation, sometimes called meal prep, is the process of planning and preparing meals.

Experience

This position typically requires the following level of experience. The numbers presented in the pie charts below were derived from actual job posts over the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.

Experience Required%
0 to 2 years87%
3 to 5 years12%
6 to 8 years1%

Many of the programs offered through NC State are designed for working professionals who need additional credentials to enhance existing work experience.

Students who do not have the expected level of experience may wish to look into internship and employment opportunities.

Common Job Titles

It is possible to find work in this field in positions commonly listed as the following job titles:

  • Nutrition Assistant
  • Diet Aide
  • Dietetic Technician
  • Diet Technician
  • Nutrition Services Assistant