NSXNational Skills ExchangeSign in
Back to Framework

Dietetic Technicians

SOC 29-2051.00Job Zone 3 · Medium Preparationv.26.05

Context coveredThis framework covers clinical, institutional, and community nutrition practice contexts in which dietetic technicians assess patients, plan and supervise food service operations, counsel individuals and families, and support dietitians across healthcare and public health settings.

Sources:O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.SkillsCrosswalkSkillsCrosswalk — O*NET enrichment + adjacency index. Opens in new tab.
Emerging
Entry / Apprentice
  1. Patient food intake records — document and report observations to supervising dietitian in a clinical or long-term care setting.
  2. Dietary history forms — collect from patients under direct supervision during initial nutritional screening appointments.
  3. Standard recipes and group portion guides — follow closely when preparing a major meal in an institutional kitchen.
  4. Food service workflow — assist supervising staff with tray line monitoring and portioning tasks in a hospital cafeteria.
  5. Basic menu guidelines and established dietary standards — apply when selecting food items for pre-approved meal plans under direction.
  6. Electronic health record and medical software — enter patient dietary data accurately following facility protocols with supervisor review.
  7. Interdisciplinary care meetings — attend and take notes alongside dietitians and nursing staff on a patient care unit.
  8. Nutritional reference materials and food composition databases — retrieve and organize for dietitian review as part of research support tasks.
  9. Scheduling software and calendar tools — use to coordinate patient meal delivery and appointment reminders under supervision.
  10. Body weight and intake monitoring tools — operate and record measurements for assigned patients, flagging deviations to the supervising dietitian.
Developing
Mid-level / Established
  1. Patient dietary progress and weight change patterns — monitor routinely and summarize for the supervising dietitian with reduced oversight in a clinical nutrition unit.
  2. Individual dietary histories — obtain, evaluate, and translate into preliminary nutrition care plans for review by a registered dietitian.
  3. Group meal production — plan quantities, adjust recipes for volume, and oversee preparation in a healthcare or community food service facility.
  4. Food service operations — assist dietitians in supervising kitchen staff, maintaining quality standards, and ensuring regulatory compliance during daily service.
  5. Individualized meal plans — develop within established guidelines for patients or community clients with common nutrition-related conditions such as diabetes or hypertension.
  6. Nutrition education sessions — deliver structured instruction to individuals or small groups in a community health or outpatient clinic setting.
  7. Interdisciplinary team meetings — participate actively, contributing nutrition-related observations and updates on assigned patients' dietary progress.
  8. Food and nutrition research data — compile, organize, and summarize using spreadsheet and analytical software to support dietitian-led projects.
  9. Inventory management software — use to track food supply levels, reduce waste, and generate reorder requests in a food service environment.
  10. Time-sensitive meal service schedules — coordinate across multiple diet types simultaneously, applying time management skills in a busy institutional kitchen.
Proficient
Senior / Expert IC
  1. Comprehensive nutritional assessments — conduct autonomously across a diverse patient caseload, integrating dietary history, clinical indicators, and lab data in a hospital or outpatient setting.
  2. Complex nutrition care plans — design and adjust independently for patients with multiple co-morbidities, using critical thinking and evidence-based dietary guidelines.
  3. Major meal production for large groups — plan, execute, and evaluate quality outcomes, adapting recipes and portion calculations to meet therapeutic and budgetary requirements.
  4. Food service supervision — lead daily operations, troubleshoot workflow issues, and mentor food service workers in a high-volume healthcare or community nutrition program.
  5. Individualized and family-centered dietary counseling — facilitate in-depth guidance sessions on food selection, preparation, and menu planning for clients with complex nutritional needs.
  6. Job descriptions and work schedules — develop, refine, and implement for food service or nutrition support staff to optimize departmental efficiency.
  7. Interdisciplinary care collaboration — represent the nutrition department, communicate assessment findings clearly, and advocate for dietary interventions during multi-disciplinary team rounds.
  8. Nutrition and food service research — lead literature reviews, synthesize findings, and prepare written reports using analytical, database, and desktop publishing software.
  9. ERP and inventory management systems — administer food service procurement workflows, analyze usage trends, and identify cost-saving opportunities across a dietary department.
  10. Problem sensitivity and decision making — identify and resolve non-routine dietary or operational challenges, such as allergen conflicts or supply shortages, with minimal escalation.
Advanced
Lead / Principal / Executive
  1. Departmental nutrition care standards — establish, evaluate, and continuously improve protocols that govern patient monitoring, assessment, and reporting across an entire dietary department.
  2. Strategic menu and diet program development — design evidence-based nutritional programs for diverse populations at an organizational or community-system level, setting dietary policy direction.
  3. Food service operational model — lead the planning, execution, and quality evaluation of large-scale meal production systems across multiple facilities or service lines.
  4. Dietetic technician workforce development — mentor and train emerging and developing staff, design competency-based onboarding curricula, and oversee continuing education in a healthcare organization.
  5. Interdisciplinary leadership — chair or co-lead nutrition-focused workgroups within health care teams, integrating dietary expertise into broader patient care improvement initiatives.
  6. Job specifications and HR frameworks — author comprehensive job descriptions, performance standards, and staffing models for nutrition and food service personnel at an organizational level.
  7. Organizational nutrition research agenda — direct multi-project research support activities, coordinate data collection across teams, and translate findings into departmental policy and practice.
  8. Technology and systems optimization — evaluate, select, and implement medical, ERP, and analytical software platforms to modernize nutrition informatics and food service management across the organization.
  9. Regulatory and safety compliance leadership — interpret law, government, and public safety standards to establish departmental policies ensuring full compliance across all food production and patient care functions.
  10. Stakeholder communication and advocacy — present nutrition program outcomes, resource needs, and strategic recommendations to executive leadership, boards, or community health partners using high-level written and oral communication.

AI-at-Work Competency Framework

Sources:Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab.Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab.WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab.

A 4-level framework describing how a worker at each mastery level uses, directs, and evaluates AI tools in this occupation. Each statement cites its evidence inline. Subscribe for $19.99/mo to read the full framework — or sign in if you have a subscription.

  1. Emerging
  2. Developing
  3. Proficient
  4. Advanced
Monthly subscription · Stripe-hosted · unlocks AI-at-Work and Pathsmith™ Durable Skills across the full library

Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework

Sources:Pathsmith™ Durable SkillsPathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Subscriber feature

Ten durable-skill domains mapped to four proficiency levels for this occupation. Subscribe to unlock the full Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework across all 1,016 occupations.

Monthly subscription · Stripe-hosted · unlocks AI-at-Work and Pathsmith™ Durable Skills across the full library
Show O*NET source anchors61 anchors · skillscrosswalk.com

O*NET enrichment · skillscrosswalk.com

Suggest an O*NET correction

Source anchors that ground each statement

Related titles
Dietetic Technician · Certified Dietary Manager (CDM) · Child Nutrition Assistant · Clinical Dietetic Technician · Cook Chill Technician (CCT) · Diet Aide · Diet Assistant · Diet Clerk · Diet Tech (Diet Technician) · Diet Tech (Dietetic Technician) · Diet Technician Registered (DTR) · Dietary Aide
RAPIDS apprenticeships
0286 · Dietetic Technician
O*NET skills
SpeakingActive ListeningReading ComprehensionWritingLearning StrategiesMonitoringSocial PerceptivenessCritical ThinkingActive LearningInstructingService OrientationComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingTime ManagementCoordination
Knowledge domains
Customer and Personal ServiceEnglish LanguageEducation and TrainingMathematicsPublic Safety and SecurityAdministration and ManagementFood ProductionAdministrativeComputers and ElectronicsProduction and ProcessingPersonnel and Human ResourcesLaw and Government
Abilities
Oral ComprehensionOral ExpressionDeductive ReasoningNear VisionInductive ReasoningProblem SensitivityWritten ComprehensionSpeech ClarityWritten ExpressionFluency of Ideas
Work styles
Attention to DetailDependabilityCooperationEmpathySocial OrientationSincerity
Technology
Calendar and scheduling softwareAnalytical or scientific softwareData base user interface and query softwareMedical softwareEnterprise resource planning ERP softwareDesktop publishing softwareInventory management softwareSpreadsheet softwareOffice suite softwareElectronic mail software
Tasks · seed anchors for statements
  1. Observe and monitor patient food intake and body weight, and report changes, progress, and dietary problems to dietician.
  2. Conduct nutritional assessments of individuals, including obtaining and evaluating individuals' dietary histories, to plan nutritional programs.
  3. Prepare a major meal, following recipes and determining group food quantities.
  4. Supervise food production or service or assist dietitians or nutritionists in food service supervision or planning.
  5. Plan menus or diets or guide individuals or families in food selection, preparation, or menu planning, based upon nutritional needs and established guidelines.
  6. Develop job specifications, job descriptions, or work schedules.
  7. Attend interdisciplinary meetings with other health care professionals to discuss patient care.
  8. Provide dietitians with assistance researching food, nutrition, or food service systems.
CIP education codes
19.050130.190151.310151.310351.3104

Sources: O*NET v30.2 (CC BY 4.0), SkillsCrosswalk.com, LER.me®, Anthropic Economic Index, SAFI (Jadhav & Danve, 2026), WEF Skills Taxonomy 2021, Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework. © 2026 EBSCOed.