Dietetic Technicians
Assist in the provision of food service and nutritional programs, under the supervision of a dietitian. May plan and produce meals based on established guidelines, teach principles of food and nutrition, or counsel individuals.
Most important skills
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
- Monitoring
Key knowledge
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Mathematics
- Public Safety and Security
- Administration and Management
- Food Production
- Administrative
What the work involves
- Prepare a major meal, following recipes and determining group food quantities.
- Analyze menus or recipes, standardize recipes, or test new products.
- Supervise food production or service or assist dietitians or nutritionists in food service supervision or planning.
- Plan menus or diets or guide individuals or families in food selection, preparation, or menu planning, based upon nutritional needs and established guidelines.
- Develop job specifications, job descriptions, or work schedules.
- Select, schedule, or conduct orientation or in-service education programs.
- Provide dietitians with assistance researching food, nutrition, or food service systems.
- Conduct nutritional assessments of individuals, including obtaining and evaluating individuals' dietary histories, to plan nutritional programs.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Social, Conventional, Realistic.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree (34.6% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (33.6%)
- On-the-job training
- Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month (35%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 3: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Dietetic Technicians is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Very high | Higher on contact with others than 83% of occupations compared | 78% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | High | Higher on dealing with the public than 77% of occupations compared | 59% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Teamwork | Very high | Higher on teamwork than 89% of occupations compared | 72% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Moderate | Higher on freedom to make decisions than 52% of occupations compared | 49% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom” |
| Time pressure | Very high | Higher on time pressure than 82% of occupations compared | 61% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day” |
| Conflict situations | Very high | Higher on conflict situations than 92% of occupations compared | 40% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Very high | Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 85% of occupations compared | 39% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week” |
| Consequence of error | Moderate | Higher on consequence of error than 51% of occupations compared | — |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: very high
- Conflict situations: very high
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very high
- Consequence of error: moderate
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 0%
- Contact with others about half the time: 0%
- Contact with others most of the time: 21.8%
- Constant contact with others: 78.2%
n = 16, Incumbent 08/2021
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 7.68%
- Fairly important: 7.9%
- Important: 9.87%
- Very important: 15.39%
- Extremely important: 59.16%
n = 16, Incumbent 08/2021
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0%
- Fairly important: 0%
- Important: 0%
- Very important: 27.58%
- Extremely important: 72.42%
n = 16, Incumbent 08/2021
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 0%
- Very little freedom: 0%
- Limited freedom: 17.77%
- Some freedom: 49.33%
- A lot of freedom: 32.89%
n = 16, Incumbent 08/2021
Time pressure
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 7.9%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 14.56%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 16.52%
- Every day: 61.02%
n = 16, Incumbent 08/2021
Conflict situations
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 13.91%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 22.46%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 39.7%
- Every day: 23.94%
n = 16, Incumbent 08/2021
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 13.91%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 38.91%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 23.25%
- Every day: 23.94%
n = 16, Incumbent 08/2021
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 12.26%
- Fairly serious: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Serious: 8.51%
- Very serious: 19.65%
- Extremely serious: 21.43%
n = 16, Incumbent 08/2021
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O*NET-SOC 29-2051.00 · SOC 29-2051 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8