Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · Holland code SCR

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.

Also called: Diet Tech (Dietetic Technician), Diet Technician Registered (DTR), Dietary Aide, Nutrition Technician, Cook Chill Technician (CCT), Diet Assistant, Diet Clerk, Diet Tech (Diet Technician).

O*NET 29-2051.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $37,640; Middle half earn $33,880 to $45,750. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree; 35% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 3 of 5; Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Observe and monitor patient food intake and body weight, and report changes, progress, and dietary problems to dietician.
Conduct nutritional assessments of individuals, including obtaining and evaluating individuals' dietary histories, to plan nutritional programs.
Prepare a major meal, following recipes and determining group food quantities.
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.
Determine food and beverage costs and assist in implementing cost control procedures.
Develop job specifications, job descriptions, or work schedules.
Refer patients to other relevant services to provide continuity of care.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Speaking3.4 / 5
Active Listening3.3 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.1 / 5
Writing3.1 / 5
Critical Thinking3.1 / 5
Active Learning3.1 / 5

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.8 / 5
English Language4.5 / 5
Education and Training4.2 / 5
Mathematics4.0 / 5
Public Safety and Security4.0 / 5
Administration and Management3.9 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic47
Investigative41
Artistic26
Social68
Enterprising26
Conventional47

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

acupuncturist · DE Akupunkteur/Akupunkteurin · FR acupuncteur/acupunctrice
dietitian · DE Diätologe/Diätologin · FR diététicien/diététicienne
prepared meals nutritionist · DE Ernährungsberater Fertiggerichte/Ernährungsberaterin Fertiggerichte · FR diététicien chef de produit en fabrication industrielle/diététicienne chef de produit en fabrication industrielle
clinical perfusion scientist · DE Fachassistent Herz-Kreislauf-Funktionsdiagnostik/Fachassistentin Herz-Kreislauf-Funktionsdiagnostik · FR perfusionniste clinique
community health worker · DE Sozialmedizinischer Assistent/Sozialmedizinische Assistentin · FR agent de santé communautaire/agente de santé communautaire
dietetic technician · DE Diätassistent/Diätassistentin · FR technicien en diététique/technicienne en diététique

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Beauticians and related occupations (6222)90,100 employed
Medical radiographers (2254)44,200 employed
Cooks (5435)47,500 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Technicians and associate professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€50,992
Austria	€46,986
Germany	€44,473
Netherlands	€42,448
Ireland	€41,613
Sweden	€41,155
Italy	€34,882
France	€34,816
Spain	€29,757
Portugal	€18,080
Poland	€12,108

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.13. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (29-2051).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test