Dietary Aide

Job Description

Hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and other health care institutions provide meals to patients. Many of these patients have health concerns that require special diets. Cooks and dietary aides work together to make sure that patients receive foods that are safe to eat while also meeting nutrition guidelines. Typical job duties for a dietary aide include:

• Reviewing a patient's dietary requirements
• Preparing and serving meals
• Observing how a patient or resident eats, reporting problems with swallowing or chewing to nursing or medical staff
• Inspecting meal trays to make sure that foods offered are compliant with a patient's diet restrictions
• Monitoring how much a patient eats
• Providing nutrition education and counseling to patients and families
• And other duties as assigned.

Educational Requirements

• Usually, dietary aides need a high school diploma or its equivalent. Many aides receive on-the-job training, although some experience in food service can be a plus.
• Typically, dietary aides work in health care facilities and may spend a significant amount of time in kitchens and cafeterias. Aides should expect to be on their feet as they help prepare meals, review meal trays and deliver meals to patients and residents. Dietary technicians are expected to show patience and kindness when working with residents and patients, and must also uphold health-care privacy and confidentiality standards.

Years of Experience

• Dietary aides can expect to earn more as they gain experience in their field, although the increase is minimal. According to a survey on PayScale.com, many dietary aides move on to other jobs, including becoming a nursing assistant, a dietary cook or even a registered nurse.