Diet clerk vs diet technician

The differences between diet clerks and diet technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a diet technician has an average salary of $33,164, which is higher than the $31,802 average annual salary of a diet clerk.

The top three skills for a diet clerk include patients, allergies and tube feedings. The most important skills for a diet technician are patients, patient care, and food service.

Diet clerk vs diet technician overview

	Diet Clerk	Diet Technician
Yearly salary	$31,802	$33,164
Hourly rate	$15.29	$15.94
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	68,546	24,858
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	37	41
Years of experience	-	2

What does a diet clerk do?

A diet clerk is an assistant who serves meals to patients as well as assists in various processes that are related to the preparation and delivery of meals. Diet clerks must create cafeteria menu items while analyzing the nutritional values of the food that is served. They are required to check food production and food service to ensure proper procedures are always followed and maintained. Diet clerks must also supervise food service workers as well as provide training for them.

What does a diet technician do?

A Diet Technician identifies patients with nutritional risk using scoring guidelines and initiates referrals for dietetic assessment. They oversee food production or service and assist dietitians or nutritionists in food service supervision and planning.

Diet clerk vs diet technician salary

Diet clerks and diet technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Diet Clerk	Diet Technician
Average salary	$31,802	$33,164
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $26,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	-
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	-
Best paying company	University of Washington	-
Best paying industry	Hospitality	-

Differences between diet clerk and diet technician education

There are a few differences between a diet clerk and a diet technician in terms of educational background:

	Diet Clerk	Diet Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Dietetics	Dietetics
Most common college	-	-

Diet clerk vs diet technician demographics

Here are the differences between diet clerks' and diet technicians' demographics:

	Diet Clerk	Diet Technician
Average age	37	41
Gender ratio	Male, 13.0% Female, 87.0%	Male, 13.4% Female, 86.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 7.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 14.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between diet clerk and diet technician duties and responsibilities

Diet clerk example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Assist patients with making menu choices in an informative and helpful fashion and keep track of patient's allergies and diet changes
Demonstrate ability to adjust patient menus base on food preferences, allergies, disease/condition according to physician specifications.
Develop and apply creative problem-solving methods for patients challenge with specialize diet regiments.
Experience hospital representative directly responsible for counseling and assisting patients on nutritional care and management.
Prepare confidential reports, PowerPoint presentations, correspondence, organizational charts and other documents as required.

Diet technician example responsibilities.

Interview patients, determine dietary requirements and record dietary plans in medical charts using precise medical terminology.
Provide education to patients and family members of patients with medically restrict diets to promote optimal nutritional intake.
Determine WIC eligibility by identifying risk factors.
Conduct research and create PowerPoint presentations for wellness programs.

Diet clerk vs diet technician skills

Common diet clerk skills

Patients, 29%
Allergies, 10%
Tube Feedings, 9%
Customer Service, 8%
Menu Selections, 8%
Food Service, 8%

Common diet technician skills

Patients, 29%
Patient Care, 10%
Food Service, 9%
Allergies, 5%
Nutrition Education, 5%
Diet Orders, 4%

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Diet Clerk vs Diet Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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