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The differences between dietary aides and clinical dietitians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a dietary aide and a clinical dietitian. Additionally, a clinical dietitian has an average salary of $59,133, which is higher than the $28,005 average annual salary of a dietary aide.
The top three skills for a dietary aide include patients, meal trays and food service. The most important skills for a clinical dietitian are patients, patient care, and medical nutrition therapy.
| Dietary Aide | Clinical Dietitian | |
| Yearly salary | $28,005 | $59,133 |
| Hourly rate | $13.46 | $28.43 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 44,494 | 57,500 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A dietary aide is responsible for assisting food preparations and ensuring that the meals adhere to an individual's specific diet plans. Dietary aides must strictly follow sanitation standards and hygiene procedures to guarantee the safety and quality of the service. They also help in facilitating kitchen maintenance, keeping every area clean and organized. Dietary aides must also have comprehensive knowledge of nutritional guidelines to provide information and share suggestions as necessary to improve the service and preparations.
A clinical dietitian is responsible for providing quality nutritional care for patients by monitoring their current health conditions, advising nutritional and dietary supplements to maintain their healthy lifestyle, and speed up their recovery process. Clinical dietitians often coordinate with other medical professionals to assess food choices and develop nutrition programs for the patients. A clinical dietitian must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry to offer the best services to the patients and accurately handle their inquiries and concerns.
Dietary aides and clinical dietitians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Dietary Aide | Clinical Dietitian | |
| Average salary | $28,005 | $59,133 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $35,000 | Between $43,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | Vancouver, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Lifespan | University of California |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a dietary aide and a clinical dietitian in terms of educational background:
| Dietary Aide | Clinical Dietitian | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Dietetics |
| Most common college | - | University of Maryland - College Park |
Here are the differences between dietary aides' and clinical dietitians' demographics:
| Dietary Aide | Clinical Dietitian | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8% | Male, 8.7% Female, 91.3% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 10.0% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |