How to hire a dietetic technician

How to hire a dietetic technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step dietetic technician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a dietetic technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new dietetic technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a dietetic technician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the dietetic technician you need to hire. Certain dietetic technician roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect dietetic technician also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of dietetic technician salaries for various roles:

   Type of Dietetic Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Dietetic Technician	A Dietetic Technician assists dietitians in the provision of food service and nutritional programs. They develop nutritional plans to promote health, treat illnesses, prevent disease, and analyze patient data to determine patient needs and treatment goals.	$12-19
   Dietary Aide	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... Show more	$10-16
   Technician	Technicians are skilled professionals who primarily work with technology in different industries. They are knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the various items they work with... Show more	$11-27

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Nutritional Risk
   • Tray Line
   • Food Preferences
   • Patient Care
   • Diet Orders
   • Allergies
   • Food Handling
   • Nutrition Education
   • Patient Education
   • Rehabilitation
   • Medical Nutrition Therapy
   • RD
   • Diet History

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Facilitate nutrition education training to patients and families on appropriate meal selections within dietary restrictions to accomplish patient goals.
   • Maintain current information in medical records and WIC HSIS software.
   • Provide diet or condition specific diet educations and addressed food allergies.
   • Maintain special food inventory for kitchen to accommodate for vary diets and any allergies.
   • Complete initial, annual, quarterly and significant change nutritional assessments, attend multidisciplinary care plan conferences and complete MDS's.
   • Provide MDS documentation and participate in annual state surveys.

   More dietetic technician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the dietetic technician job description is a good way to get more applicants. A dietetic technician salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a dietetic technician in Arkansas may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level dietetic technician. Additionally, a dietetic technician with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average dietetic technician salary

   $15.57hourly

   $32,386 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level dietetic technician salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 25, 2025

   Average dietetic technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$46,777	$22
   2	Oregon	$40,659	$20
   3	California	$38,632	$19
   4	Minnesota	$38,479	$19
   5	Maine	$37,825	$18
   6	New Jersey	$37,111	$18
   7	Rhode Island	$36,553	$18
   8	Nevada	$36,431	$18
   9	Connecticut	$35,359	$17
   10	Massachusetts	$34,103	$16
   11	Arizona	$31,962	$15
   12	Ohio	$31,435	$15
   13	Michigan	$31,321	$15
   14	North Carolina	$30,344	$15
   15	Missouri	$28,980	$14
   16	Texas	$28,330	$14
   17	Maryland	$26,890	$13
   18	Alabama	$26,884	$13
   19	Florida	$26,496	$13
   20	Arkansas	$26,181	$13

   Average dietetic technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners	$37,874	$18.21	1
   2	Lifespan	$37,804	$18.18
   3	Oregon Health & Science University	$37,633	$18.09
   4	Children's Hospital Colorado	$37,151	$17.86
   5	Health Advocates	$37,146	$17.86
   6	Children's Hospital Los Angeles	$36,856	$17.72
   7	Mayo Clinic	$35,734	$17.18	2
   8	Woods Services	$35,631	$17.13
   9	Emory University	$34,522	$16.60
   10	Children's of Alabama	$34,347	$16.51
   11	Cincinnati State	$34,263	$16.47
   12	Fred Hutch	$34,054	$16.37
   13	Walden Behavioral Care	$33,739	$16.22
   14	Legacy Health	$33,727	$16.21
   15	Texas	$33,325	$16.02
   16	Highmark	$33,101	$15.91	3
   17	Tenet Healthcare	$32,916	$15.82	4
   18	City & County Of San Francisco - Police Department (sfpd)	$32,879	$15.81
   19	Dean Health Plan	$32,858	$15.80
   20	Northwell Health	$32,847	$15.79	2

4. Writing a dietetic technician job description

   A job description for a dietetic technician role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a dietetic technician job description:

   Dietetic technician job description example

   The Dietetic Technician, Registered (DTR) works under the supervision of the Registered Dietitian (RD) and contributes to the quality of care by providing assistance to the RD's and ensuring that patients receive appropriate meals and support in the dining room.
   
   Hours/Shift: Part Time
   Primary responsibilities include:
   
   * Accepting meals from the food service company in the morning and checking/logging temperatures.
   * Assist in dining room organization and functioning.
   * Assisting in meal set up and menu corrections for breakfast and lunch.
   * Providing support and meal coaching to patients struggling with eating disorders.
   * Ensuring that patients complete menus and provide support and education to patients during menu completion process.
   * Correcting patient menus according to meal plan.
   * Ordering meals on a daily basis to the food service company for delivery the next day.
   * Monitoring and ordering par stock on a daily basis.
   * Maintaining an organized log system of any issues/concerns that staff and/or patients may have with food service and addressing issues/concerns with Coordinator of Nutrition Services and Assistant VP Patient Care Services.
   * Working with the Quality Department on quality improvement efforts that are recommended and/or required.
   * Serving as the liaison between Walden and the food service company.
   * Collaboration with the RD and assisting in patient care as needed.
   * Use of meal plan ordering by use of technology and interface with ABM and DFM services.
   
   Education:
   
   * Completion of a Dietetic Technician or related training program approved by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
   * Dietetic Technician, Registered preferred.
   
   Experience:
   
   * 1 year work experience, preferably in a hospital setting.
   
   Licensure/Certification:
   
   * CPR certification
   
   Required competencies:
   
   * Communication skills, both verbal and written
   * Organizational, interpersonal and customer service skills
   * Attention to detail and ability to prioritize independently
   * Ability to multitask and function well in a fast paced mental health environment
   
   Supervision Received:
   
   * Reports to the Director of Clinical Nutrition Services
   * Weekly supervision with Registered Dietitian
   
   Environmental Conditions:
   
   * General hospital environment.
   
   About Walden Behavioral Care. Walden Behavioral Care is a rapidly-growing, national mental healthcare system specializing in the treatment of eating disorders and mental health conditions. We are one of the only organizations in the country to welcome individuals of all ages and all genders at all levels of care. Since 2003, we have helped more than 20,000 individuals progress in their path to healing. With 15 locations and more than 450 dedicated care professionals across Connecticut, Massachusetts and in Georgia, we are committed to changing lives, one person at a time. Using evidence-based treatment, proven to support long-term recovery, we are passionate about providing all individuals with the specialized care they need and deserve.
   
   At Walden we are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace, where we celebrate our employees, our patients and the communities we work with. In recruiting for our team we welcome the unique contributions only you can bring in terms of your education, culture, opinions, experience and background. Join us and find out how you can make a difference today.
   
   At Walden all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right dietetic technician for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your dietetic technician job on Zippia to find and recruit dietetic technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with dietetic technician candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new dietetic technician

   Once you've found the dietetic technician candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new dietetic technician. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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