How To Become A Cook/Dietary Aide: What It Is and Career Path

What is a cook/dietary aide and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Dietary aides work in nursing homes and assist dieticians, They're responsible for designing nutritious diets for residents. In collaboration with doctors and after consulting the patients, they come up with meals that provide the necessary nutrients in every specific case, while paying attention to taste and personal preferences.

They prepare individual menus following dietary restrictions and the necessity to lose or gain weight. They also help to maintain the kitchen, manage stock, and clean dining areas. They might deliver the food to residents as well.

As a dietary aide, you will have to pay detailed attention to follow each individual dietary guideline. Making mistakes might result in allergic reactions or health issues, so this is not a position for sloppy candidates. Patience and compassion are also key, and being on your feet all day should not be a problem.

ScoreCook/Dietary AideUS Average

Salary

2.1

Avg. Salary $27,490

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.6

Growth Rate 16%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.05%

Asian 7.44%

Black or African American 8.27%

Hispanic or Latino 14.15%

Unknown 4.57%

White 64.53%

Gender

female 74.10%

male 25.90%

Age - 37

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 37

Stress Level

7.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

5.0

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.5

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a cook/dietary aide

Explore cook/dietary aide education requirements

Most common cook/dietary aide degrees

High School Diploma

44.9 %

Associate

20.6 %

Diploma

13.9 %

Start to develop specific cook/dietary aide skills

Skills	Percentages
Meal Service	16.62%
Food Handling	14.76%
Patients	14.01%
Kitchen Equipment	8.96%
Food Service	8.87%

Complete relevant cook/dietary aide training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New cook/dietary aides learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a cook/dietary aide based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real cook/dietary aide resumes.

Gain additional cook/dietary aide certifications

Cook/dietary aide certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific cook/dietary aide certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for cook/dietary aides include ServSafe Alcohol and Advanced First Aid & CPR.

More About Certifications

Research cook/dietary aide duties and responsibilities

Manage the POS system (adding/deleting specials, editing prices, viewing server appetizer/dessert sales and their server report information).
Maintain kitchen cleanliness and quality standards base on federal guidelines for license long-term care facilities.
Assist residents with menus, questions, complaints and concerns, with compassion.
Cook with close attention to dietary concerns, including allergies, diabetes, and kosher diets.

Prepare your cook/dietary aide resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your cook/dietary aide resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a cook/dietary aide resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Cook/Dietary Aide Resume templates

Build a professional Cook/Dietary Aide resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Cook/Dietary Aide resume.

Apply for cook/dietary aide jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a cook/dietary aide job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do cook/dietary aides rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Cook/Dietary Aide reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

It’s an honest day’s work. Lots of lifting and walking around. Pots and pans to scrub, pantries to organize. You won’t be bored for a second, there’s always something to do.

Cons

At the end of the day, you’re body is so tired. From doing this much heavy work you’d expect a decent pay check. You won’t make enough to rent an apartment with this job.