How To Become A Nutrition Aide: What It Is and Career Path

What is a nutrition aide and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A nutrition aide works in a hospital's dietary department to perform various support tasks. Their main responsibilities include preparing food according to dietitians' specifications, delivering meals to patients, recovering used dishware from wards, and keeping the food preparation area clean.

Furthermore, they may also be responsible for receiving incoming ingredients, disposing of trash properly, and labeling food items according to the hospital's rules and regulations. They typically work regular forty-hour shifts but may have rotating schedules, depending on the needs of the dietary department.

The minimum requirements for this role are a high school diploma or equivalent and a food handling certification that is appropriate for their state. However, having an associate's degree in nutrition can serve as a great edge, as is previous work experience. Furthermore, a dietary aide must be physically fit as the job entails heavy lifting, pushing food carts, and standing for long periods of time.

ScoreNutrition AideUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $30,460

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

4.8

Growth Rate 2%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.05%

Asian 7.29%

Black or African American 11.17%

Hispanic or Latino 15.91%

Unknown 5.17%

White 59.40%

Gender

female 75.21%

male 24.79%

Age - 34

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 - 34

Stress Level

4.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.2

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.6

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

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Key steps to become a nutrition aide

Explore nutrition aide education requirements

Most common nutrition aide degrees

High School Diploma

33.8 %

Bachelor's

28.3 %

Associate

20.9 %

Start to develop specific nutrition aide skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	26.22%
Food Service	15.52%
Tray Line	5.73%
Meal Service	5.27%
Basic Math	5.26%

Complete relevant nutrition aide training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New nutrition 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 nutrition aide based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real nutrition aide resumes.

Research nutrition aide duties and responsibilities

Coordinate all walk-through visible inspections to achieve overall cleanliness and order within each facility.
Follow all HACCP and safety regulations.
Determine the needs to residents with specific allergies and assisting with a meal plan around their special needs.
Prepare food for kids, control variance, communicate with vendors, engage in activities with kids, observe children with allergies

Prepare your nutrition aide resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your nutrition 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 nutrition 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 Nutrition Aide Resume templates

Build a professional Nutrition 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 Nutrition Aide resume.

Apply for nutrition aide jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a nutrition 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 nutrition aides rate their job?

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Nutrition 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.