What does a Dietic Assistant do?
Dietic Assistants provide comprehensive support to Dietitians. They assist in delivering the appropriate nutritional care to patients or clients, which may include monitoring a patient’s food or showing patients how to use feeding tubes and pumps. Dietic Assistants also ensure the smooth running of a dietic department or service by providing organisational and administrative support. Such duties may include record-keeping and the tracking and ordering of supplies and equipment. Although Dietic Assistants often work with sick patients in hospitals, they can also work in other settings where they help healthy clients who may want to lose weight or have food allergies.
Dietic Assistant skills and qualifications
Dietic Assistants interact with people throughout their working day. Apart from working closely together with Dietitians and other healthcare professionals, Dietic Assistants have a lot of direct contact with patients. To successfully navigate this aspect of the job, Dietic Assistants need excellent interpersonal skills. A successful Dietic Assistant candidate will also have various prerequisite skills and qualifications that typically include:
- Strong communication skills, which include the ability to actively listen and clearly relay information
- The ability to collaborate with others in a team
- Computer literacy, including a working knowledge of relevant software programs, such as Microsoft Office
- A genuine desire to help others and a patient-focused approach when dealing with clients
- High medical ethics, including maintaining client or patient confidentiality
Dietic Assistant experience requirements
The level of experience required for a Dietic Assistant depends on the position. Employers may ask that candidates show previous experience in working in a dietic department or related healthcare setting. Others may be prepared to take on candidates with no experience and provide them with comprehensive on-the-job training. Depending on the position, candidates may need specific experience, such as experience in working with cancer patients or with the elderly.
Dietic Assistant education and training requirements
There are no set education or training requirements for this occupation. Candidates typically need a few GCSEs, including English and maths, to prove they have the necessary literacy and numeracy skills for the job. Candidates can develop their professional skills and knowledge by completing relevant qualifications in healthcare. Examples include an NCFE CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Healthcare Support Services or a Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare Support. A professional body like the British Dietetic Association (BDA) also offers a range of relevant courses for Healthcare Support Workers.
Dietic Assistant salary expectations
According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a Dietic Assistant in the U.K. is £25,231 per year. Salaries vary, depending on factors like location and level of experience.
Job description samples for similar positions
If this job description doesn’t adequately describe the job opening you have, here are a few job description samples of similar positions to consider:
*Indeed provides this information as a courtesy to users of this site. Please note that we are not your recruiting or legal advisor, we are not responsible for the content of your job descriptions, and none of the information provided herein guarantees performance.
