Nutrition Care Specialist

Overview

The Nutrition Care Specialist works with registered dietitians (RDs) to counsel patients individually and in group settings, plans special diets for patients according to nutritional requirements, creates menus, and prepares small-quantity foods.

Job duties

• Perform basic dietetic functions in a hospital, clinic, or field environment
• Provide nutritional treatment and basic-level counseling to patients in nutrition clinics, health promotion and wellness clinics, and classroom settings
• Assist dietitians or superiors in food service supervision, planning, and production operations
• Perform nutrition assessment screenings of individual patients for nutritional requirements and restrictions; provide recommendations on food item selection

Training

Job training for a Nutrition Care Specialist requires 10 weeks of Basic Combat Training and seven weeks and two days of Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sam Houston, TX to include small-quantity food preparation. Some of the skills you'll learn are: Individual and classroom presentations Assessment of a patient's dietary requirements and restrictions Menu planning to include recipe modification for special diets Basic food preparation (large and small quantities) Food safety and sanitation

Required ASVAB score

Operators & Food (OF): 95 Learn more about the ASVAB .

Helpful skills

• Interest in nutrition, health, biology, science, fitness, and chemistry
• Ability to communicate effectively to individuals and small groups
• Interest in helping and caring for others

Civilian career relevance

The skills you'll learn will help prepare you for a career within civilian hospitals, weight management clinics, nursing homes or rehabilitation centers. With a Nutrition Care Specialist background, you may consider a career as a dietetic technician, dietary manager, nutrition technician, clinical dietetic technician or dietary aide. Through your extensive Army National Guard medical training, real-world experiences, and with some additional study, you may be able to test for certification as an Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals certified dietary manager (CDM) or the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics dietetic technician, registered (DTR) credential.