Overview

The Nutrition Care Specialist works with Registered Dietitians (RD) counseling patients individually and in group settings, plans special diets for patients according to nutritional requirements, and creates menus and prepares small quantity foods.

Job Duties

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

Training

Job training for a Nutrition Care Specialists currently requires 10 weeks of Basic Combat Training and seven weeks of Advanced Individual Training 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

Helpful Skills

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

Required ASVAB Score(s)

Learn more about the ASVAB and see what jobs you could qualify for.

Compensation

Total compensation includes housing, medical, food, special pay, and vacation time. Learn more about total compensation.

Future Civilian Careers

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 medical training, real world experiences and with some additional study, you may be able to test for certification as an Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professional’s Certified Dietary Manager (CDM) or the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Dietetic Technician, Registered (DTR) credential.