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Nutrition and Dietetics Technician DIT.S.AAS

Associate of Applied Science - 60 - 61 Credit Hours

Division: Health Sciences
Department: Health Technologies
Effective as of Fall 2024

Graduates from the Nutrition & Dietetics Technician program join the professional healthcare team to care for patients and families promoting optimal nutrition. Nutrition and Dietetic Technicians, Registered (NDTRs) are an integral part of the healthcare and food service teams in hospitals, nursing homes, community centers, WIC, fitness centers, correctional facilities, and school systems with excellent future job prospects. 

Upon completion of a nationally recognized credentialing exam, Clinical (NDTRs) provide clinical assessments and care for diverse populations across the lifespan. Students learn to develop critical thinking skills to assess both healthy and ill populations while recommending appropriate nutritional interventions.

Management (NDTRs) supervise kitchen and cafeteria staff in hospitals and long-term care facility settings. While maintaining kitchen inventory and storage, other responsibilities include payroll, scheduling, and new employee hiring.

What is the program about?

Graduates of the Nutrition and Dietetics Technician (NDT) program are trained food and nutrition practitioners that work under the supervision of a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). As an integral member of the health care and food service management teams, they influence food choices and lifestyles to promote optimal health. The program consists of five domains that include clinical, community, education, management and foodservice systems. The five domains are then grouped into two major domains of foodservice systems/management and clinical nutrition that align with accreditation and NDTR national credentialing exam parameters. The Nutrition & Dietetics Technician program is designed to be completed in five (5) consecutive semesters on a full-time basis. Some students elect to attend on a part-time basis, extending the length of study to three academic years. The curriculum consists of open enrollment courses (general education and division specific) and program specific courses with limited enrollment. The open enrollment courses may be taken prior to entry into the limited enrollment courses. The limited enrollment coursework includes 570 hours of unpaid directed practice experiences at area community, food service and health care facilities. The limited enrollment coursework also includes 285 lab hours completed in the Nutrition & Dietetics Food Lab and general education laboratories. To qualify for entry to limited enrollment courses, please see the Applicant Information packet located on the program webpage. A cumulative GPA of 2.0 is required, as well as a grade of C or higher in all program courses. NDT program students must successfully complete the DIT 2855 Comprehensive Program Assessment Capstone course with a "C" or higher to earn the ACEND accreditation Verification Statement required to take the NDTR credentialing exam. Students of Sinclair's Nutrition and Dietetics Program are eligible to become members of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), a nationally recognized organization located at 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago Illinois 60606, 1-800-877-1600, www.eatright.org. This specially designed program enables students to enjoy benefits of student AND membership while attending school. Graduates are eligible for active AND membership. Benefits include networking, professional growth, educational enrichment, and developing leadership skills. The graduate is eligible to take the National Credentialing Exam to become a Nutrition and Dietetics Technician, Registered (NDTR). Note: For students under age 16 there may be restrictions on participating in certain Health Sciences programs. Any student under age 16 must contact the program director/department chair to discuss whether he or she may enroll. The NDT program contains a program-comprehensive assessment in the DIT 2855 capstone course that must be successfully completed for the student to be eligible to take the national NDTR credentialing exam. Three (3) successive attempts are permitted for the successful completion of the program-comprehensive assessment exam. This degree program contains one or more embedded certificates which will be automatically awarded when the certificate requirements are completed. If you do not want to receive the embedded certificate(s), please notify Registration and Student Records at studentrecords@sinclair.edu.

Program Outcomes

  • Apply principles of management and foodservice systems in the provision of clinical and customer services to individuals and organizations at the nutrition & dietetic technician level of practice.
  • Describe and apply scientific information to support nutrition-related research at the nutrition & dietetic technician level of practice.
  • Develop beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviors for the nutrition & dietetic technician level of practice in accordance with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Code of Ethics.
  • Develop and deliver nutrition information, products and services to individuals, groups and populations at the nutrition & dietetic technician level of practice.
  • Apply concepts and principles of critical thinking to clinical nutrition and nutrition-related psychological issues within human populations.

Career Opportunities

Nutrition and dietetics technicians, registered (NDTRs) work independently or in teams with registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) in a variety of employment settings, including health care (hospitals, nursing homes, retirement centers, home health care programs), foodservice (schools, day-care centers, correctional facilities, restaurants, health care facilities, corporations and hospitals), community/public health (public health agencies, health clubs, weight management clinics and community wellness centers) and business and industry (food companies, food vending and distributing operations).

Transferability

Formal articulation agreements with other colleges and universities indicate how Sinclair programs and courses will transfer to other institutions. U.D., U.C., O.S.U., Miami University

Prerequisites

  • DEV 0035 AND MAT 0100 AND DIT 1105 AND DIT 1525

Credentials

National Credential. Upon successful completion of the Sinclair Nutrition & Dietetics Technician program, the graduate is eligible to take the National Credentialing Exam to become a Nutrition and Dietetics Technician, Registered (NDTR). More information about the NDTR national credential can be found at this link: https://www.cdrnet.org/NDTR

State Licensure. NDTRs in the state of Ohio are not licensed but work under the licensure of a Registered Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN, LD). While individual state interpretations of statutes may vary, it is the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) considered opinion that the Sinclair Nutrition & Dietetics Technician program meets the educational requirements for dietetics licensure and certification in all states with this requirement. However, completing an ACEND-accredited academic program alone does not qualify an individual for licensure or certification as a dietetic technician in any state. Individuals should review their state's licensing statutes and regulations to understand the specific requirements, including any supervised practice and examinations needed to obtain a dietetics license. More information about state licensure and certification can be found at this link: https://www.cdrnet.org/LicensureMap

Additional Information

Program outcomes data available upon request.

Curriculum

Course Title Credits
ALH 1101 Introduction to Healthcare Delivery 2
BIO 1107 Human Biology 3
COM 2206 Interpersonal Communication 3
DIT 1105 Exploration of the Nutrition & Dietetics Profession 1
DIT 1210 Medical Terminology for Dietetics 1
DIT 1525 Human Nutrition 3
DIT 1630 Nutrition Through the Lifecycle 3
DIT 1635 Community Nutrition 3
DIT 2101 Dining Assistant Dietary Aide 1
DIT 2240 Motivational Interviewing, Nutrition Counseling & Communication 3
DIT 2305 Food, Culture & Cuisine 2
DIT 2310 Lab for Food, Culture & Cuisine 1
DIT 2505 Food Science & Production Lab I 3
DIT 2510 Institutional Food Safety & Quantity Food Systems 3
DIT 2515 Foodservice Systems Directed Practicum 1
DIT 2520 Food Science Lab II 3
DIT 2625 Medical Nutrition Therapy I 3
DIT 2630 Medical Nutrition Therapy Clinical I 2
DIT 2735 Foodservice Retail Business Management & Mid-Program Assessment 3
DIT 2740 Retail Business Management Directed Practicum 1
DIT 2845 Medical Nutrition Therapy II 3
DIT 2850 Medical Nutrition Therapy Clinical II 2
DIT 2855 Nutrition & Dietetics Program Assessment Capstone 1
ENG 1101 English Composition I 3
MAT 1130 (Mathematics in Health Sciences) OR MAT 1450 (Introductory Statistics) 3 - 4
PSY 1100 General Psychology 3
- View the Master Syllabus - View the Course Schedule

Program Accreditation Information

The program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) a nationally recognized organization located at 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago Illinois 60606, 1-800-877-1600 ext. 5400, www.eatrightpro.org/acend. It is also approved by the Association of Nutrition and Foodservice Professionals (ANFP) a national not-for-profit association located at 616 E Main St Suite 3610, St. Charles, IL 60174, 1-800-323-1908, www.anfponline.org


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This information is for planning purposes only. Sinclair College will make every effort to offer curriculum listed above but reserves the right to change, add and cancel curriculum offerings for unforeseen circumstances.