Division: Health Sciences
Department: Nutrition and Dietetics
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.
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.
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).
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
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
Program outcomes data available upon request.
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