Career Explorer Healthcare (clinical)
Changing shape
Dietetic technicians
Assist in the provision of food service and nutritional programs, under the supervision of a dietitian. May plan and produce meals based on established guidelines, teach principles of food and nutrition, or counsel individuals.
In the middle of the pack: more resilient than 47% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is high (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it high), and US jobs are projected to change by +2.7% by 2035, slower than average. The work leans on emotional intelligence and creative vision.
AI can do many of the tasks, and hiring is expected to grow slower than average or to shrink. The job is likely to change, so build the human parts of it.
- Median pay (2025)
- $37,640
- Job growth to 2035
- +2.7%
- Openings a year
- 4,200
- People doing it (2025)
- 32,100
- Usual route in
- Associate's degree
Where people already use AI for this work
- Advise patients or clients on medical issues
- Analyze health or medical data
- Research healthcare issues
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures
- Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care
- Monitor health conditions of humans or animals
What the work looks like
- Observe and monitor patient food intake and body weight, and report changes, progress, and dietary problems to dietician.
- Conduct nutritional assessments of individuals, including obtaining and evaluating individuals' dietary histories, to plan nutritional programs.
- Prepare a major meal, following recipes and determining group food quantities.
- Supervise food production or service or assist dietitians or nutritionists in food service supervision or planning.
- Plan menus or diets or guide individuals or families in food selection, preparation, or menu planning, based upon nutritional needs and established guidelines.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Exercise physiologistsHuman edge, growing, Index 82, +12.8%
- Administrative services managersHuman edge, growing, Index 66, +5.2%
- Magnetic resonance imaging technologistsHuman edge, growing, Index 68, +7.7%
- Health technologists and technicians, all otherHuman edge, growing, Index 64, +5.9%
Also known as: Diet Tech (Dietetic Technician), Diet Technician Registered (DTR), Dietary Aide, Nutrition Technician, Cook Chill Technician (CCT), Diet Assistant, Diet Clerk, Diet Tech (Diet Technician).
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.