Path to Become a NDTR

The Path to Become a NDTR

To become credentialed as a Nutrition and Dietetics Technician Registered (NDTR) you will need to complete the following steps:

1. You must graduate from an accredited dietetic technician program such as the one at Suffolk County Community College. At Suffolk you will need to complete all courses in the curriculum. These include general, basic and technical course work, as well as 450 hours of unpaid supervised practice. Many of the courses require a minimum grade of “C" to proceed to the next course in the program sequence. Specific information about each course can be found in the College Catalog course descriptions as well as on the Program Information Tab on the Dietetic Technician home page.

2. After you have qualified for graduation and are in the process to receive your Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree from Suffolk County Community College, the Program Director will submit documentation to the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) stating you are eligible to take the national examination to become a Nutrition and Dietetics Technician Registered (NDTR). This process will be reviewed with each student in their DTE203 Seminar class.

3. Once you have been registered for the exam you will receive information from CDR. You will need to complete and submit information to PEARSON-VUE, the test administrator, along with the required fee. PEARSON-VUE will then send you documentation that allows you to go to a designated testing center and take the computerized examination within the next year. You will know whether or not you passed immediately upon completion of the exam.

4. The next step is to maintain the NDTR credential. Life-long learning is a necessary way of life to be a knowledgeable professional. You will need to develop a Professional Portfolio in which you will establish educational goals to guide your continuing education for the next five years. After each five year period you will develop new goals for yourself. As you progress through each five years period you will need to document what you do to achieve your goals. This process will also be discussed in the DTE203 Seminar class.

A Nutrition and Dietetic Technician Registered Fact Sheet can be found on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website.

The phone number for the Commission on Dietetics Registered, the credentialing agency for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is: 1 (800) 877-1600 Ext. 5500