Prospective Students

Welcome to the Dietetic Technician Program (DTP) at Suffolk County Community College! Choosing an education in food and nutrition can lead you toward a fun, challenging and rewarding career in which you can have a tremendous positive impact on people’s lives and well being.

What is a (NDTR), Nutrition and Dietetic Technician, Registered?

A Nutrition and Dietetic Technician, Registered is a trained food and nutrition professional who is an integral part of the health care team. NDTRs promote health through proper nutrition. This is done by offering individualized services to meet client’s needs and providing diet therapy through well balanced quality food and nutrition education.

Detailed information from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics about becoming a NDTR and professional requirements can be found at The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website.

Where does a Nutrition and Dietetic Technician, Registered work?

Clinical	Hospitals, HMO’s, nursing homes, clinics, retirement centers, hospices, research facilities, mentally challenged and home care agencies.
Food Service Management	Schools, day care centers, restaurants, correctional facilities, hospitals and long term care facilities.
Community	Public health agencies, WIC programs, meals on wheels and community health programs.
Wellness	Health clubs, spas, weight management centers and community wellness programs.
Business	Food and pharmaceutical companies, food distributors and vendors.

What does a Nutrition and Dietetic Technician, Registered do?

A Nutrition and Dietetic Technician, Registered is trained in two major areas of dietetics: medical nutrition therapy and food service management. 

As a part of the health care team they work together with a Registered Dietitian. The NDTR is responsible for:     

• Maintaining diet rosters
• Reviewing care plans
• Obtaining food preferences, menu selections and diet history
• Conducting patient interviews
• Performing meal rounds and food intake studies
• Maintaining meal/diet census records
• Performing computer data entry
• Providing in-service education for professional staff
• Writing and evaluating therapeutic menus according to diet manual
• Attending health care team meetings
• Documenting client care in the medical record
• Providing nutrition education
• Developing educational materials

Nutrition and dietetic technicians, registered also work as part of the food service management team. The NDTR is responsible for:

• Purchasing food and supplies
• Writing production sheets
• Scheduling employees
• Supervising, receiving and maintaining storage areas
• Planning and designing special meal patterns
• Writing job descriptions
• Performing in-service education for dietary staff
• Maintaining and improving standards for safety and sanitation
• Developing and analyzing recipes
• Monitoring equipment maintenance
• Overseeing tray line
• Assisting in budget development
• Maintaining cost control records
• Training, supervising and evaluating dietary staff
• Maintaining quality control procedures

To find out more about the Dietetic Technician Program, take a look at our Student Handbook.

To learn how to apply to our program, visit the College Admissions page.

If you have more questions, contact:

Jodi Levine, MS, RD, CDN
Program Director
Suffolk County Community College Dietetic Technician Program
(631) 548-3725
levinej@sunysuffolk.edu