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Nutrition Assistant Certification

Nutrition assistants function as members of a health care center's support staff. Their primary responsibilities include scheduling meals and feeding patients, usually under the supervision of a dietitian, nutritionist or nurse.

  1. Prerequisites

    • Not all nutrition assistant programs require prerequisite coursework, but those that do may insist on the completion of biology, chemistry and basic math classes prior to enrollment.

    Program Duration

    • Nutrition assistant certification programs are relatively short and can be completed within four months to a year. Accelerated course programs are completed in half the time.

    Graduation Requirements

    • Nutrition assistant programs often require you to devote part of your schedule to fieldwork, allowing you to gain hands-on experience in a health-care setting. To help guarantee the safety of caretakers and patients, students must agree to a physical exam and submit a negative tuberculosis test or chest x-ray once accepted into the program.

    Employment

    • Nutrition assistants are employed by schools, hospitals, adult care homes and public health agencies. Excellent people skills are essential for nutrition assistants due to their frequent interaction with sick and elderly patients.

    Job Restrictions

    • Nutrition assistants are not permitted to work with patients who have complicated eating problems such as difficulty swallowing or IV/tube feedings. Other restrictions include performing any task that is normally undertaken by nurses, such as bathing, grooming or dressing a patient.

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