The following information was taken from the website Top Masters In Healthcare and is only meant to provide a basic description of the responsibilities, skills and other requirements needed for a Nutrition Services Chef Manager.
Key ResponsibilitiesNutrition services managers hold managerial responsibility for overseeing the day-to-day operational, purchasing, menu planning, and budgeting aspects of clinical food service. Hiring and training qualified food preparation and nutrition staff is one of the job's key duties. On a typical day, nutrition services managers may be found conducting nutritional analysis, delegating staff schedules, inspecting kitchens, setting department policies, maintaining high sanitation standards, purchasing cooking equipment, keep patient menu records, and auditing service plans. Nutrition services managers often work closely with dietitians and nutritionists to adapt patient menus based on special diet restrictions.
Necessary Skills
Before becoming a nutrition services manager, you'll have to sharpen your leadership skills for supervising and evaluating food preparation staff. Being a skilled communicator is key for nutrition services managers to create a smooth functioning team environment. Operations are constantly changing based on patients' needs, so nutrition services managers need to have the quick thinking and flexible problem-solving skills to keep up. Being organized with good attention to detail is a must for nutrition services managers to keep meticulous records of dietary meal delivery plans. Nutrition services managers also have to possess a certain level of clinical skills to know when nutrient gaps must be filled to encourage healthy eating.
Degree and Education Requirements
Post-secondary education is almost always required for nutrition services managers. Most are educated with a four-year bachelor's degree from an accredited university. Aspiring nutrition services managers could benefit from earning an undergraduate major in nutrition, food service management, health administration, dietetics, or a related field. Make certain that your schedule is filled with classes covering menu planning, food preparation, sanitation, biochemistry, clinical nutrition, and diet assessment. Business classes related to management and accounting could also be helpful. Going the extra step to obtain a Master of Health Administration (MHA) may expedite promotion in large clinical facilities.
Salary
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average yearly salary for clinical nutrition and other food service managers in America is $53,500, which is equivalent to a mean hourly wage of $25.72. Nutrition services managers working in general medical and surgical hospitals make an average of $73,470, but the highest paid are employed in specialty hospitals with mean salaries of $79,970 each year.
Beginning Salary
When just starting out, nutrition services managers will likely land in the bottom tenth percentile with a yearly income around $29,920. However, mid- and late-career nutrition services managers can bring home significantly more with annual salaries over $82,360. New York is the top-paying state for nutrition services managers with a mean wage of $69,600 annually.