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NUTRITION ASSISTANT 2

Dignity Health

Santa Maria, CAJob$25–25.41/hrSeen 1w agoSeen in employer's feed 2 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$25–25.41/hr
Location
Santa Maria, CA
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Job overview

The Nutrition Assistant supports food services for patients and staff by preparing and delivering meals, assisting with food preparation, maintaining cleanliness and food safety, and addressing patient dietary needs. The role includes following therapeutic diet guidelines, using diet office software and electronic health records, and providing a positive dining experience. Some duties may include explaining basic diet orders and collecting patient food preferences.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Food PreparationFood SafetyTherapeutic DietsElectronic Diet Office SoftwareElectronic Health Records

Qualifications

One Year Foodservice ExperienceHigh School General Studies or Equivalent

Full job description

Job Summary and Responsibilities

As a Nutrition Assistant, you will assist in delivering high-quality, safe, and efficient food services to patients and staff.

Every day you will prepare and deliver meal trays, assist with food preparation, maintain cleanliness, ensure food safety compliance, and interact with patients regarding dietary needs.

To be successful, you will demonstrate meticulous attention to detail, strong food safety knowledge, and excellent customer service, contributing to a positive dining experience.

  • Prepares and serves food within guidelines of menu and dietary requirements using required kitchen utensils and equipment. Maintains knowledge of recipe ingredients to respond to food allergy questions or requests.

  • Follows healthcare foodservice industry standards, regulations, guidelines and procedures including monitoring and maintaining food temperatures during cooking, holding, and storage processes. Avoids cross-contamination of foods and adheres to personal hygiene requirements. Maintains proper labeling of food products and ensures storage of food equipment, and machinery per regulations and facility guidelines.

  • Follows organizational standards and guidelines for a high quality patient and customer experience. Ensures proper meal portioning and an aesthetically pleasing presentation. Provides service recovery efforts and escalates to leadership as needed.

  • May be responsible for one or more of the following:

  • Following therapeutic diet modifications and guidelines including allergy restrictions for all patient meal trays, nourishment, snacks and supplements

  • Printing, providing and following production tool and/or electronic meal tallies/differentials for food preparation

  • Explaining basic therapeutic diet orders and menus and responding to questions from patients and family members. Escalating additional patient nutrition questions or needs to appropriate clinical support team members.

  • Collecting patient food preferences and ensuring compliance with prescribed diet orders. Distributing food preferences to kitchen for menu planning in a timely manner.

  • Operating electronic diet office software and tools following established procedures and protocols.

  • Navigating electronic health records to access patient diet orders and nutritional reports.

  • Performing general cleaning of equipment and work areas (e.g., cleaning the tray line, equipment, coolers, office area, and emptying trash cans, etc.)

Job Requirements Required

  • One (1) year foodservice experience and

  • High School Graduate General Studies, upon hire or

  • High School GED General Studies, upon hire or

  • Equivalent combination of education and experience

  • None, upon hire

Where You'll Work

Founded in 1940, Dignity Health - Marian Regional Medical Center is a 191-bed, acute care, nonprofit hospital located in Santa Maria, California. Serving over 250,000 patients annually, the hospital offers a full complement of services including Level II Trauma Center, Level III NICU, cancer care, orthopedics, and stroke care. Additionally, Marian Regional Medical Center has been recognized as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. It is a Joint Commission-certified Primary Stroke Center, and the only healthcare facility on the Central Coast to offer ECMO.

One Community. One Mission. One California

Pay Range

$25.00 - $25.41 /hour

We are an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

How this job compares

Set against the 3,090 open Food Service jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 7, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$25–25.41/hr
  • California median$21–23/hr153 hourly ranges
  • US median$17–19/hr1,326 hourly ranges

This range's midpoint, $25.21/hr, is 13% above the California median midpoint ($22/hr) — in the top quarter of Food Service hourly ranges in California.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 191 open Food Service jobs in California and 3,090 across the US. Under 1% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in California
Experience
This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience; Food Service postings that state a minimum ask for 1 year at the median (413 postings).
Education
16 of the 3,090 open Food Service jobs (under 1%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 7, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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