Certified recreational therapist vs general activities therapist

The differences between certified recreational therapists and general activities therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a certified recreational therapist and a general activities therapist. Additionally, a certified recreational therapist has an average salary of $61,472, which is higher than the $49,984 average annual salary of a general activities therapist.

The top three skills for a certified recreational therapist include patients, therapeutic recreation and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a general activities therapist are interdisciplinary, instructional capacity, and .

Certified recreational therapist vs general activities therapist overview

	Certified Recreational Therapist	General Activities Therapist
Yearly salary	$61,472	$49,984
Hourly rate	$29.55	$24.03
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	56,515	59,502
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	12	12

Certified recreational therapist vs general activities therapist salary

Certified recreational therapists and general activities therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Certified Recreational Therapist	General Activities Therapist
Average salary	$61,472	$49,984
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $92,000	Between $35,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between certified recreational therapist and general activities therapist education

There are a few differences between a certified recreational therapist and a general activities therapist in terms of educational background:

	Certified Recreational Therapist	General Activities Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Rehabilitation Science	Kinesiology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	Northwestern University

Certified recreational therapist vs general activities therapist demographics

Here are the differences between certified recreational therapists' and general activities therapists' demographics:

	Certified Recreational Therapist	General Activities Therapist
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 19.6% Female, 80.4%	Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 3.3% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 3.3% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between certified recreational therapist and general activities therapist duties and responsibilities

Certified recreational therapist example responsibilities.

Manage ventilator care, intubation, arterial line placement, mechanical ventilation, BIPAP, and CPAP.
Provide instruction and awareness on use of adaptive equipment.
Function as a PRN CTRS for an adult inpatient psychiatric hospital.
Research and purchase adaptive equipment, activity supplies and daily needs for the program.
Lead and co-lead therapeutic psychiatric rehabilitation groups.
Create policy and procedure manual for rehabilitation unit van.

General activities therapist example responsibilities.

Manage ventilator care, intubation, arterial line placement, mechanical ventilation, BIPAP, and CPAP.
Serve on committees, attend interdisciplinary meetings and intervene in crisis situations.
Identify presenting/existing barriers that impede adequate social-functioning and goal-attainment with the purpose of connecting patients to adequate resources within a community.
Receive DBT, recovery model, and therapeutic communication training to enhance therapeutic techniques.

Certified recreational therapist vs general activities therapist skills

Common certified recreational therapist skills

Patients, 22%
Therapeutic Recreation, 17%
Rehabilitation, 12%
Recreation Therapy, 10%
CTRS, 10%
Interdisciplinary, 8%

Common general activities therapist skills

Interdisciplinary, 78%
Instructional Capacity, 22%

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Certified Recreational Therapist
Certified Recreational Therapist vs General Activities Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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