Certified recreational therapist vs recreational therapy technician

The differences between certified recreational therapists and recreational therapy technicians 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 recreational therapy technician. Additionally, a certified recreational therapist has an average salary of $61,472, which is higher than the $45,332 average annual salary of a recreational therapy technician.

The top three skills for a certified recreational therapist include patients, therapeutic recreation and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a recreational therapy technician are developmental disabilities, , and .

Certified recreational therapist vs recreational therapy technician overview

	Certified Recreational Therapist	Recreational Therapy Technician
Yearly salary	$61,472	$45,332
Hourly rate	$29.55	$21.79
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	56,515	16,487
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	12	12

Certified recreational therapist vs recreational therapy technician salary

Certified recreational therapists and recreational therapy technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Certified Recreational Therapist	Recreational Therapy Technician
Average salary	$61,472	$45,332
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $92,000	Between $30,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between certified recreational therapist and recreational therapy technician education

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

	Certified Recreational Therapist	Recreational Therapy Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Rehabilitation Science	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Certified recreational therapist vs recreational therapy technician demographics

Here are the differences between certified recreational therapists' and recreational therapy technicians' demographics:

	Certified Recreational Therapist	Recreational Therapy Technician
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 19.6% Female, 80.4%	Male, 35.7% Female, 64.3%
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 recreational therapy technician 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.

Recreational therapy technician example responsibilities.

Implement and plan activities, written by CTRS.
Prepare materials for assessments and provide assistance to individuals through hands-on methods and direct contact observations by assisting the rehabilitation supervisor.
Redesign gazebo for accessible gardening activities.

Certified recreational therapist vs recreational therapy technician skills

Common certified recreational therapist skills

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

Common recreational therapy technician skills

Developmental Disabilities, 100%

Certified Recreational Therapist vs. similar jobs

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Certified Recreational Therapist
Certified Recreational Therapist vs Recreational Therapy Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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