Director of recreation therapy vs activities director

The differences between directors of recreation therapy and activities directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a director of recreation therapy and an activities director. Additionally, a director of recreation therapy has an average salary of $165,498, which is higher than the $44,982 average annual salary of an activities director.

The top three skills for a director of recreation therapy include rehabilitation, occupational therapy and interdisciplinary. The most important skills for an activities director are patients, rehabilitation, and resident care.

Director of recreation therapy vs activities director overview

	Director Of Recreation Therapy	Activities Director
Yearly salary	$165,498	$44,982
Hourly rate	$79.57	$21.63
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	17,746	6,845
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Director of recreation therapy vs activities director salary

Directors of recreation therapy and activities directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Recreation Therapy	Activities Director
Average salary	$165,498	$44,982
Salary range	Between $87,000 And $314,000	Between $27,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	-	Huntington, NY
Highest paying state	-	Mississippi
Best paying company	-	Microsoft
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between director of recreation therapy and activities director education

There are a few differences between a director of recreation therapy and an activities director in terms of educational background:

	Director Of Recreation Therapy	Activities Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Rehabilitation Science	Business
Most common college	SUNY College at Cortland	University of Pennsylvania

Director of recreation therapy vs activities director demographics

Here are the differences between directors of recreation therapy' and activities directors' demographics:

	Director Of Recreation Therapy	Activities Director
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 27.3% Female, 72.7%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 5.7% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between director of recreation therapy and activities director duties and responsibilities

Director of recreation therapy example responsibilities.

Manage activity and progress reports including statistical data require by regulators, initial assessments, MDS and IDC documentation.
Work with mentally ill, physical rehabilitation, Alzheimer's, dementia, and HIV/AIDS affect residents of facility.
Design architecture and lay-out of rehabilitation room and surrounding patio.
Plan and direct medically approve recreation program for patients in hospitals and other institutions.
Maintain and continually restructure the Alzheimer's unit separate sensory room utilize for auditory, visual, olfactory and tactile stimulation.
Manage annual MWR budget aboard the ship, to encompass monetary intake of over $1million.

Activities director example responsibilities.

Manage updated JCC social media, including Facebook.
Manage pet therapy/pat visitation protocol.
Attend interdisciplinary care plan meetings and document in MDS and resident medical records as appropriate.
Plan, organize, and run the afterschool
Create reports, handouts, and PowerPoint presentations.
Assist teachers with reading and mathematics lessons and activities.

Director of recreation therapy vs activities director skills

Common director of recreation therapy skills

Rehabilitation, 15%
Occupational Therapy, 14%
Interdisciplinary, 14%
Patients, 12%
Recreational Therapy, 11%
Physical Therapy, 11%

Common activities director skills

Patients, 15%
Rehabilitation, 10%
Resident Care, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Home Health, 7%
MDS, 6%

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Director Of Recreation Therapy
Director Of Recreation Therapy vs Activities Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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