General activities therapist vs recreational therapy technician

The differences between general activities 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 general activities therapist and a recreational therapy technician. Additionally, a general activities therapist has an average salary of $49,984, which is higher than the $45,332 average annual salary of a recreational therapy technician.

The top three skills for a general activities therapist include interdisciplinary, instructional capacity and . The most important skills for a recreational therapy technician are developmental disabilities, , and .

General activities therapist vs recreational therapy technician overview

	General Activities Therapist	Recreational Therapy Technician
Yearly salary	$49,984	$45,332
Hourly rate	$24.03	$21.79
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	59,502	16,487
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	12	12

General activities therapist vs recreational therapy technician salary

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

	General Activities Therapist	Recreational Therapy Technician
Average salary	$49,984	$45,332
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $70,000	Between $30,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between general activities therapist and recreational therapy technician education

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

	General Activities Therapist	Recreational Therapy Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Psychology
Most common college	Northwestern University	California State University - Long Beach

General activities therapist vs recreational therapy technician demographics

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

	General Activities Therapist	Recreational Therapy Technician
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8%	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 general activities therapist and recreational therapy technician duties and responsibilities

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.

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.

General activities therapist vs recreational therapy technician skills

Common general activities therapist skills

Interdisciplinary, 78%
Instructional Capacity, 22%

Common recreational therapy technician skills

Developmental Disabilities, 100%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
General Activities Therapist
General Activities Therapist vs Recreational Therapy Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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