How to hire a recreation therapist

How to hire a recreation therapist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step recreation therapist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a recreation therapist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new recreation therapist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a recreation therapist do?

Post a recreation therapist job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The recreation therapist hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A recreation therapist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, recreation therapists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents recreation therapist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Recreation Therapist	Description	Hourly rate
   Recreation Therapist	Recreational therapists plan, direct, and coordinate recreation-based treatment programs for people with disabilities, injuries, or illnesses. Recreational therapists use a variety of modalities, including arts and crafts, drama, music, dance, sports, games, and community reintegration field trips to help maintain or improve a patient’s physical, social, and emotional well-being.	$17-40
   Treatment Coordinator	A Treatment Coordinator is responsible for assisting the doctors and other medical professionals in performing treatment procedures and administering medications for the patients. Treatment Coordinators manage administrative duties, such as scheduling medical appointments, discussing the treatment plans to the patients, updating medical information on the database, and processing payments for the medical procedures... Show more	$14-25
   Music Therapy Internship	In a music therapy internship, an intern's duties primarily depend on the directives of a manager or supervising staff. Typically, they are responsible for gaining industry insights and practical experience while performing support tasks such as answering calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documents, conducting research and analysis, setting-up instruments and other devices, and running errands as needed... Show more	$10-29

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • CTRS
   • Mental Health
   • Rehabilitation
   • Patient Care
   • CPR
   • Treatment Programs
   • Social Work
   • Veterans
   • Substance Abuse
   • Music Therapy
   • Treatment Services
   • Mental Illness
   • Compassion

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage ventilator care, intubation, arterial line placement, mechanical ventilation, BIPAP, and CPAP.
   • Evaluate assigned patients to assess and document the need for therapeutic recreational interventions in order to attain rehabilitation goals.
   • Obtain ABG samples when need, EKG analysis, and oxygen therapy to patients.
   • Support the CTRS in planning and implementation of in- house events and community outings.
   • Organize and facilitate programs for TBI survivors and their families.
   • Use patient prefer music to apply NMT protocols into sessions.

   More recreation therapist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your recreation therapist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A recreation therapist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, recreation therapists' average salary in rhode island is 57% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level recreation therapists 58% less than senior-level recreation therapists.
   • Certifications. A recreation therapist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a recreation therapist's salary.

   Average recreation therapist salary

   $55,992yearly

   $26.92 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level recreation therapist salary

   $36,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average recreation therapist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$102,779	$49
   2	Oregon	$78,306	$38
   3	Utah	$72,436	$35
   4	Nevada	$69,508	$33
   5	Washington	$67,609	$33
   6	New York	$62,461	$30
   7	Maryland	$60,554	$29
   8	New Jersey	$60,344	$29
   9	Arizona	$58,000	$28
   10	Texas	$55,820	$27
   11	Pennsylvania	$54,961	$26
   12	Michigan	$53,737	$26
   13	Colorado	$52,043	$25
   14	Minnesota	$51,265	$25
   15	Virginia	$50,169	$24
   16	Missouri	$49,260	$24
   17	Massachusetts	$48,376	$23
   18	North Carolina	$47,833	$23
   19	New Hampshire	$46,374	$22
   20	Georgia	$46,345	$22

   Average recreation therapist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Cottage Health	$107,235	$51.56	6
   2	Mission Regional Medical Center	$97,749	$46.99	40
   3	Dignity Health	$96,605	$46.44	94
   4	University of Maryland Medical System	$96,006	$46.16	28
   5	St. Mary's Health Inc.	$87,748	$42.19	2
   6	Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare	$86,200	$41.44	3
   7	Commonwealth	$82,951	$39.88
   8	Blessing Hospital Emergency Room	$82,436	$39.63	2
   9	Great Plains Regional Medical Center	$79,925	$38.43	2
   10	Houston Healthcare	$76,534	$36.80	2
   11	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	$76,426	$36.74
   12	Huntington Hospital	$75,485	$36.29
   13	Southwest General	$75,115	$36.11	2
   14	Methodist Health System	$75,027	$36.07	7
   15	Health Alliance	$74,224	$35.68	6
   16	Geisinger Medical Center	$73,170	$35.18	11
   17	Southern California Hospitals	$72,856	$35.03	5
   18	Virginia Hospital Center	$71,917	$34.58	2
   19	Appalachian Regional Healthcare	$71,441	$34.35	2
   20	Catholic Health East	$71,157	$34.21	3

4. Writing a recreation therapist job description

   A recreation therapist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a recreation therapist job description:

   Recreation therapist job description example

   Children s Specialized Hospital is the nation s leading provider of inpatient and outpatient care for children from birth to 21 years of age facing special health challenges from chronic illnesses and complex physical disabilities like brain and spinal cord injuries, to developmental and behavioral issues like autism and mental health.
   
   Children's Specialized Hospital is now in its third century of caring for those in need. Our Boards of Trustees, physicians, therapists, nurses, staff, volunteers, and donors remain dedicated to the very ideals of the Hospital's founders and committed to providing the best care possible so that every child who seeks our help reaches their fullest potential.
   
   At 16 different New Jersey locations, our pediatric specialists partner with families to make our many innovative therapies and medical treatments more personalized and effective...so children can achieve more of their goals.
   
   Assess, plan, implement and evaluate therapeutic, educational and diversionary recreation services to restore, remediate and|or rehabilitate effects if illness and disability. Through the provision of therapy, programs, resources, and support staff work with patients to encourage the development of satisfying recreational interests and skills for participation in community recreational programs.
   Essential Job Functions Evenings and weekends required
   Performs developmentally|functionally appropriate assessment according to standards of practice to determine course of treatment. Plan, implement and evaluates treatment plans.
   Completes all documentation on time according to hospital and department policies. Goals are written in functional and measurable terms.
   Develop treatment plans reflecting collaboration and communication with patient, family and team. Provide discharge planning services including the provision of developmental and|or community organzational resources.
   Develop, coordinate and implement appropriate programming for a variety of age and diagnostic groups, matching development level, interests and abilities.
   Effectively utilizes and supervises volunteers and visiting groups.
   Assist with coordinating outpatient recreational programs. Coordinate a minimum of one special event a year.
   Supervises and|or assists student interns as designated.
   Assist with personal, department and hospital growth and development through involvement in research, professional organizations and presentations to promote best practice and maintain certification.
   Assist with the coordination of programs and projects enabling the department and hospital to meet the mission and meet or exceed their goals.
   Maintain recreation areas, equipment, storage and supplies in a safe efficient manner. Formal Education and Job-Related Experience
   * Ability to plan activities and adapt to the environment to suit a variety of disabling conditions. Tact, enthusiasm, initiative and judgment in performance of duties. Member of ATRA preferred. Certification
   * NCTRC Certification. AHA BLS Provider Certification required. License
   * NJ State Drivers License. Education and Experience - Additional Comments
   * Bachelors Degree in Recreation, with rehabilitation or therapeutic recreation emphasis, from an accredited program. Completion of a pediatric affiliation or work experience with pediatrics. Job Specific Contacts
   * Direct contact with patients, families, other therapists, nursing staff, volunteers, community groups and universities. Physical Demands
   * Recreation playrooms, nursing unit, community locations, playground, pool and therapy gyms. Working Environment - Additional Comments
   * Physical stamina to lift, push and pull patients and equipment. Therapeutic handling of patients. Job Provides Direction To
   * May supervise students and volunteers.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find recreation therapists for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   To find recreation therapist candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting recreation therapists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new recreation therapist

   Once you've selected the best recreation therapist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new recreation therapist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a recreation therapist?