How to hire a recreational therapy aide

How to hire a recreational therapy aide, step by step

Here's a step-by-step recreational therapy aide hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The recreational therapy aide 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 recreational therapy aide's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, recreational therapy aides 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.

   Here's a comparison of recreational therapy aide salaries for various roles:

   Type of Recreational Therapy Aide	Description	Hourly rate
   Recreational Therapy Aide	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.	$16-34
   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
   Patient Care Technician	Patient care technicians are medical workers who work in clinics, hospitals, or other medical facilities under the supervision of doctors or other health professionals. They provide assistance to health professionals and patients... Show more	$11-20

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Recreational Therapy
   • Patients
   • CPR
   • Compassion
   • Music Therapy
   • Therapeutic Recreation Programs
   • Clinical Documentation
   • MDS
   • Resident Care

   Responsibilities:

   • Work with MDS coordinator and interview residents for annual MDS sections and care planning.
   • Counsele and encourage patients to develop leisure activities.
   • Assist recreation therapists in planning and implementing recreation-base treatment programs to patients.
   • Coordinate rehabilitation practices through recreational activities
   • Perform orthopedic rehabilitation and adolescent psych rehabilitation.
   • Perform orthopedic rehabilitation and adolescent psych rehabilitation.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, recreational therapy aides' average salary in florida is 48% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level recreational therapy aides 51% less than senior-level recreational therapy aides.
   • Certifications. A recreational therapy aide 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 recreational therapy aide's salary.

   Average recreational therapy aide salary

   $50,346yearly

   $24.20 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level recreational therapy aide salary

   $35,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing a recreational therapy aide job description

   A recreational therapy aide 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a recreational therapy aide job description:

   Recreational therapy aide job description example

   Founded fifteen (15) years ago, NPH is the largest hospital system in the nation providing care to patients with both neurological and medical needs. We are unique in that we serve a population which others have been previously been unable to, largely due the patient's underlying medial issues. Our facilities maintain an inter-disciplinary focus using a multi-specialty approach for both neuropsychiatric and complex medical care issues. This proven approach provides unrivaled quality care for all of our patients. We have multiple locations throughout the United States and are continuing to add locations to ensure better access to our unique model of care

   Overview

   NeuroPsychiatric Hospitals is looking for an Recreational Therapy Aide for our hospital in Bremen, IN. The Recreational Therapy Aide is responsible for planning and organizing individual and group activities to meet the social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs of patients. Ascertains that activities are medically approved recreational programs. Communicates available programs to patients and encourages participation

   Responsibilities

   1. Adheres to and conveys a philosophy that supports the dignity, privacy, independence, choice, and individuality of patients.
   2. Participates in the patient Inter-Disciplinary Team Conference (ITC) process to provide input as to each patient's involvement in his/her areas of interest.
   3. Leads and/or oversees individual and group activities on a daily basis, encouraging patient participation.
   4. With the utilization of various techniques, including games, arts, sports, crafts, music, dance, movement and drama therapist assists with building and maintaining the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of their clients.
   5. Teach patients with mental health illness stress relief techniques and stretching exercises.
   6. Makes use of games for introverted patients and those who are uncomfortable in social settings to draw them out or make use of sports activities to teach a person who has lost the use of one of his limbs or is paralyzed on one side, how to function with impaired mobility.

   Qualifications

   Education: High School Diploma or GED required

   Experience: Two (2) years of experience in recreational therapy or engaging with geriatric or psych patients preferred

   #INDEEDMED

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5. Post your job

   To find the right recreational therapy aide for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with recreational therapy aides they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit recreational therapy aides who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your recreational therapy aide job on Zippia to find and attract quality recreational therapy aide candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit recreational therapy aides, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 recreational therapy aide

   Once you have selected a candidate for the recreational therapy aide position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new recreational therapy aide. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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.)

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