Recreational therapy aide vs general activities therapist

The differences between recreational therapy aides and general activities therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a recreational therapy aide and a general activities therapist. Additionally, a recreational therapy aide has an average salary of $50,346, which is higher than the $49,984 average annual salary of a general activities therapist.

The top three skills for a recreational therapy aide include recreational therapy, patients and CPR. The most important skills for a general activities therapist are interdisciplinary, instructional capacity, and .

Recreational therapy aide vs general activities therapist overview

	Recreational Therapy Aide	General Activities Therapist
Yearly salary	$50,346	$49,984
Hourly rate	$24.20	$24.03
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	50,591	59,502
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	12	12

Recreational therapy aide vs general activities therapist salary

Recreational therapy aides and general activities therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Recreational Therapy Aide	General Activities Therapist
Average salary	$50,346	$49,984
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $71,000	Between $35,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between recreational therapy aide and general activities therapist education

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

	Recreational Therapy Aide	General Activities Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Rehabilitation Science	Kinesiology
Most common college	Duke University	Northwestern University

Recreational therapy aide vs general activities therapist demographics

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

	Recreational Therapy Aide	General Activities Therapist
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 23.9% Female, 76.1%	Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8%
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 recreational therapy aide and general activities therapist duties and responsibilities

Recreational therapy aide example 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.

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 aide vs general activities therapist skills

Common recreational therapy aide skills

Recreational Therapy, 32%
Patients, 25%
CPR, 12%
Compassion, 11%
Music Therapy, 9%
Therapeutic Recreation Programs, 8%

Common general activities therapist skills

Interdisciplinary, 78%
Instructional Capacity, 22%

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Recreational Therapy Aide
Recreational Therapy Aide vs General Activities Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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