Recreational therapy aide vs patient care technician

The differences between recreational therapy aides and patient care technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a recreational therapy aide has an average salary of $50,346, which is higher than the $32,806 average annual salary of a patient care technician.

The top three skills for a recreational therapy aide include recreational therapy, patients and CPR. The most important skills for a patient care technician are patients, vital signs, and phlebotomy.

Recreational therapy aide vs patient care technician overview

	Recreational Therapy Aide	Patient Care Technician
Yearly salary	$50,346	$32,806
Hourly rate	$24.20	$15.77
Growth rate	4%	9%
Number of jobs	50,591	167,520
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 27%
Average age	43	34
Years of experience	12	-

Recreational therapy aide vs patient care technician salary

Recreational therapy aides and patient care technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Recreational Therapy Aide	Patient Care Technician
Average salary	$50,346	$32,806
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $71,000	Between $24,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	-	Rochester, NH
Highest paying state	-	Vermont
Best paying company	-	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between recreational therapy aide and patient care technician education

There are a few differences between a recreational therapy aide and a patient care technician in terms of educational background:

	Recreational Therapy Aide	Patient Care Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 27%
Most common major	Rehabilitation Science	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Emory University

Recreational therapy aide vs patient care technician demographics

Here are the differences between recreational therapy aides' and patient care technicians' demographics:

	Recreational Therapy Aide	Patient Care Technician
Average age	43	34
Gender ratio	Male, 23.9% Female, 76.1%	Male, 19.0% Female, 81.0%
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, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	9%	15%

Differences between recreational therapy aide and patient care technician 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.

Patient care technician example responsibilities.

Manage care and prepare medical records, transcription and supply orders.
Manage daily care of high acuity patients with neurological trauma/disorders and post-surgery.
Qualify to perform patient care responsibilities on catheter patients.
Transport patients using wheelchairs and stretchers and assist patients to ambulate safely.
Assist with transferring patients in and out of wheelchairs, recliners, and stretchers.
Apply protective restraints safely and appropriately, assist in the admission, discharge and transfer of patients as needed.

Recreational therapy aide vs patient care technician skills

Common recreational therapy aide skills

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

Common patient care technician skills

Patients, 24%
Vital Signs, 9%
Phlebotomy, 7%
CPR, 6%
Direct Patient Care, 5%
Customer Service, 5%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Recreational Therapy Aide
Recreational Therapy Aide vs Patient Care Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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