How To Become A Rehab Aide: What It Is and Career Path

What is a rehab aide and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Don't mistake them for babysitters; their jobs might look similar, but never the same. Rehab aides are people assigned to take care of patients, so they are often seen either in hospitals or nursing facilities. Though they often work in medical outfits, rehab aides are also seen in private homes giving care to VIP patients.

To work as a rehab aide, interested persons should possess more psychological and physical attributes than academic. Some of those attributes include good manners, empathy, compassion, and politeness; because these people work closely with sick people.

Physical fitness is another quality for a rehab aide; this is because their job description also involves transporting the patient(s) from one point to the other as part of the treatment routine, lift or support patients, and other treatment equipment. e.g., those that are disabled. Other qualities include data entry, computer skills, and communication skills.

The salary of a rehab aide revolves around $46,920 (at $22.56 per hour), though there are ones that earn around $11.91 per hour. Currently, there are no specific academic qualifications needed for the job of a rehab aide, but a certificate or degree in any health-related discipline is an added advantage.

ScoreRehab AideUS Average

Salary

2.1

Avg. Salary $27,050

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.9

Growth rate 24%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.40%

Asian 8.62%

Black or African American 6.74%

Hispanic or Latino 12.44%

Unknown 4.77%

White 67.03%

Gender

female 71.61%

male 28.39%

Age - 37

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 37

Stress level

6.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.1

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a rehab aide

Explore rehab aide education requirements

Most common rehab aide degrees

Bachelor's

54.8 %

Associate

18.4 %

High School Diploma

10.4 %

Start to develop specific rehab aide skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	20.08%
Rehabilitation	15.09%
Scheduling Appointments	9.33%
Splints	6.49%
CPR	6.10%

Complete relevant rehab aide training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New rehab aides learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a rehab aide based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real rehab aide resumes.

Gain additional rehab aide certifications

Rehab aide certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific rehab aide certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for rehab aides include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.

More About Certifications

Research rehab aide duties and responsibilities

Assist therapists with exercises, transfers, and ADL's.
Perform therapeutic ultrasounds, electrical muscle stimulation, Iontophoresis and DRS on patients as needed.
Administer prescribe therapeutic exercise for patients with cervical, lumbar, shoulder, hip and knee injuries.
Provide pre-therapy moist heat, set up patients on various machines, and deliver cryotherapy to patients.

Prepare your rehab aide resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your rehab aide resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a rehab aide resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable rehab aide resume templates

Build a professional rehab aide resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your rehab aide resume.