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How To Become a Rehab Technician
Summary. We reviewed real candidate profiles to learn the best path to become a rehab technician. We'll guide you through the education, experiences, and skills hiring managers look for in a rehab technician.
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Most companies require a rehab technician to have a bachelor's degree degree in a related field, such as kinesiology or physical therapy.
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Common job titles before becoming a rehab technician include certified nursing assistant, cashier, and sales associate.
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Hiring managers expect a rehab technician to have soft skills such as dexterity, physical stamina, and compassion.
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Once you have all the required skills and experience, it takes an average of less than 1 month of job training to become a rehab technician.
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Getting a certification as a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) will help you to earn more as a rehab technician.
We found that 47.4% of rehab technicians have graduated with a bachelor's degree and 3.7% of people in this position have earned their master's degrees. While most rehab technicians have a college degree, you may find it's also true that generally it's possible to be successful in this career with only a high school degree. In fact, our research shows that one out of every five rehab technicians were not college graduates.
Those rehab technicians who do attend college, typically earn either a kinesiology degree or a physical therapy degree. Less commonly earned degrees for rehab technicians include a nursing degree or a business degree.
How to become a Rehab Technician in 6 steps:
- Step 1: Explore rehab technician education
- Step 2: Develop rehab technician skills
- Step 3: Complete relevent training/internship
- Step 4: Get rehab technician certifications
- Step 5: Research rehab technician duties
- Step 6: Prepare your resume
Key Steps To Become a Rehab Technician
Explore Rehab Technician Education
If you're interested in becoming a rehab technician, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 47.4% of rehab technicians have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 3.7% of rehab technicians have master's degrees. Even though most rehab technicians have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a rehab technician. When we researched the most common majors for a rehab technician, we found that they most commonly have kinesiology, physical therapy and nursing.
Rehab Technician Major Percentages Kinesiology 23.90% Physical Therapy 9.60% Nursing 7.60% Business 6.90% Other Degrees 52.10% Develop Rehab Technician Skills
It'll be a good idea to develop rehab technician skills before applying for a job. Here are some skills commonly requested in rehab technician job descriptions:
Skills Percentages Patients 23.58% Physical Therapy 10.41% Rehabilitation 10.11% Customer Service 5.56% CPR 4.49% Complete Relevent Training/Internship
Rehab technicians spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. During this time, new rehab technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their specific job and employer. The chart below shows how much time it takes to gain competency as a rehab technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real rehab technician resumes.
Average Amount Of Time At Training
Get Rehab Technician Certifications
Certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for this position. They can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a certification, having one may help you stand out in an application. Plus, the process of getting a certification can teach you new skills that you can bring to your work. We determined the most common certifications for rehab technicians. The most common certification is Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), but Medical Assistant is also frequently seen in rehab technicians resumes.
- Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA)
- Medical Assistant
- Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT)
- Certified Nurse Technician (CNT)
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
- Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA)
- Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)
- Patient Care Technician
Research Rehab Technician Duties
When you decide to become a rehab technician, It's important to know what duties and responsibilities are required for this position. Some common responsibilities are a part of most rehab technician jobs. Here is a list of the main duties that define the role:
- Make rounds for walkers and wheelchairs for patients.
- Assist therapist with transfers, monitoring of splints, hot packs, and modalities.
- Prepare patients for therapy sessions and assist patients to put on devices such as braces and splints.
- Maintain and clean medical equipment, interact with staff and patients, and occasionally cover the reception desk.Skills UsedCNA and CPR
- Provide nursing and orthopedic patient care for stroke patients, assisting with rehabilitation, medication and recovery knowledge.
- Assist physical therapists in the rehabilitation of patients by providing exercise programs and proper treatment for healthy injury recovery.
Prepare Your Resume
Finally, when you already have checked the skills and responsibilities for this role, you can start creating your resume. Everything that goes into creating a perfect resume can take hours, days, or even weeks. No worries, we created a resume builder to make this process as easy as possible with tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and a summary.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Rehab Technician Resume templates
Build a professional Rehab Technician 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 Technician resume.Apply For a Rehab Technician Job
Rehab Technician Jobs
