How to hire a rehab technician

How to hire a rehab technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step rehab technician hiring guide:

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

What does a rehab technician do?

Post a rehab technician job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your rehab technician job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a rehab technician for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A rehab technician's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, rehab technicians 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 rehab technician salaries for various roles:

   Type of Rehab Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Rehab Technician	Physical therapist assistants, sometimes called PTAs, and physical therapist aides work under the direction and supervision of physical therapists. They help patients who are recovering from injuries and illnesses regain movement and manage pain.	$10-17
   Physical Therapy Aide	Physical therapy aides are employed under physical therapists' direction. They typically perform non-medical tasks, including helping with patient intake, setting up treatment rooms, and assisting with patient transportation to another health care facility... Show more	$3-56
   Rehabilitation Aide	A rehabilitation aide is responsible for assisting patients with injuries, mental disorders, and illnesses in their treatment plans and medications. Rehabilitation aides monitor the patients' progress and update attending physicians regarding their conditions... Show more	$10-16

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Physical Therapy
   • Rehabilitation
   • Customer Service
   • CPR
   • Cleanliness
   • Direct Supervision
   • Taking Care
   • Therapy Sessions
   • Occupational Therapy
   • Clerical Tasks
   • Acute Care
   • Direct Patient Care
   • ADL

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • 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.

   More rehab technician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your rehab technician job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A rehab technician salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a rehab technician in Mississippi may be lower than in Colorado, and an entry-level rehab technician usually earns less than a senior-level rehab technician. Additionally, a rehab technician with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average rehab technician salary

   $13.70hourly

   $28,505 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level rehab technician salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average rehab technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$32,915	$16
   2	Colorado	$31,626	$15
   3	Oregon	$30,038	$14
   4	Illinois	$28,619	$14
   5	Nevada	$27,102	$13
   6	Arizona	$26,840	$13
   7	Florida	$26,136	$13
   8	Minnesota	$26,015	$13
   9	Pennsylvania	$25,961	$12
   10	Iowa	$25,865	$12
   11	New Mexico	$25,697	$12
   12	Nebraska	$25,686	$12
   13	Maryland	$25,651	$12
   14	Ohio	$25,593	$12
   15	Indiana	$25,546	$12
   16	Texas	$25,508	$12
   17	Virginia	$25,265	$12
   18	Missouri	$25,251	$12
   19	Kansas	$24,584	$12
   20	Arkansas	$24,021	$12

   Average rehab technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of California-Berkeley	$47,071	$22.63
   2	Minnesota State Fair	$36,700	$17.64	3
   3	Encompass Health	$33,465	$16.09	121
   4	Mayo Clinic	$33,385	$16.05	13
   5	Saint Luke's Health System	$32,879	$15.81	6
   6	Fairview Health Services	$32,844	$15.79	8
   7	Cook Children's Medical Center	$32,818	$15.78	4
   8	Lexington Medical Center	$32,545	$15.65	1
   9	Health First	$32,360	$15.56	1
   10	Nebraska Methodist Health System	$32,041	$15.40
   11	Dignity Health	$31,934	$15.35	57
   12	PeaceHealth	$31,812	$15.29	1
   13	Conemaugh Health System	$31,546	$15.17
   14	Aurora Cares LLC	$31,542	$15.16
   15	Tenet Healthcare	$31,433	$15.11	80
   16	OSF HealthCare	$31,272	$15.03	7
   17	Spectrum Health	$31,157	$14.98
   18	SSM Health	$31,092	$14.95	13
   19	Connecticut Children's Medical Center	$30,978	$14.89	2
   20	The University of Kansas Health System	$30,965	$14.89	5

4. Writing a rehab technician job description

   A good rehab technician job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a rehab technician job description:

   Rehab technician job description example

   Looking for an opportunity to work as a driver and help care for patients? Working as a Driver/Rehab Tech at our facility is a great place to begin your journey.
   
   Working with us means being part of something special: A team that is passionate about making an impact on our patients’ lives each and every day. Our facility offers you the unique opportunity to walk alongside patients on their road to recovery from many different conditions. As you care for and help patients achieve goals and regain independence, you can form significant relationships with them and celebrate the successes they experience along the way. The facility will assist the individual with becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant, required within 4 months of employment.
   
   Provides courtesy transportation services to residents and provides routine daily nursing care to assigned residents in accordance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations as well as facility’s established nursing care guidelines.
   
   Basic Qualifications Education & Certification: High school diploma or equivalent; successfully completed a state-approved Certified Nursing Assistance program, possess a current certification in good standing or be able to obtain certification within four months of employment, if allowable by the state; must have CPR certification.
   
   Skills & Requirements: Must possess the ability to read, write and speak the English language, communicate resident condition to others and make independent decisions as needed; must have common working knowledge of all rules, laws and regulations as defined by the state as it relates to transportation and skilled nursing services; must be patient, friendly, courteous and respectful to residents in any situation, including difficult ones; must be able to move frequently throughout the workday, answer resident call bells, assist with toileting, feeding and personal grooming of the residents; must be able to handle sensitive situations related to the emotional well-being of the residents with patience, dignity and respect; must be able to lift 40 lbs floor to waist; lift 10 lbs waist to shoulder; lift and carry 40 lbs; and push/pull 40 lbs.
   
   Experience: Minimum of six months experience in a long-term care or other geriatric care environment is preferred; must have a valid driver’s license in good standing in the state where employed.
   Qualifications: High school diploma or GED Good listening skills Excellent customer service, energized individual with compassion for assisting others Willing to improve their standing by obtaining the Nurse Assistant certification (C.N.A.). Certification training is paid for by our organization. 18 years of age or older Ability to read, write and speak in English Bilingual is a plus We offer the following benefits for you and your family: Competitive Wages Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Insurance Dental Insurance, Life Insurance, Vision Insurance Paid Holidays and Paid Vacation

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right rehab technician for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your rehab technician job on Zippia to find and recruit rehab technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting rehab technicians requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   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 rehab technician

   Once you've found the rehab technician candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a rehab technician?