How to hire a rehabilitation aide

How to hire a rehabilitation aide, step by step

Here's a step-by-step rehabilitation aide hiring guide:

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

What does a rehabilitation aide do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the rehabilitation aide you need to hire. Certain rehabilitation aide roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a rehabilitation aide to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a rehabilitation aide that fits the bill.

   This list presents rehabilitation aide salaries for various positions.

   Type of Rehabilitation Aide	Description	Hourly rate
   Rehabilitation Aide	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.	$10-16
   Physical Therapy Technician	A physical therapy technician supports both the physical therapists and their physical therapy assistants in planning and implementing patient care. You are expected to perform varied duties and responsibilities that include responding to patients' requests for assistance, assisting with patient preparation before treatment, and maintaining the equipment used by the physical therapist during treatment sessions... Show more	$9-28
   Aide	Aides are personal employees of their clients who commonly have health issues that render them unable to do certain tasks. They help out their clients with activities they may need assistance in... Show more	$10-16

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Rehabilitation
   • CPR
   • Direct Supervision
   • Cleanliness
   • Data Entry
   • Occupational Therapy
   • Vital Signs
   • Patient Treatment
   • Front Desk
   • Compassion
   • Home Health
   • Medical Equipment
   • Resuscitation

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage inventory of supplies and splints for the department.
   • Manage organization and cleanliness of therapy room and equipment.
   • Help patients who used wheelchairs and walkers.
   • Assist patients with ADL's, collect lab specimens, perform EKG's, occasionally perform duty as a patient sitter.
   • Assist physical therapists and occupational hand therapist in implementing rehabilitation programs for patients in an outpatient orthopedics and hand therapy clinic.
   • Assist OTR/L in patient education and DME distribution at SNF

   More rehabilitation aide duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the rehabilitation aide job description is a good way to get more applicants. A rehabilitation aide salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a rehabilitation aide in Tennessee may be lower than in Colorado, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level rehabilitation aide. Additionally, a rehabilitation aide with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average rehabilitation aide salary

   $13.60hourly

   $28,284 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level rehabilitation aide salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average rehabilitation aide salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Colorado	$33,169	$16
   2	Washington	$32,272	$16
   3	Maine	$30,358	$15
   4	Oregon	$30,006	$14
   5	Utah	$29,786	$14
   6	Alaska	$29,476	$14
   7	California	$29,411	$14
   8	New York	$28,054	$13
   9	Montana	$27,918	$13
   10	Minnesota	$27,054	$13
   11	Arizona	$27,042	$13
   12	New Jersey	$27,015	$13
   13	Virginia	$26,646	$13
   14	Illinois	$26,555	$13
   15	Pennsylvania	$26,255	$13
   16	Maryland	$26,037	$13
   17	Indiana	$25,867	$12
   18	Rhode Island	$25,590	$12
   19	Texas	$24,567	$12
   20	Louisiana	$24,126	$12

   Average rehabilitation aide salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Lifespan	$34,120	$16.40
   2	AltaMed Health Services	$34,075	$16.38	4
   3	Sutter Health	$33,435	$16.07	21
   4	Mayo Clinic	$32,130	$15.45	9
   5	Hackensack Meridian Health	$32,059	$15.41	10
   6	Catholic Health East	$32,025	$15.40
   7	Banner Health	$31,737	$15.26	9
   8	Kaiser Permanente	$31,736	$15.26	18
   9	Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital	$31,539	$15.16	2
   10	Piedmont Healthcare	$31,323	$15.06	6
   11	Health Alliance	$31,320	$15.06	12
   12	Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners	$31,300	$15.05	7
   13	Tuality Healthcare	$31,222	$15.01
   14	Novant Health	$31,102	$14.95	3
   15	Premier Inc.	$31,098	$14.95	1
   16	Select Medical	$31,059	$14.93	147
   17	Catholic Health Care System	$31,051	$14.93	18
   18	Connecticut Children's Medical Center	$31,047	$14.93	3
   19	Virginia Hospital Center	$30,945	$14.88	13
   20	Carilion Clinic	$30,881	$14.85	2

4. Writing a rehabilitation aide job description

   A good rehabilitation aide 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 rehabilitation aide job description:

   Rehabilitation aide job description example

   Job DescriptionWorking under the direct supervision of a licensed OTR, PT, COTA, PTA or SLP, provide routine direct patient care treatment programs, clerical duties, and light housekeeping activities to support the care of patients and the efficiency of the operation. Collaborate with all members of the healthcare team to provide services to patients.
   
   Direct patient care treatment programs, such as range of motion and exercise programs, ADLs, ambulation, bed mobility, endurance training, and application of superficial modalities, fabrication of adaptive equipment, carryover of positioning techniques, and carryover of use of assistive devices are carried out in accordance with professional guidelines.
   
   Patient objective and subjective responses to treatment is observed and accurately recorded. Any changes are immediately reported to appropriate team member.
   Clerical activities are performed, including recording services rendered to the patient Cleanliness and organization of assigned areas is maintained and routine cleaning of equipment is performed per department guidelines. Maintains cleanliness and safety of the patient treatment area, including daily temperature checks, logs and disinfecting surfaces and equipment used in patient care. Documentation to support reimbursement is completed SRN Organizational Values of Innovation, Collaboration, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence are upheld
   
   Qualifications
   Education/Degree
   High school diploma or equivalent required. Experience
   Experience in hospital or outpatient setting desirable. Skills (Specific learned activity gained through training (e.g. computer skills, keyboarding, presentation, CPR, ACLS, etc.)
   
   Required
   Effective verbal and written communication skills with English. Basic skills in math Basic skills at establishing interpersonal relationships with patients, families, and staff. Computer proficiency required. Microsoft office applications preferred with ability to learn new software. Preferred
   Highly developed communications and interpersonal skills, working with diverse population. Work independently, be self-directed and contribute as a member of a team. Anticipates challenges and develops and implements strategies for addressing them. High level of service delivery. Demonstrate initiative with ability to prioritize work, meet deadlines and adapt to changing situations. Attention to detail.
   
   EEO Statement
   Spaulding Rehabilitation Network (SRN) is committed to diversity in the workplace which begins with respect and opportunity for all. SRN takes affirmative action to ensure that equal employment opportunity is provided to all persons regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, age, ancestry, veteran status, disability or any other basis that would be inconsistent with any applicable ordinance or law. If you need a reasonable accommodation in coming to or participating in the interview process, please let us know. Partner's Healthcare is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right rehabilitation aide for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with rehabilitation aides they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit rehabilitation aides who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your rehabilitation aide job on Zippia to find and recruit rehabilitation aide 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

   To successfully recruit rehabilitation aides, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 rehabilitation aide

   Once you've selected the best rehabilitation aide candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new rehabilitation aide. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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.)

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How much does it cost to hire a rehabilitation aide?