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Rehabilitation assistant skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Robert Cantu,

Dr. Robert Cantu

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical rehabilitation assistant skills. We ranked the top skills for rehabilitation assistants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 15.9% of rehabilitation assistant resumes contained rehabilitation as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a rehabilitation assistant needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 rehabilitation assistant skills for your resume and career

1. Rehabilitation

Here's how rehabilitation assistants use rehabilitation:

Provided manual manipulation and cuing of patient lower extremities facilitating rehabilitation of gait patterns during body-weight supported treadmill training therapy sessions.
Program Design Incorporated a comprehensive, non-invasive therapy program dedicated to the rehabilitation and reconditioning of the lower back.

2. Patients

Here's how rehabilitation assistants use patients:

Conducted Assessments on patients for short-term 24-hour services for adults in Psychiatric Crisis who required stabilization to prevent inpatient hospitalization.
Transferred patients safely and in accordance with Department of Nursing policies and procedures with concern for age-specific considerations.

3. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how rehabilitation assistants use patient care:

Integrated collected data into quarterly performance presentations reflecting quality of patient care against established metrics.
Completed patient care activities as assigned while promoting excellent patient satisfaction and outcomes.

4. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how rehabilitation assistants use customer service:

Recognized for consistently meeting all required regulations and responsibilities including patient safety and superior customer service.
Provide courteous, responsive, professional and helpful customer service to the organization s internal and external customers.

5. Money Management

Here's how rehabilitation assistants use money management:

Assist consumers with money management making purchases.

6. Mental Illness

Here's how rehabilitation assistants use mental illness:

Provided person-centered recovery based education and support to individuals diagnosed with mental illness and a substance use disorder.
Worked under challenging conditions with individual with mental illness, developmental disabilities and limited mobility.

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7. Developmental Disabilities

Here's how rehabilitation assistants use developmental disabilities:

Provided therapeutic and recreational activities for clients with physical disabilities, developmental disabilities and autism.
Direct supervision of adults with developmental disabilities in work shelter.

8. Vital Signs

Vital signs are a set of values indicating different body systems' performance. They are measurements of the body's most basic functions. The four major vital signs used in medicine to assess a patient are body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure.

Here's how rehabilitation assistants use vital signs:

Monitor vital signs as outlined in the PCT Care Plan and report any deviation from normal value to a Nurse.
Worked with on-duty registered nurse to obtain vital signs, intake and output, EKG, and bladder scans.

9. Home Health

Here's how rehabilitation assistants use home health:

Worked with various types of patients such as worker's compensation, neuromuscular, pediatrics, geriatrics and home health.
Home Health Care * CPR / First Aide Certified * Client conflict resolution, Medication administration, on-site improvement per policies

10. Medical Care

Here's how rehabilitation assistants use medical care:

Assisted clients impacted by brain injuries with daily program procedures Assisted with patient therapies and corrective teaching Provided medical care
Handled various species during general medical care, including vaccinations, cleanings, casting, and wellness check-ups.

11. CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

Here's how rehabilitation assistants use cpr:

House keeping, organizing, and meal preparation Received First Aid, CPR, and Nonviolent Crisis Prevention training.
Volunteer Habitat for Humanity Last Day Dog RescueCertified BLS CPR CPI Macomb County Community Mental Health

12. Physical Therapy

Here's how rehabilitation assistants use physical therapy:

Performed physical therapy techniques on animals through electrical-stimulation, range of motion, and hydrotherapy.
Provided physical therapy services to residents under the direct supervision of a physical therapist.

13. Meal Preparation

Here's how rehabilitation assistants use meal preparation:

Administered medication, personal hygiene daily, meal preparation, emotion/physical support, and transportation to appointments.
Dispensed and administered medications, daily room checks, assisted with grocery shopping and meal preparation

14. Occupational Therapy

Here's how rehabilitation assistants use occupational therapy:

Assisted in physical and occupational therapy of program participants- Developed group therapy programs- Answered phone calls- Patient chart data entry
Supported therapists with pediatric physical and occupational therapy.

15. Medical Appointments

A medical appointment is a scheduled / specific day and time for a person to be examined or treated by a physician, nurse, or other licensed healthcare professional. The aim of the medical appointment is for the physician to be able to identify health problems or illnesses at an early stage.

Here's how rehabilitation assistants use medical appointments:

Schedule consumer medical appointments, make travel arrangements if needed and set up training services.
Assisted with ADL S (Activities of Daily Living) Transported patients to medical appointments/therapies.

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What skills help Rehabilitation Assistants find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on rehabilitation assistant resumes?

Dr. Robert Cantu

Associate Professor, Brenau University

These are not necessarily skills per se, but as a hiring manager, this is what I would look at in a resume for a new grad:

Clear objective statement in the resume that matches the needs of the clinic. This shows a focus on job seeking and career path.

Clinical education experiences that match the needs of the clinic.

Skills gained in their clinical training that matches the clinic's needs: Examples: Strong manual therapy training in a clinic that emphasizes one-on-one care of patients. Strong exercise training in sports medicine clinics.

For those with some career experience:

Job stability--i.e., how long is the candidate at one place of employment. At least 18-24 months in a job or longer is good. This means they were perceptive and chose wisely. Six jobs in the first 5 years will raise red flags.

Current and frequent continuing education attendance in the area in which the clinic specializes. This shows a focus on growing and staying current in clinical skills.

What soft skills should all rehabilitation assistants possess?

Dr. Robert Cantu

Associate Professor, Brenau University

People skills: For the workgroup: ability and willingness to work in groups and manage conflict. Flexibility: Willingness to occasionally work late or come in early to accommodate the patient load. Team player attitude. Willingness to play their assigned part on the team. Strong commitment and discipline for timely completion of tasks such as daily paperwork. This shows "discipline in the drudgery," which is critical for the smooth operation of the clinic and results in better customer service.

People skills: For patient management: Empathy, the warmth of personality, a caring demeanor, and express kindness. And absolutely, a willingness to always put the patient first. Good eye contact, firm but kind, reassuring handshake (or a kind elbow bump). The understanding is that even though they work for a company, ultimately, the clinician works for the patient.

What hard/technical skills are most important for rehabilitation assistants?

Erin Foster Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy, Neurology and Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis

Scientific writing, scientific communication, research design and methodology, analysis, the ability to synthesize knowledge/evidence from various sources to generate new questions, hypotheses & and studies, problem-solving.

What rehabilitation assistant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Elsa Drevyn PT, DPT

Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical Education and Vice Chair for Clinical Education

This would totally depend on the setting. Generally speaking, in an acute setting, the PT would be working on early mobilization of the patient to prevent complications from prolonged positioning. If the patient is stable, the PT would most likely be working on bed mobility, transfers, gait training, exercises, while at the same time monitoring the pt’s reaction to the intervention. In an inpatient rehabilitation setting, the PT would be working with the patient for close to an hour or so, two times per day to help them achieve the highest level of function possible. In an OP setting, the PT would be working on the specific issue/impairment, to help the patient attain ROM, strength, function, decrease pain, etc.

Do you want to know more?

List of rehabilitation assistant skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a rehabilitation assistant resume and required skills for a rehabilitation assistant to have include:

Rehabilitation
Patients
Patient Care
Customer Service
Money Management
Mental Illness
Developmental Disabilities
Vital Signs
Home Health
Medical Care
CPR
Physical Therapy
Meal Preparation
Occupational Therapy
Medical Appointments
Direct Supervision

Rehabilitation Services
Community Outings
Rehabilitation Programs
Mental Health
Vocational Rehabilitation
Catheter
ADL
Therapy Sessions
Crisis Intervention
Patient Safety
Rehabilitation Plans
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Spinal Cord Injury
Schedule Appointments
Emergency Situations
Management System

Blood Pressure
CPI
Administer Medications
Independent Living
Direct Client Care
EKG
Hippa
Emotional Support
Physical Disabilities
Traction
ROM
Doctor Appointments
Clean Facility
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Motion Exercises

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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