What does a rehabilitation assistant do?
A rehabilitation assistant performs support tasks to assist nurses or therapists in providing care services to patients and maintaining the smooth flow of operations in clinics. Their daily tasks often include greeting patients, answering inquiries, helping patients during treatments and training, and providing personal care by assisting them in hygienic and physical tasks. They may also prepare and process documents, handle calls and correspondence, organize files, liaise with external business partners such as vendors and suppliers, maintain records, and arrange schedules.
Rehabilitation assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real rehabilitation assistant resumes:
- Manage organization and cleanliness of therapy room and equipment.
- Provide manual manipulation and cuing of patient lower extremities facilitating rehabilitation of gait patterns during body-weight support treadmill training therapy sessions.
- Lead emergency drills and CPR training.
- Respect patients rights, and comply with HIPPA confidentiality guidelines.
- Direct personal care to clients, transportation, assist with therapies, diabetic train, CPR certify
- Assist with ADL's such as bathing, toileting, grooming, dressing, eating, and ambulation.
- Provide supportive counseling to client caseload, coordinate clients' appointments, provide restorative services, ADL training and crisis interventions.
- Safeguard, motivate, and supervise patients practicing exercises and functional activities under direction of professional staff.
- Create and implement individualized exercise programs for assign patients base on specific needs prescribe by the department.
- Assist with rehabilitative activities, maintaining the rehabilitation room, organizing supplies and equipment and assisting the therapist during treatment/ activities.
- Perform ROM, strengthening exercises, and ambulation with walkers, canes, and parallel bars.
- Offer proper gait training technique and use of crutches.
Rehabilitation assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Rehabilitation Assistants are proficient in Rehabilitation, Patients, and Patient Care. They’re also known for soft skills such as Time-management skills, Problem-solving skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Rehabilitation Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Rehabilitation, 16%
Provided manual manipulation and cuing of patient lower extremities facilitating rehabilitation of gait patterns during body-weight supported treadmill training therapy sessions.
- Patients, 14%
Conducted Assessments on patients for short-term 24-hour services for adults in Psychiatric Crisis who required stabilization to prevent inpatient hospitalization.
- Patient Care, 8%
Integrated collected data into quarterly performance presentations reflecting quality of patient care against established metrics.
- Customer Service, 8%
Recognized for consistently meeting all required regulations and responsibilities including patient safety and superior customer service.
- Money Management, 5%
Assist consumers with money management making purchases.
- Mental Illness, 5%
Provided person-centered recovery based education and support to individuals diagnosed with mental illness and a substance use disorder.
Common skills that a rehabilitation assistant uses to do their job include "rehabilitation," "patients," and "patient care." You can find details on the most important rehabilitation assistant responsibilities below.
Time-management skills. One of the key soft skills for a rehabilitation assistant to have is time-management skills. You can see how this relates to what rehabilitation assistants do because "social and human service assistants often work with many clients." Additionally, a rehabilitation assistant resume shows how rehabilitation assistants use time-management skills: "tracked patients' progress and maintained comprehensive files meeting daily deadlines. "
Problem-solving skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling rehabilitation assistant duties is problem-solving skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "social and human service assistants help clients find solutions to their problems." According to a rehabilitation assistant resume, here's how rehabilitation assistants can utilize problem-solving skills in their job responsibilities: "home health care * cpr / first aide certified * client conflict resolution, medication administration, on-site improvement per policies"
Organizational skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of rehabilitation assistants is organizational skills. This skill is critical to many everyday rehabilitation assistant duties, as "social and human service assistants must often complete lots of paperwork and work with many different clients." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "teach skills: organizational, time management, anger management, social, emotional, learning strategies, et.c. "
Communication skills. A big part of what rehabilitation assistants do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to rehabilitation assistant responsibilities because "social and human service assistants talk with clients about the challenges in their lives and assist them in getting help." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical rehabilitation assistant tasks: "developed advanced skills in communication, self-discipline, leadership, and patient care. "
Compassion. A commonly-found skill in rehabilitation assistant job descriptions, "compassion" is essential to what rehabilitation assistants do. Rehabilitation assistant responsibilities rely on this skill because "social and human service assistants often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations." You can also see how rehabilitation assistant duties rely on compassion in this resume example: "experience with hospice patients, skilled care, and in providing daily living needs and compassion. "
Interpersonal skills. Lastly, "interpersonal skills" is an important element of what a rehabilitation assistant does. Rehabilitation assistant responsibilities require this skill because "social and human service assistants must make their clients feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues." This resume example highlights how rehabilitation assistant duties rely on this skill: "provided psychotherapy to patients having emotional and interpersonal difficulties resulting from the loss of cognitive functioning. "
The three companies that hire the most rehabilitation assistants are:
- Reliant Rehabilitation7 rehabilitation assistants jobs
- Capital Health4 rehabilitation assistants jobs
- Elliot Hospital
4 rehabilitation assistants jobs
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Compare different rehabilitation assistants
Rehabilitation assistant vs. Support staff
School support staff provide specialized instructional and student support while utilizing school facilities. They often include diverse staff members whose main role is to ensure that students learn in a supportive and safe learning environment. It is also their duty to enhance school climate by promoting the involvement of parent and family in education as well as to encourage trusting, positive student relationships. They should inhibit positive behavior and send uplifting messages to students as they often connect with them throughout the day.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, rehabilitation assistant responsibilities require skills like "rehabilitation," "patients," "money management," and "home health." Meanwhile a typical support staff has skills in areas such as "direct care," "home maintenance," "direct support," and "medication administration." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Desk clerks supervisors really shine in the finance industry with an average salary of $32,113. Comparatively, rehabilitation assistants tend to make the most money in the telecommunication industry with an average salary of $42,480.The education levels that desk clerks supervisors earn slightly differ from rehabilitation assistants. In particular, desk clerks supervisors are 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a rehabilitation assistant. Additionally, they're 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Rehabilitation assistant vs. Occupational therapy aide
Occupational therapy aides are professional assistants who assist patients by preparing the treatment area, equipment, and materials while helping them complete their occupational therapy tasks. These aides are required to demonstrate the proper use of the equipment and assist in patients' occupational therapy routines, such as moving from a bed into a wheelchair or the best way to stretch and limber muscles. They must maintain a safe and clean working environment and complete preventive maintenance requirements to ensure the proper operation of occupational therapy equipment. Occupational therapy aides must also protect their practice by adhering to professional and JCAHO standards.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real rehabilitation assistant resumes. While rehabilitation assistant responsibilities can utilize skills like "customer service," "money management," "mental illness," and "vital signs," occupational therapy aides use skills like "occupational therapy treatments," "cota," "iep," and "treatment programs."
On average, occupational therapy aides earn a lower salary than rehabilitation assistants. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, occupational therapy aides earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $37,805. Whereas rehabilitation assistants have higher pay in the telecommunication industry, with an average salary of $42,480.In general, occupational therapy aides achieve higher levels of education than rehabilitation assistants. They're 8.7% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Rehabilitation assistant vs. Student assistant technician
Human service assistants function in a wide array of capacities. Basically, though, they provide services to clients in fields like rehabilitation, social work, or psychology. They provide support in the aforementioned fields for families and other workers. They are tasked with helping clients discover community services or benefits. Working with other professionals, they develop treatment plans, carry out research services to aid clients, and help clients with necessary paperwork.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a rehabilitation assistant is likely to be skilled in "customer service," "money management," "mental illness," and "developmental disabilities," while a typical student assistant technician is skilled in "simplification," "fieldwork," "treatment sessions," and "cva."
Student assistant technicians typically earn similar educational levels compared to rehabilitation assistants. Specifically, they're 2.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Rehabilitation assistant vs. Human services assistant
Types of rehabilitation assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
