How to hire a therapy technician

How to hire a therapy technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step therapy 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 therapy technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new therapy technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a therapy technician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your therapy 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 therapy 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

   Hiring the perfect therapy technician also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of therapy technicians and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Therapy Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Therapy Technician		$10-17
   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
   Exercise Physiologist	An exercise physiologist is a health professional who analyzes the fitness of patients to help them improve their health or maintain good health. Exercise physiologists are required to help patients with heart diseases and other chronic conditions such as diabetes or pulmonary disease to regain their health... Show more	$13-39

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Rehabilitation
   • CPR
   • Patient Safety
   • Occupational Therapy
   • Physical Therapy
   • Federal Regulations
   • Discharge Plan
   • Patient Therapy
   • Therapy Tech
   • Developmental Disabilities
   • Direct Supervision
   • Applied Behavior Analysis
   • Patient Treatment

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Perform basic living care for patients and assist with exercises under supervision of a rehabilitation team member.
   • Provide patient assistance with rehabilitation protocol with appropriate education and technique while monitoring vital signs and effects of treatment.
   • Direct patients to need areas with crutches, wheel chairs, walkers, canes etc.
   • Work with the physical and occupational therapists to guide patients through prescribe exercise program efficiently and safely.
   • Prepare materials for assessments and provide assistance to individuals through hands-on methods and direct contact observations by assisting the rehabilitation supervisor.
   • Attend professional development workshops in augmentative communication devices, sign language, and skill integration.

   More therapy technician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the therapy technician job description is a good way to get more applicants. A therapy technician 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 therapy technician in Texas may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level therapy technician. Additionally, a therapy technician with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average therapy technician salary

   $13.91hourly

   $28,943 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level therapy technician salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average therapy technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$36,780	$18
   2	Nevada	$31,548	$15
   3	Oregon	$31,420	$15
   4	Minnesota	$31,049	$15
   5	Connecticut	$29,217	$14
   6	Virginia	$29,141	$14
   7	North Carolina	$27,424	$13
   8	Colorado	$26,624	$13
   9	Kentucky	$26,308	$13
   10	Louisiana	$25,864	$12
   11	Alabama	$25,346	$12
   12	New Jersey	$24,730	$12
   13	Texas	$24,239	$12
   14	Iowa	$23,625	$11
   15	Florida	$23,353	$11
   16	Arkansas	$23,299	$11
   17	Tennessee	$23,204	$11
   18	Georgia	$22,572	$11

   Average therapy technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Seattle Cancer Care Alliance	$58,915	$28.32
   2	Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs	$40,658	$19.55
   3	Minnesota State Fair	$37,516	$18.04	3
   4	Gilead Sciences	$34,661	$16.66
   5	St. Charles Health System	$33,385	$16.05	1
   6	Mercy Corps	$33,306	$16.01	9
   7	Encompass Health	$33,049	$15.89	299
   8	Department of Public Social Services	$32,801	$15.77
   9	Texas	$32,349	$15.55	23
   10	UCHealth	$32,129	$15.45	10
   11	Hackensack Meridian Health	$31,853	$15.31	16
   12	UC Health	$31,654	$15.22	8
   13	Erickson Senior Living	$31,487	$15.14	2
   14	CoxHealth	$31,206	$15.00
   15	Avera Health	$31,205	$15.00	8
   16	Baptist Health Care	$31,070	$14.94	3
   17	Fresenius Medical Care North America Holdings Limited Partnership	$30,992	$14.90	1
   18	Baylor Scott & White Health	$30,954	$14.88	46
   19	HealthTrust	$30,840	$14.83	26
   20	Aegis Therapies	$30,757	$14.79	263

4. Writing a therapy technician job description

   A therapy technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a therapy technician job description:

   Therapy technician job description example

   Provides clerical support and patient care as needed to support clinical staff.
   
   Work Schedule: Part Time Days
   
   Responsibilities:
   
   Assists with the movement, support, lifting and transport of patients before, during and after therapy. Assists clinical staff with preparing patients for therapy and with providing therapy. Maintains treatment area in a clean, safe and organized condition. Cleans and maintains therapy equipment and supplies. Performs clerical tasks as assigned, including stocking supplies, filing, scheduling and answering phones. Within scope of job, requires critical thinking skills, decisive judgement and the ability to work with minimal supervision. Must be able to work in a fast-paced environment and take appropriate action.
   
   Requirements:
   
   Minimum Required Education: High School diploma or GED. Required Licensure/Certification: Basic Life Support (BLS) Healthcare Provider. Relevant life support certification and driver's license requirement as determined at position level. Minimum Experience: None required. BLS through the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross CPR for the Professional Rescuer with card in-hand before start date. BLS or CPR card must be good through sixty days of hire. All life support certification cards must be issued by either the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross CPR for the Professional Rescuer. (American Red Cross for the Professional Rescuer is only good upon hire and all renewals will need to be through an American Heart Association sanctioned course.)
   
   The pay range for this position is: $18.00 - $23.40 / hour. Pay is dependent on applicant's relevant experience.
   
   UCHealth offers a Five Year Incentive Bonus to recognize employee's contributions to our success in quality, patient experience, organizational growth, financial goals, and tenure with UCHealth. The bonus accumulates annually each October and is paid out in October following completion of five years' employment.
   
   UCHealth offers their employees a competitive and comprehensive total rewards package. Some of the many benefits included in this package are full medical, dental and vision coverage; retirement plans; paid time off; employer-paid life and disability insurance with additional buy-up coverage options; tuition and continuing education reimbursement; and a full suite of voluntary benefits such as identity theft protection and pet insurance. Our employees and their family members have full access to our Employee Assistance Program, which includes up to 5 free counseling visits and work/life solutions, such as one free legal consultation. In addition, other emotional counseling support is available depending upon their need.
   
   At UCHealth, we do things differently
   
   We believe in something different: a focus on the individuality of every person. In big ways and small, we exist to improve the extraordinary lives of all those we serve. As Colorado's largest and most innovative health care system, we as a team deliver on the commitment to provide the best possible experience for our patients and their families. We foster a true human connection and give people the freedom to live extraordinary lives. A career at UCHealth is more than a job, it's a passion.
   
   Going beyond quality requires the perfect balance of talent, integrity, drive and intellectual curiosity. We are looking for individuals who recognize, like us, that the world of medicine is ever-changing and are motivated to do what is right, not what is easy. We support creativity and curiosity so that each of us can find the extraordinary qualities within ourselves. At UCHealth, we'll do everything in our power to make sure you grow and have a meaningful career. There's no limits to your potential here.
   
   Be Extraordinary. Join Us Today!
   
   UCHealth recognizes and appreciates the rich array of talents and perspectives that equal employment and diversity can offer our institution. As an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer, UCHealth is committed to making all employment decisions based on valid requirements. No applicant shall be discriminated against in any terms, conditions or privileges of employment or otherwise be discriminated against because of the individual's race, creed, color, religion, gender, national origin or ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, genetic information or veteran status. UCHealth does not discriminate against any "qualified applicant with a disability" as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act and will make reasonable accommodations, when they do not impose an undue hardship on the organization.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find therapy technicians for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any therapy technicians they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level therapy technicians with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your therapy technician job on Zippia to find and attract quality therapy technician candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with therapy technician candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   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 therapy technician

   Once you have selected a candidate for the therapy technician position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new therapy technician. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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.)

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