Data & Research
 
* ELMI Occupation Profile - Recreational Therapists *
 
Recreational Therapists
(O*NET 29-1125.00, SOC 29-1125)
What they do
Plan, direct, or coordinate medically-approved recreation programs for patients in hospitals, nursing homes, or other institutions. Activities include sports, trips, dramatics, social activities, and crafts. May assess a patient condition and recommend appropriate recreational activity.
 
Also called:
Activities Coordinator, Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS), General Activities Therapist, Recreation Therapist, Recreational Therapist, Recreational Therapy Program Coordinator, Rehabilitation Therapist, Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, Therapeutic Specialist, Therapist
 
 
Wages
Vermont - 2023
Percentile1HourlyYearly
10% $ 22.24   $46,260  
25% $ 24.94   $51,860  
Median $ 26.53   $55,170  
75% $ 33.17   $68,990  
90% $ 37.65   $78,310  
 
Average $ 28.63   $59,560  
1 What are Percentile Wages?
More at CareerOneStop
 
Industries of Employment
United States - 2020
IndustryPercent of total
  • Hospitals; state, local, and private
36%
  • Nursing and residential care facilities
24%
  • Social assistance
14%
  • State government, excluding education and hospitals
8%
  • Ambulatory healthcare services
7%
More at BLS
 
Knowledge
People in this career often know a lot about:
  • Psychology
    Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
  • Therapy and Counseling
    Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
  • Customer and Personal Service
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Education and Training
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • English Language
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
More at O*NET
 
Skills
People in this career often have these skills:
  • Service Orientation
    Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Active Listening
    Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Coordination
    Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Social Perceptiveness
    Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Speaking
    Talking to others to convey information effectively.
More at O*NET
 
Interests
People in this career often prefer these work environments:
  • Social
    Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.
  • Artistic
    Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.
What are your interests? Take the O*NET Interest Profiler
 
Work Styles
People in this career will do well at jobs that need:
  • Concern for Others
    Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
  • Cooperation
    Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
  • Dependability
    Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
  • Adaptability/Flexibility
    Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
  • Integrity
    Job requires being honest and ethical.
More at O*NET
 
Tasks
On the job, you would:
  • Instruct patient in activities and techniques, such as sports, dance, music, art, or relaxation techniques, designed to meet their specific physical or psychological needs.
  • Conduct therapy sessions to improve patients' mental and physical well-being.
  • Plan, organize, direct, and participate in treatment programs and activities to facilitate patients' rehabilitation, help them integrate into the community, and prevent further medical problems.
  • Observe, analyze, and record patients' participation, reactions, and progress during treatment sessions, modifying treatment programs as needed.
  • Develop treatment plan to meet needs of patient, based on needs assessment, patient interests, and objectives of therapy.
More at O*NET
 
Related Occupations
More at O*NET
 
 
Career Video
Watch at CareerOneStop with transcript or at YouTube.
 
Projected Employment
 Vermont
2020 employment 38
2030 employment 43
Annual percent change
(compounded)
1.2%
Annual projected job openings
(due to change and separations)
3
More at Occupational Projections
 
Education and Experience:
  • Typical education needed for entry
    Bachelor's degree
  • Work experience in a related occupation
    None
  • Typical on-the-job training needed to attain competency
    None
Based on BLS Education and Training Classifications
 
Physical Work Activity
Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
 
  • Physical activity is Very Important
  • Level of activity is Moderate
Importance
Low   High
Level
Compare Occupations at O*NET
 
Job Zone
Considerable Preparation Needed
  • Specific Vocational Preparation Range
    (7.0 to < 8.0) - A typical worker will require over 2 years up to and including 4 years of training to achieve average performance in this occupation.
Based on O*Net Job Zones and SVP
 
Education Level
How much education do most people in this career have?
Education level Percent of
U.S. Workers
Doctoral or professional degree
or post-MA certificate
  0%
Master's degree or
post-BA certificate
  8%
Bachelor's degree   92%
Associate's degree   0%
Certificate or some college,
no degree
  0%
High school diploma
or equivalent
  0%
Less than high school diploma   0%
More at O*NET
 
Abilities
People in this career often have talent in:
  • Oral Comprehension
    The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression
    The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Speech Clarity
    The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Deductive Reasoning
    The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Problem Sensitivity
    The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
More at O*NET
 
Work Activities
In general, what you might do:
  • Assisting and Caring for Others
    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
  • Thinking Creatively
    Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Documenting/Recording Information
    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
More at O*NET
 
Detailed Work Activities
What you might do in a day:
  • Train patients, family members, or caregivers in techniques for managing disabilities or illnesses.
  • Treat patients using psychological therapies.
  • Develop treatment plans that use non-medical therapies.
  • Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
  • Record patient medical histories.
More at O*NET
 
Other Resources
  • CareerOneStop
    resource for job seekers, students, businessess and career professionals
  • O*NET Online
    nation's primary source of occupational information
 
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This page includes information from the O*NET 28.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

BLS

This page includes information produced in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics and State Occupational Projections programs.

 
 
 
 
Vermont.gov State of Vermont Department of Labor