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Job Description
Recreation Therapist: Job Description, Duties and Requirements
Recreation therapists assist patients/clients in leisure activities to engage and improve their minds, bodies and spirits.
Their goal is to help patients/clients adjust to life with a disease, injury or disability. Most jobs in the field require a
bachelor's degree in therapeutic recreation, and job prospects are also helped by acquiring certification.
Job Description
Recreation therapists employ leisure activities to help patients/clients with disabilities or illnesses. Through the use of
games, sports, crafts, art, music, cooking and more they maintain their patients'/client ́s physical and emotional wellbeing.
In doing this they also help patients/clients integrate into their community via group activities. Recreation therapists
may work in hospitals or other medical institutions, in their community's parks and recreation department, residential or
care facilities or in specialized school programs.
Duties
To assess patient/client needs, recreational therapists consider medical records, personal observation and talks with the
patient and his or her family or care providers. They then execute a therapeutic program targeted towards what that
patient/client requires most. This can entail a variety of activities, so therapists need to keep current on communal and
therapeutic resources available to best help their patients/clients. Therapists also document a patient's/client ́s progress
during their activities.
A therapist's specific duties vary based on his or her place of employment. For instance, therapists who work in schools
may focus on their patients'/client ́s communal integration as they move into adult life. Those employed by hospitals may
target their work on helping patients rehabilitate after an injury or illness. Therapists in care homes may work on building
skills to assist client ́s in working towards more independence or maintaining current level of functioning.
Requirements
Most recreation therapist jobs require a bachelor's degree in therapeutic recreation. These are typically Bachelor of
Science programs that teach students to both understand their patients'/client ́s conditions and engage those patients/
clients physically and mentally to keep them refreshed. The programs often include a significant amount of field work so
students can gain hands-on experience for their future career. As an alternative to a therapeutic recreation study, some
schools may offer a bachelor's degree in recreation with a therapeutic concentration.
A few states require recreational therapists to obtain licensure. However, this is not true nationwide. In California, the
California Parks and Recreation Society (CPRS) offers a certification process (Recreation Therapist Certified - RTC)
which requires the passing of an exam and continuing education.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov) reports that employers prefer to hire recreation therapists who acquire
certification. This can be attained through the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification, or NCTRC. They
offer therapists the Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) designation for those who have met the necessary
education and work experience requirements and pass an exam given by the NCTRC (www.nctrc.org).
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or status as a Vietnam or disabled veteran. YAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
To ensure fairness, safeguard transparency, and promote an equitable workforce environment, YAI Network prohibits the practice of nepotism in the workforce and hiring process.