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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 arts and crafts. May assess a patient condition and recommend appropriate recreational activity.
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Watch a video to learn more about this career
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Overall employment of recreational therapists is expected to grow more slowly than the average for all occupations. Competition for jobs is expected.
Employment change. Employment of recreational therapists is expected to increase 4 percent from 2006 to 2016, slower than the average for all occupations. Employment of recreational therapists will grow to meet the therapy needs of the increasing number of older adults. In nursing care facilities—the largest industry employing recreational therapists—employment will grow slightly faster than the occupation as a whole as the number of older adults continues to grow. Fast employment growth is expected in the residential and outpatient settings that serve people who are physically disabled, cognitively disabled, or elderly or who have mental illness or substance abuse problems. Employment is expected to decline in hospitals, however, as services shift to outpatient settings and employers emphasize cost containment.
Health care facilities will support a growing number of jobs in adult day care and outpatient programs offering short-term mental health and alcohol or drug abuse services. Rehabilitation, home health care, and transitional programs will provide additional jobs.
Job prospects. Recreational therapists will experience competition for jobs. Job opportunities should be best for people with a bachelor's degree in therapeutic recreation or in recreation with courses in therapeutic recreation. Opportunities also should be good for therapists who hold specialized certifications such as aquatic therapy, meditation, or crisis intervention. Recreational therapists might experience more competition for jobs in certain regions of the country.
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Recreational therapists held about 25,000 jobs in 2006. About 70 percent were in nursing and residential care facilities and hospitals. Others worked in State and local government agencies and in community care facilities for the elderly, including assisted-living facilities. The rest worked primarily in residential mental retardation, mental health, and substance abuse facilities; individual and family services; Federal Government agencies; educational services; and outpatient care centers. Only a small number of therapists were self-employed, generally contracting with long-term care facilities or community agencies to develop and oversee programs.
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Job Zone 4 - Preparation needed
These occupations often involve coordinating, supervising, managing, and/or
training others.
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Overall Experience
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A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience
is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant needs four years of
college and several years of accounting work to be considered qualified.
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Education
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Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
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Job Training
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Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related
experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
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Examples
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Accountants, chefs and head cooks, computer programmers, historians, and police
detectives.
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For information and materials on careers and academic programs in recreational therapy, contact:
- American Therapeutic Recreation Association, 1414 Prince St., Suite 204, Alexandria, VA 22314-2853. Internet: http://www.atra-tr.org
Information on certification may be obtained from:
- National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification, 7 Elmwood Dr., New City, NY 10956. Internet: http://www.nctrc.org
For information on licensure requirements, contact the appropriate recreational therapy regulatory agency for your State.
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Sources: O*Net data version 12.0
Occupational Outlook Handbook
Department of Labor
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