Occupations/29-1125.00
Recreational Therapists
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.
Usually a four-year bachelor’s degree.
AI automation risk
15%
More resilient
Human characteristics
80%
Strong human-characteristic mix
Task orientation
23%
More resilient
A day in this job
- Mostly human
Develop treatment plan to meet needs of patient, based on needs assessment, patient interests, and objectives of therapy.
- Mostly human
Obtain information from medical records, medical staff, family members and the patients, themselves, to assess patients' capabilities, needs and interests.
- Mostly human
Instruct patient in activities and techniques, such as sports, dance, music, art, or relaxation techniques, designed to meet their specific physical or psychological needs.
The tasks we can read here lean on people, judgment, or hands-on work. The AI risk number is still this job’s rank against other occupations.
Core tasks
- 01Instruct patient in activities and techniques, such as sports, dance, music, art, or relaxation techniques, designed to meet their specific physical or psychological needs.
- 02Conduct therapy sessions to improve patients' mental and physical well-being.
- 03Plan, organize, direct, and participate in treatment programs and activities to facilitate patients' rehabilitation, help them integrate into the community, and prevent further medical problems.
- 04Observe, analyze, and record patients' participation, reactions, and progress during treatment sessions, modifying treatment programs as needed.
- 05Develop treatment plan to meet needs of patient, based on needs assessment, patient interests, and objectives of therapy.
- 06Obtain information from medical records, medical staff, family members and the patients, themselves, to assess patients' capabilities, needs and interests.
Model drivers (O*NET 1–5)
- Repeating same tasks2.63
- Degree of automation1.61
- Time sitting2.51
- Originality (ability)3.25
- Conflict situations3.45
- Hands-on objects/tools2.79
- Outdoors / weather2.84
- Disease exposure3.95
- Decision freedom4.26
Top abilities
- Speech Clarity4.00
- Oral Expression4.00
- Oral Comprehension4.00
- Written Expression3.88
- Written Comprehension3.88
- Problem Sensitivity3.88
- Deductive Reasoning3.88
- Speech Recognition3.75
Essential skills
- Reading Comprehension3.88
- Active Listening4.00
- Writing3.88
- Speaking4.00
- Mathematics2.00
- Science2.00
- Critical Thinking3.88
- Active Learning3.38
- Learning Strategies3.38
- Monitoring3.38
CIP matches
Schools offering related programs
12 of 50 shown
Earnings are College Scorecard medians for that program, 1 and 2 years after completion. A dash means the Department suppressed the cell or the campus is not in the field file.
| Institution | Program | Tuition | Admit | Grad 6-yr | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit | Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy 51.2309 | $68,200 | 12% | 92% | 1 yr $74,576 2 yr $73,823 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY · Private nonprofit | Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy 51.2309 | $68,200 | 4% | 96% | 1 yr $74,234 2 yr $68,219 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
San Jose State University San Jose, CA · Public | Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy 51.2309 | $8,200 | 77% | 71% | 1 yr $73,635 2 yr $71,015 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
Lincoln College of Technology-Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN · Private for-profit | Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy 51.2309 | $18,600 | 100% | 64% | 1 yr $72,083 2 yr $72,320 Doctoral · CIP 51.23 |
Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee, WI · Public | Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy 51.2309 | $4,900 | 100% | 27% | 1 yr $71,575 2 yr $71,225 Doctoral · CIP 51.23 |
Emory University Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit | Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy 51.2309 | $60,800 | 11% | 91% | 1 yr $68,698 2 yr $67,173 Professional · CIP 51.23 |
New York University New York, NY · Private nonprofit | Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy 51.2309 | $60,400 | 12% | 88% | 1 yr $66,355 2 yr $69,547 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public | Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy 51.2309 | $6,400 | 23% | 89% | 1 yr $64,307 2 yr $69,673 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
University of Kansas Lawrence, KS · Public | Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy 51.2309 | $11,400 | 88% | 67% | 1 yr $60,771 2 yr $53,775 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA · Public | Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy 51.2309 | $12,600 | 48% | 84% | 1 yr $57,318 2 yr $61,516 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY · Public | Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy 51.2309 | $10,700 | 70% | 76% | 1 yr $53,358 2 yr $55,151 Master's · CIP 51.23 |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC · Public | Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy 51.2309 | $9,000 | 17% | 91% | 1 yr $50,231 2 yr $46,087 Master's · CIP 51.23 |