Recreational Therapists
What Recreational Therapists 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.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 4 of 5Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Psychologyimportance 4.5/5
- Therapy and Counselingimportance 4.5/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.4/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 4.2/5
- English Languageimportance 4.1/5
- Sociology and Anthropologyimportance 3.5/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 3.4/5
- Medicine and Dentistryimportance 3.2/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams5.0/5
- Contact With Others4.8/5
- E-Mail4.8/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.7/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.5/5
- Physical Proximity4.4/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Fire Inspectors and Investigators97% skill match
- Occupational Therapists97% skill match
- Social and Community Service Managers97% skill match
- Chiropractors97% skill match
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers97% skill match
- Recreation Workers97% skill match
- Health Education Specialists97% skill match
- Obstetricians and Gynecologists96% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Service Orientationimportance 4.1/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 4.0/5
- Coordinationimportance 4.0/5
- Instructingimportance 3.9/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.5/5
- Persuasionimportance 3.4/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.3/5
- Negotiationimportance 3.1/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Avid Technology Sibelius
- Email software
- Hyperscore
- MakeMusic Finale
- Musical instrument digital interface MIDI software
- Patient electronic medical record EMR software
- Speech recognition software
- Steinberg Cubase Pro
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Empathy
- Cooperation
- Optimism
- Social Orientation
- Dependability
- Sincerity
- Integrity
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- SocialHigh
- InvestigativeMedium
- RealisticMedium
- ArtisticLow
- ConventionalLow
- EnterprisingLow
Specific Interests
A more detailed breakdown of this occupation’s interest profile, per O*NET.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 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.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where recreational therapists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Napa, CA19.99× national avg
- 2Topeka, KS7.31× national avg
- 3Ann Arbor, MI5.11× national avg
- 4Wichita, KS4.87× national avg
- 5Columbus, GA-AL4.36× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Occupational TherapistsAdvancement
- Nurse PractitionersAdvancement
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social WorkersCareer Change
- PsychiatristsAdvancement
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering
- University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (San Marcos, CA)grads earn ~$76,852
- The University of Montana (Missoula, MT)grads earn ~$82,240
- University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (San Marcos, CA)grads earn ~$77,356
- University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
- Arcadia University (Glenside, PA)