Rehab Technician Job Description: Duties, Template & Pay (2026)
A rehab technician job description covers the person who keeps a therapy gym running: getting patients to and from treatment, setting up equipment, helping patients through exercises the therapist has prescribed, and cleaning up after. Rehab techs work for physical and occupational therapists in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and outpatient clinics. This page has a copyable rehab technician job description template, how the role differs from a licensed assistant, and what it pays.
What a rehab technician does
There is no federal occupation called rehab technician. The closest match is physical therapist aides (SOC 31-2022), and O*NET lists “Rehabilitation Technician,” “Rehabilitation Aide,” “Restorative Aide” and “Therapy Aide” among the job titles reported for that occupation. The wage and employment figures on this page are for PT aides, which is the honest benchmark for the role. Rehab techs who work mainly for occupational therapists are counted separately, as occupational therapy aides.
O*NET describes the job as working under close supervision of a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant, performing only delegated, selected or routine tasks, including preparing the patient and the treatment area. Typical duties:
Rehab technician duties
- Transport patients to and from treatment areas by wheelchair or with standing support
- Prepare treatment areas, arrange supplies and secure patients onto therapy equipment
- Instruct, motivate, safeguard and assist patients practicing exercises or functional activities, under the therapist’s direction
- Observe patients during treatment and report their responses and progress to the therapist
- Help patients put on and remove braces, splints and slings, and dress and undress
- Clean and disinfect equipment and treatment areas after each session; change linens
- Record the treatment given and the equipment used
- Schedule appointments, answer phones, take inventory and order supplies
Some aides also apply heat, cold or other modalities, but what an aide may do, and whether any of it counts as billable therapy, is set by state practice acts and payer rules. Have your rehab director confirm the scope before you publish the duties.
O*NET’s work context data shows a physical, people-facing job:
| Working conditions | Share reporting it |
|---|---|
| Constant contact with others | 88% |
| Face-to-face discussions | 81% every day |
| Physical proximity, near touching | 76% |
| Teamwork rated extremely important | 69% |
| Exposed to disease or infections | 62% every day |
| Bending or twisting, more than half the time | 45% |
Put the physical part in the posting: guarding patients during gait training, pushing wheelchairs across a hospital, and lifting equipment. Say what lift equipment you have.
Rehab tech, PT assistant and OT aide: three different jobs
The most common mistake in rehab tech postings is borrowing duties from a physical therapist assistant description. They are different occupations with different requirements.
| Rehab tech / PT aide | Physical therapist assistant | Occupational therapy aide | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOC code | 31-2022 | 31-2021 | 31-2012 |
| Typical education | High school diploma | Associate’s degree | High school diploma |
| License | Not licensed as a clinician | State license or certification | Not licensed as a clinician |
| Median pay, May 2025 | $35,240 | $68,380 | $39,160 |
| Employed, 2025 | 49,000 | 114,100 | 4,400 |
O*NET describes the physical therapist assistant as someone who may, in accordance with state laws, help develop treatment plans, document progress and modify treatments within the therapist’s plan. That is clinical work a rehab tech does not do. If your posting says “provide therapy,” you are describing a PTA or an occupational therapy assistant, and paying a tech rate for it will not work.
Rehab technician job description template
Copy this into your ATS or job board, replace the bracketed fields, and delete what does not apply. It is written for a hospital or skilled nursing rehab department; the customization section covers outpatient clinics and other settings.
Job title
Rehab Technician [/ Rehabilitation Aide / Therapy Aide], [Full-time / Part-time / PRN], [Facility name], [City, ST]
Summary
[Facility name] is hiring a rehab technician for our [setting, e.g. inpatient rehab unit / skilled nursing therapy gym / outpatient clinic] in [city]. You will support our physical and occupational therapists by getting patients to their sessions, setting up equipment, helping patients through prescribed exercises safely, and keeping the gym clean and running on time. No therapy experience needed: we train you.
[Schedule, e.g. Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.]. [Pay range]. [One sentence on what is good about working here, e.g. tuition help toward PTA or OTA school.]
What you will do
• Transport patients to and from therapy by wheelchair or with standing support
• Set up treatment areas and equipment, and secure patients safely on therapy equipment
• Assist and guard patients during exercises and functional activities as directed by the therapist
• Tell the therapist about changes you notice in a patient during a session
• Clean and disinfect equipment and treatment areas between patients
• Record treatment and equipment use in [EHR system]
• [Schedule appointments / answer phones / order supplies]
What you need
• High school diploma or equivalent
• [CPR / BLS certification, or willingness to get it within [timeframe]]
• Able to push wheelchairs, assist with transfers [with lift equipment available] and be on your feet for most of a shift
• Comfortable working closely with patients who are in pain, anxious or recovering from surgery
Nice to have
• Experience as a CNA, patient transporter, caregiver or athletic trainer aide
• Interest in becoming a PTA, OTA or therapist
• [Second language spoken by your patients]
What we offer
• [Pay range], [shift or weekend differential]
• [Schedule and how far ahead it is posted]
• [Benefits and the eligibility date]
• [Tuition assistance toward PTA, OTA or therapy school]
• [CPR certification paid]
How to apply
[One step. A short form and a call from the rehab manager within [timeframe].]
Requirements: what to ask for, and what to drop
| Requirement | What to know |
|---|---|
| Therapy experience | Drop it. BLS lists short-term on-the-job training as typical for PT aides. Requiring a year in a therapy gym cuts out the people you most want to train. |
| Education | High school diploma or equivalent. O*NET reports 34 percent of respondents said a diploma is required, 25 percent an associate’s degree and 10 percent less than a diploma. Do not require college. |
| CPR / BLS | Reasonable in hospitals and skilled nursing. Offer to pay for it rather than requiring it at application. |
| CNA certification | A plus, not a requirement, unless the role also covers nursing tasks on the unit. If it does, say so and pay for it. |
| Physical demands | Be specific: transfers, guarding during walking, pushing wheelchairs, and what equipment you provide. |
| Clinical duties | Keep them out. If the posting describes treatment, you are writing a PTA or OTA job and will attract the wrong applicants at the wrong pay. |
Customizing it by setting
Hospitals and inpatient rehab
Transport is a large part of the job: getting patients from rooms to the gym on time. Say how big the building is, whether techs cover several units, and the weekend rotation.
Skilled nursing and long-term care
The title is often restorative aide, and the role may combine therapy support with restorative nursing programs. Say whether the tech reports to rehab or to nursing, and whether a CNA certificate is required for the restorative side.
Outpatient clinics
Expect a mix of gym work and front desk: checking patients in, scheduling, cleaning tables and setting up modalities. Say how many patients a day the clinic sees and whether evenings are required. Many applicants are students; put the schedule flexibility first.
Sports medicine and orthopedic clinics
Athletic training and kinesiology students look for these jobs. Name the patient population and the exercise equipment, and say whether students can shadow the therapists.
What rehab technicians earn
Physical therapist aides, the BLS occupation that includes rehab technicians, had a median wage of $35,240 a year, or $16.94 an hour, in May 2025. Occupational therapy aides had a median of $39,160. Physical therapist assistants, the licensed role above them, had a median of $68,380.
BLS counted 49,000 PT aides in 2025 and projects employment to grow 4.0 percent to 51,000 by 2035, with about 6,400 openings a year. Most of those openings come from people leaving the occupation rather than new positions. Plan for turnover, and use it: a tech who goes on to PTA or OTA school and comes back is a strong hire.
What it costs to reach a rehab technician
Our 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark does not report rehab techs as their own role family, and the therapy (PT / OT / SLP) family, at a $74.62 median, covers licensed clinicians, not aides. The fair comparison is the healthcare and senior living sector: a median cost per applicant of $15.42 on Meta, with the middle half of campaigns between $7.89 and $39.61, a blended figure of $11.47 and a 16 percent apply rate. The all-role median is $13.88.
For an entry-level role with no license requirement, the apply rate is in your control. Across the benchmark, applicant conversion explains 70 percent of the variation in cost per applicant. A short on-platform form asking for availability and a phone number, followed by a call the same day, is how you work that lever on a rehab tech campaign.
Staffing the rest of the rehab department? See the occupational therapist, physical therapist assistant, patient transporter and CNA job descriptions, and our physical therapist interview questions for the licensed hires.
The job description is not the job ad
The template is the document. The ad has to reach someone scrolling a phone who has never heard the words “rehab technician.”
- Lead with the schedule and pay, then “no experience needed.”
- Describe the job in plain words: helping patients get stronger after surgery or a stroke.
- Speak to students and career changers who want a way into physical or occupational therapy.
- Keep the application to availability and a phone number.
For the ad itself, see job ad copywriting, and for wider context, therapy staffing.
Frequently asked questions
What should a rehab technician job description include?
The setting and schedule, the pay range, the support duties (transport, equipment setup, assisting and guarding patients during prescribed exercises, cleaning, recording treatment), the physical demands, and the requirements: usually a high school diploma and CPR. Leave out clinical treatment duties, which belong to licensed assistants.
What does a rehab technician do?
A rehab technician supports physical and occupational therapists. They transport patients, prepare treatment areas and equipment, help patients through exercises under the therapist’s direction, report what they observe, clean equipment and handle scheduling and supplies. They work under close supervision and do not provide therapy on their own.
Is a rehab technician the same as a physical therapist aide?
Effectively, yes. BLS has no separate rehab technician occupation, and O*NET lists Rehabilitation Technician among the job titles reported for physical therapist aides (SOC 31-2022). Techs who work mainly for occupational therapists fall under occupational therapy aides.
What is the difference between a rehab tech and a physical therapist assistant?
A physical therapist assistant typically has an associate’s degree, holds a state license or certification and delivers treatment within the therapist’s plan. A rehab tech usually needs a high school diploma, is trained on the job and does support tasks. May 2025 medians were $68,380 for PTAs and $35,240 for PT aides.
How much do rehab technicians make?
Physical therapist aides, the occupation that includes rehab techs, had a median wage of $35,240 a year, or $16.94 an hour, in May 2025. Occupational therapy aides had a median of $39,160. Publish your own range in the posting.
Do rehab technicians need a certification?
Usually not. BLS lists a high school diploma and short-term on-the-job training as typical for PT aides. Many employers ask for CPR or BLS, and some skilled nursing facilities want a CNA certificate when the role includes restorative nursing tasks.
Is a rehab tech job a good path to becoming a PTA or therapist?
It is a common one. The job gives students patient contact and time working alongside therapists. Employers that say so in the posting, and offer tuition help, reach a strong pool of applicants.
What should I put in a rehab tech job ad?
Schedule and pay first, then “no experience needed,” a plain description of the work, the physical demands, and a line for students interested in PT or OT. Keep the application short.
How much does it cost to recruit a rehab technician?
Our benchmark does not report rehab techs as a separate family. Healthcare and senior living campaigns on Meta ran a median of $15.42 per applicant with a 16 percent apply rate. The therapy family’s $74.62 median applies to licensed clinicians, not aides.
Related job descriptions
Hiring rehab technicians?
The description is the document. Reaching people who have never searched for “rehab tech” but would be good at it, with a short application on Facebook and Instagram, is the part we do.
Wage, employment and projection data for physical therapist aides (SOC 31-2022), physical therapist assistants (31-2021) and occupational therapy aides (31-2012): U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025–35 (data.bls.gov/projections) and May 2025 OEWS; hourly median, reported job titles, tasks, work context and education from O*NET OnLine 31-2022.00 and 31-2021.00. Read at source 28 September 2026. Cost-per-applicant and apply-rate figures: Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, 891 managed campaigns and 1,334 campaign-months.