About This Career

Plans, directs, or coordinates 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.

This career is part of the Health Science cluster Therapeutic Services pathway.

A person in this career:

• Instructs patient in activities and techniques, such as sports, dance, music, art, or relaxation techniques, designed to meet their specific physical or psychological needs.
• Conducts therapy sessions to improve patients' mental and physical well-being.
• Plans, organizes, directs, and participates in treatment programs and activities to facilitate patients' rehabilitation, helps them integrate into the community, and prevents further medical problems.
• Observes, analyzes, and records patients' participation, reactions, and progress during treatment sessions, modifying treatment programs as needed.
• Develops treatment plan to meet needs of patient, based on needs assessment, patient interests, and objectives of therapy.
• Obtains information from medical records, medical staff, family members and the patients, themselves, to assess patients' capabilities, needs and interests.
• Confers with members of treatment team to plan and evaluate therapy programs.
• Counsels and encourages patients to develop leisure activities.
• Encourages clients with special needs and circumstances to acquire new skills and get involved in health-promoting leisure activities, such as sports, games, arts and crafts, and gardening.
• Prepares and submits reports and charts to treatment team to reflect patients' reactions and evidence of progress or regression.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 10 lbs., sometimes up to 20 lbs. You might do a lot of walking or standing, or you might sit but use your arms and legs to control machines, equipment or tools.
• Exposed to disease and infections more than once a month through work such as patient care, laboratory work, and sanitation control
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Seeing clearly at a distance
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

• Weekend work